344 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



and nose; and it is also just as well to hear through the vibrations of the 

 earth as through those of the air. Because ants remember odors, they 

 are able to distinguish between friends and enemies, and the observant 

 child may learn that the ant people get angry, at times are afraid, dislike 

 some things and are fond of others, and show sadness and joy, hatred 

 and love. 



One of the principal elements in human happiness is the realization 

 of beauty in nature, whether it be in the exquisite form and color of the 

 petal of a rose, the glowing green of the beetle's armor, the flight of the 

 swallow, the moonlight serenade of the mocking bird, the iridescent 

 green and bronze ocelli of the peacock's tail-coverts, the mountains veiled 

 in opalescent mists, the abysmal blue of the ocean, the glory of red and 

 gold in the sunset, or the shimmer of the myriad stars. There is a 

 beauty of structure and function, as in the system of lenses which focus 

 upon the retina the countless rays of light from objects near and far, 

 and thus make possible the mental perception of beauty in nature. 



Consider the adaptation for dispersal shown in the dandelion, when 

 the baby plant, in the seed, surrounded by food and borne aloft by a 

 delicately tufted aeroplane, floats far awa}^ from its mother. Somewhere 

 — if it fall on fertile soil — when the weather is propitious, the baby 

 dandelion will awaken, sprout as a seedling, mature into parenthood and 

 in turn provide food and aeroplanes for its children. 



Nature-play is the true basis for all knowledge. Through this domi- 

 nant interest the child is led to know of the living things about him. 

 Not merely are the facts of nature important, but much more valuable 

 is the fascinating story of how and why these facts came to be. It is of 

 much import to learn that the animals which bear scales and those 

 covered with feathers, or fur, are all wearing similar clothing, but of the 

 different fashions best suited to their needs. It is still more significant 

 to realize that fundamentally the minds of all animals are as allied as 

 are their digestive and respiratory systems. The great end of nature- 

 play for the child is not simply to learn of the rest of nature, but better 

 to know himself as a part of nature. 



