44 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



A Subscriber or a Member? 

 It costs a dollar a year for subscrip- 

 tion to The Guide to Nature and fifty 

 cents additional per year, exclusive of 

 entrance fee, etc., for Corresponding 

 Membership in The Agassiz Associa- 

 tion. As we give information free to 

 any of our subscribers with practically 

 the same readiness and fullness of de- 

 tail as we would to any of our mem- 

 bers, our friends often ask the ques- 

 tion, "What is the advantage of being 

 a member?" It seems, on the face oi 

 it, a natural question, Why a dollar and 

 a half should be paid, when all the ad- 

 vantages can be secured by a subscrip- 

 tion to the magazine, and practically 

 all the advantages of membership can 

 be secured for a dollar. 



When The Guide to Nature was 

 started, we hoped to make the mem- 

 bership free, and placed the subscrip- 

 tion price for the first year at a dollar 

 and a half. But we found that those 

 that are eligible to membership and 

 felt real interest were willing to ex- 

 pend the dollar and a half, and even 

 more, if necessary, to pay the expenses 

 of the magazine. In other words, we 

 found many that were enthusiastic and 

 many that were only about halfway in- 

 terested, or could not afford to pay 

 more than a dollar. To lead those that 

 were only slightly interested into a 

 deeper interest, and to reach those that 

 could not afford to pay more than a 

 dollar, it was decided at the end of the 

 first year to reduce the subscription 

 price to one dollar a year, and to make 

 the annual dues of the Corresponding 

 Membership a dollar and a half. The 

 one dollar does not pay expenses. 

 These have to be made up by the ad- 

 vertisers, by our membership fees and 

 by contributions. If this were a busi- 

 ness for pecuniary profit there would 

 be no inducement for any one to pay 

 a dollar and a half for what he can 

 obtain for a dollar. 



But it is not a business. It is an 

 Association for doing missionary work 

 in the realms of nature, to create and 

 increase a knowledge and love of na- 

 ture. It is for exactly that that we are 

 here, and the simple answer to the 

 question, Will you be a subscriber or 

 a member?, is, Will you help to pay 

 what the thing costs or leave it for 

 some one else to pay? 



Every Chapter Member should be a 

 Subscriber. 

 Here is an excellent suggestion from 

 Professor Ralph Benton, Field Secre- 

 tary of The Agassiz Association for 

 the State of California. He writes as 

 follows : 



"We are suggesting that the local 

 initiation fee of members at time of 

 organization and as new members 

 come in, be made large enough not 

 only to cover the incidental expenses 

 of organization, but to include a per- 

 sonal six months' 'trial' subscription 

 to The Guide to Nature. My idea is 

 briefly that one of the best ways to 

 instruct members in the work of the 

 AA and to develop an 'esprit-de-corps' 

 is to read The Guide to Nature. The 

 Chapter copy goes to the President or 

 to the Chapter library and is theo- 

 retically read by all, but practically 

 read only by the few that as measured 

 by interest need it least. A six months' 

 subscription would have its influence. 

 Many would miss it then and continue 

 their personal subscription. The 

 others would at least be a little more 

 likely to consult the library copy." 



A member of a Chapter is a member 

 of The Agassiz Association and so far 

 as taking The Guide to Nature is con- 

 cerned there should be no distinction 

 between a Chapter member and one 

 that enrolls direct. Every direct mem- 

 ber is required to take The Guide to 

 Nature. Surely the members of a 

 Chapter because they work together 

 with others are to be expected to take 

 as definite an interest in our work as 

 that taken by members that enroll in- 

 dividually. Membership in The Agas- 

 siz Association stands for something 

 definite. It is not a form, it is not a 

 farce. It means definite, direct work- 

 in nature and an endeavor to interest 

 others in nature. We find, as Profes- 

 sor Benton says, that individual mem- 

 bers retain and increase their interest, 

 but Chapter members often do not. 

 This we believe is largely due to the 

 fact that some of the Chapter members 

 are not in touch with our work as de- 

 scribed in The Guide to Nature. We 

 are, therefore, asking the officers of 

 every Chapter of The Agassiz Associa- 

 tion to see that every Chapter member 

 is enrolled as a subscriber. 



Special terms to newly initiated 

 Chapters: a trial subscription for six 

 months for twenty-five (25) cents. 



