THE AGASSIZ ASSOCIATION 205 



"Last Friday I had, through my be- partment devoted to civil history. Our 

 ing fortunate enough to be travelling mission is to do not these commendable 

 through Serignan with the American things, but to exploit natural history. 

 Consul and his wife, a wonderful call The most frequent of all these well- 

 upon Henri Fabre. I walked in his meaning suggestions and appeals is that 

 garden, saw his workshop, but best of we should adopt and advocate the so- 

 all looked into the beautiful eyes, and called reformed spelling. And here our 

 held the hand of this precious human friends try to land an effective shaft by 

 who has done so much for all who love eulogizing the scientific interests of the 

 nature." management, and stating, as a sort of 



■ unanswerable conclusion, that, "If you 



October. are scientific, you should take an inter- 



The year grows old, est in the scientific improvement of the 



The wind blows cold; language." Let us go back to the orig- 



And orchards turn to mounds ol gold; . f (1 °. . . & , ,. ... ° 



A brownish tint on leafiand wall, mal, 1 his one thing we do. We are 



And woodland's garb begins to fall; here to introduce nature to humanity 



The green in pasture grasses ebbs, anc j humanity to nature, and that 



The dew transforms the spider webs; ^-^ui«.^ :„ „n j.u„4. * *-*. i 



Brown seeds take flight, problem is all that we care to attack 



For next year's site, at present. We will adopt the re- 



And frost appears on mountain height. formed spelling when those do SO that 



—Robert Sparks Walker. are m jghtier than we in literature, but 



so long as such magazines as "The 

 This One Thing We Do. Century," "St. Nicholas," "Harper's," 

 We frequently receive advice both "Scribner's," "The Atlantic Monthly" 

 personal and epistolary in regard to and others do not adopt this so-called 

 the various side issues of human en- improvement, we will not. 

 deavor that we should take up. Espec- Not long ago we witnessed an at- 

 ially since we have devoted consider- tempt to revolutionize the world that 

 able space to the nature interests of would have been comical, if it had not 

 certain large estates, we have been been so painful. A very small maga- 

 strongly advised to make this maga- zine was started in a commendable ef- 

 zine wholly local, and to devote it to fort to induce people to equip and prop- 

 suburban and country interests. We erly. care for aquaria in the home 

 reject that advice. We shall continue There are a few people in the world 

 to deal with old Mother Nature wheth- who love aquaria; there are others who 

 er we find her in loving companionship would keep aquaria if they were told 

 with the wealthy man or the poor man, how, and were interested in living fish 

 with the cultured or the uncultured, and various forms of aquatic plants, 

 with the learned or the ignorant, with It really seemed as if that magazine 

 the appreciative or the indifferent, would do good work and sufficient 

 Perhaps it is to the totally indifferent work if it should arouse a general in- 

 that we shall "pay our utmost endeav- terest in aquaria, but every paragraph, 

 ors." every line, almost every word showed 

 Again we have been advised to take by precept and example that reformed 

 a deeper interest in the cruel treatment spelling was the great and only thing, 

 of fourfooted animals, in protecting One became so entangled in the Josh 

 birds from slaughter, in furthering the Billings vocabulary that it became 

 interests of the Boy Scouts, in develop- somewhat difficult to find amid so 

 ing the work of The Camp Fire Girls, much insanity the sane aquarian inter- 

 And we have even been urged to open est. We have also had a similar ex- 

 a department for the Daughters of the ample of a struggling, yet commend- 

 American Revolution, and to take an able publication pertaining to birds 

 interest in the collecting of coins and on the western coast. Birds are a pret- 

 of old china. One well-meaning friend ty big topic and it seemed as if it in 

 has frequently buttonholed us in a sin- itself would be amply sufficient with- 

 cere interest for the prosperity of our out attempting to reform, upset or 

 work, and has told us how many well- change, whatever you may call it, the 

 to-do people are interested in historical entire English language. But great as 

 matters, and that we should have a de- is the topic of aquaria, and perhaps 



