THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 



7i 



erning the dispersal of these minute 

 seeds, so that they shall go out regu- 

 larly and in about the same quantity 

 in a light breeze as in a hurricane, and 

 pretty regularly from early fall until 

 late "spring. Nature seems to say. 

 "Winds may blow the whole season 

 through, but there are only certain 

 timesat which the ground is favorable 

 for the reception of these little seeds, 

 and in order not to miss those few 

 times I will send them out in nearly 

 equal amounts every day." If she hail 

 allowed them all to go in the raging 

 blasts and drenching storms to be 

 washed into the ditches that lead to the 

 cove, and thence to the Sound, she 

 would have lost her opportunity to re- 

 new herself in the cat-tails in other 

 places. Only about the usual number 

 lost their hold in those howling hurri- 

 canes, and the heavy rainfall soon beat 

 them to the earth. I am of the opinion 

 that in the stronger and severer winds 

 and rain storms fewer than usual are 

 removed. They seem to require the 

 light, steady breezes of a drier day, 

 when they are dry and light, and their 

 hold to the fruiting head is less tena- 

 cious. The plant seems to have some 

 difficulty in deciding on just what 

 breezy days the ground is in the right 

 condition to receive and protect her 

 seeds, so she apparently experiments 

 regularly and evenly and every day. 

 When the tufted cat-tail seeds float, 

 hour after hour, day after day, week 

 after week, by the window where T 

 so often sit with my work, I ponder. 

 They are only seeds from cat-tails in a 

 marsh, but if I could understand my 

 own wondering thoughts about them I 

 should be the better able not only to 

 understand what God and man is, but 

 I could formulate a philosophy that 

 might help me, whatever it might do 

 for others. 



Free Nature Convention at Sound 

 Beach. 



After "The Fourth" we shall cele- 

 brate our Independence of the stress 

 and strain of modern civilization, by 

 rest and refreshment for body and 

 mind in a summer sojourn with old 

 Mother Nature. 



The Agassiz Nature Convention or 

 Summer School (it makes little differ- 

 ence what you call it) holds sessions 



every Monday, Wednesday and Friday 

 for four weeks, at 9:30 A. M. for girls 

 and boys, and at 2:30 P. M. for tnosc 

 who have retained their youth in spite 

 of advancing years, or who want to go 

 to Mother Nature in the spirit of the 

 boy or girl. Everybody pays for at- 

 tendance — by giving aid to some one 

 else. Some people call that free but it 

 isn't. Perhaps, in the final analysis, 

 nothing is free, perhaps every one is 

 paid for what he does even when he 

 thinks or says that he is giving. But 

 at our Summer School there will be no 

 cash tuition. Good will will be the 

 only loyal tender. 



"Examination required for admis- 

 sion to this school?" 



Certainly. Do you want to increase 

 your knowledge and love of nature? 

 "Yes." 



All right. You are entered as a pupil 

 and your place is assigned in the front 

 row. 



"But who are the teachers and what 

 is required of the pupils?" 



Only this; that every teacher be a 

 pupil and every pupil be a teacher. 



"But I want to know more of the 

 details." 



All right. You are a hopeful com- 

 rade. If you really want to know and 

 not merely want to want to know, 

 there isn't the slightest doubt but that 

 you will find out. Old Mother Nature 

 loves a good questioner, and she sets 

 a good example. 



Cordially, 

 Edward F. Bigelow. 

 Arcadia: Sound Beach, Connecticut. 

 P. S. Yes, we have a telephone 

 (1597-4), a post office, an express sta- 

 tion, shade for the chauffeur, a hitch- 

 ing post, trolley cars now and then, 

 passenger trains and freight trains fre- 

 quently, and a good path on a country 

 road. — "Arcadia Road" they call it. 

 Come in any way that may suit your 

 convenience. Walk, if you will ; only 

 come. 



When opportunity knocks, be sure that it 

 finds you ready. 



There is no disguising the fact that 

 there is no royal road to Nature knowl- 

 edge : it can be acquired only by the 

 exercise of brains and the patient la- 

 bour of vears. — Reverend Charles A. 

 Hall, in "The Open Book of Xature." 



