484 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



returned, when she sat very still while 

 the photograph was taken. 



"Snap Monstrosities." 



Rochester, N. Y. 

 To the Editor: 



Your editorial, "The Evil of the 

 Snap," is a surprise; it conveys the 

 idea, that the kodak is responsible for 

 the photographic abortions which have 

 come into being through promiscuous 

 snapping. I have positive knowledge 

 of the "snap" having been in operation 

 for, at least, three years before I ven- 

 tured to dabble in photography; and, 

 as far back as the summer of 1887, be- 

 fore a kodak had been placed on the 

 market, and before kodak was in the 

 photographic vocabulary, I was snap- 

 ping with a plate camera. The snaps 

 which antedate kodak days cannot be 

 charged or credited to the kodak. 



The kodak has not a monopoly of the 

 "snap ;" it has a host of keen compet- 

 itors ; it should not be held blamable 

 for its competitor's snap monstrosi- 

 ties. 



The snap is not evil, except as an 

 occasional pervert makes it so. You 

 mention, "The Evil," in your subject : 

 but you do not show it in your argu- 

 ments. You rambled far from the evil, 

 and revelled in the errors. 



You ask, in substance, where is the 

 kodaker, the real photographer, the 

 skilled photographer, who would 

 "take" a friend, group, or scene "with 

 nothing more than a snap," or who 

 would make an exposure of "one-hun- 

 dredth" (of a second, I presume) with 

 anything less than a focal plane? To 

 each question, I answer: "Here!" 



Now ! What do you want ? 

 Yours very truly, 



Geo. W. Kellogg. 



— P. S. I authorize you to make any 

 use of this communication that you 

 desire. 



Geo. W. Kellogg. 

 What a spirited — yes, almost "snap"- 

 ish, confirmation of the argument, in 

 what seems to have been intended to 

 be a disagreement. The best "use" of 

 the letter is to publish it in full — to 

 prove the existence of "the photo- 



graphic abortions which have come 

 into being through promiscuous snap- 

 ping," and to further prove that this 

 "evil" exists not only with the use of 

 the kodak but with other cameras. 



That's right. 



Chicago's Walking Club. 



The title of the programme is "Sat- 

 urday Afternoon Walks in the Forests, 

 Fields, Hills and Valleys about the 

 City." 



The invitation is as follows : 

 "In the vicinity of Chicago there are 

 many tracts of woodland ot great nat- 

 ural beauty which can be reached with 

 slight expenditure of time and money. 

 The lake shore with its ravines at the 

 north and forest-covered sand dunes at 

 the south, the three rivers, the wooded 

 hills and the open country — all these 

 offer facilities for recreation and relief 

 from city life that, for the most part 

 are neglected. 



"It is felt that there are probably 

 many persons who, for lack of time, or 

 awed by the perplexity of routes of- 

 fered by twenty-nine radiating rail- 

 roads, have not ventured forth to enjoy 

 the beauties of nature that lie pro- 

 fusely scattered at the very gates of 

 the city ; and that a series of walks, led 

 by guides who are familiar with the 

 regions visited, and who have solved 

 the riddle of the time-tables, will at 

 least serve the purpose of an introduc- 

 tion to Chicago's really beautiful en- 

 vironment. 



"To this end you are invited to any 

 or all of the walking trips." 



Such a club should be formed in 

 every city. Walking is good so far as 

 it goes, and so is the route traveled. 



Your delightful publication is both a 

 guide and pleasure "To him who in the 

 love of nature holds communion with 

 her visible forms." — W. H. Sabine, 

 Nezv York City. 



The Guide to Nature is good both 

 for body and soul. — Fred Christiansen, 

 Principal Manitozvoc County Training 

 School for Teachers, Manitowoc, Wis- 

 consin. 



