MOTHERS AND NATURAL SCIENCE. 797 



Appletons' Science Primers and Ginn & Co.'s Guides to Science 

 Teaching are among the best. For more advanced standard 

 books, the works of Dana, Le Conte, and Geikie in geology, of 

 Dana and Brush in mineralogy, of Gray and Bessey in botany, 

 of Packard and Huxley in zoology, of Huxley and Martin in 

 physiology, of Remsen in chemistry, of Meyer and Wright and 

 of Ganot in physics, of Newconib and Young in astronomy, are 

 among the best. 



Better than books are the collections of a well-arranged mu- 

 seum if they are by good fortune accessible. If possible, use them 

 with the children, not for the amusement of an idle hour, but as 

 teachers speaking more directly from Nature's heart than books 

 can do. Also better than books is contact with a living teacher 

 and association with others interested in the same work. Such 

 help may be sought with assurance that one will seldom fail of 

 kindly welcome and of all possible assistance. The Agassiz As- 

 sociations, whose president is Mr. Harlan H. Ballard, whose head- 

 quarters are at Pittsfield, Mass., will furnish any mother with the 

 opportunity of putting herself in contact with workers in this 

 field, and of getting invaluable aid and inspiration. 



Thus far in this paper the benefit of the study of natural sci- 

 ence to the child only has been considered. But what of the 

 mother ? Truly, what increases the well-being of the child must 

 increase hers also ; but is there no personal gain to her apart from 

 her child ? Will it be nothing to be introduced to Nature, and to 

 become a welcome guest where one has been a comparative stran- 

 ger ? Will it be nothing to leave the artificial and conventional, 

 where so many masks are worn, and make friends with Nature, 

 who cares nothing about dress, income, or pedigree ? 



Few mothers have not felt the renewal of youth which comes 

 when in the woods, on the mountain, by the shore; have not 

 found their cares slipping insensibly from them when gazing into 

 the depths of the sky, listening to the murmur of a brook, or in- 

 haling the sweet breath of the summer wind. Let me assure 

 these mothers that every step in the study of any natural science 

 will open more wide the door through which Nature will pour 

 such healing balm. 



mother, tired with housekeeping, give your family simple, 

 uncooked fruit for dessert ; let puddings and pies go unmade, and 

 give the time so saved to the pursuit of enduring pleasures ; finish 

 the little dress with a few less ruffles, and fashion for your child's 

 mind a garment which can not fade or grow old ; make fewer calls 

 on your fashionable friends and more to the wood-lot, the open 

 meadow, and the running brook ; lay aside the latest novel, and go 



" Eead what is still unread 

 In the manuscripts of God " ; 



