35 2 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



The Fun of Seeing Things. 



This department is designed especi- 

 ally for boys and girls, but parents, 

 teachers and other adults will find in 

 it much of interest. Our boys and 



^^l^^^P ^P^ 



girls will read with pleasure and profit 

 the rest of the magazine. The young 

 folks are cordially invited 10 use their 

 eyes and to think about their observa- 

 tions. If what you see is clear to you 

 and you have taken pleasure in seeing 

 it, tell others about it. 



But suppose you find something that 

 you do not understand ; you do not 

 know its name, nor whether it has a 

 name ; then is the time for questions. 

 Any one that knows will gladly tell 

 those who do not know. I am ac- 

 quainted with some big bodied, good 

 hearted, skillful naturalists and scien- 

 tists that would willingly postpone a 

 dinner or even go without for the 

 pleasure of explaining something to an 

 inquiring boy or girl. 



There are plenty of people to help 

 you if you really desire to know. 



Answers by mail will be made to 

 every inquiry pertaining to natural 

 science, when accompanied by stamp- 

 ed and self-addressed envelope. We 

 will publish so far as we have room 



Effl 



SEE^ASK 



Go 



letters and answers on topics that are 

 of general interest and have not pre- 

 viously been explained in this maga- 

 zine. There is fun in discovering 

 things and in pointing out the way to 

 some other learner. 



There is almost as much fun in ask- 

 ing and in learning about something 

 that interests vou. 



We are planning to devote consid- 

 erable space to this department of The 

 Guide to Nature, and cordially invite 

 the cooperation of teachers and par- 

 ents. 



Children's Perpetual "Why." 



From the time children reach the 

 age when they can talk, till the time 

 arrives for them to be sent to school, 

 their home and outdoor life, as ex- 

 pressed in conversation is a perpetual 

 "Why?" They seek to know the 

 reason for everything and from the 

 grass at their feet to the glorious sun 

 above them, in all things which grow 

 and have any being — in all the phe- 

 nomena of nature, their curiosity is 

 being constantly aroused. They earn- 

 estly seek for information as to the 

 why and wherefore of all creation. At 

 no period of their lives are they more 

 earnest in their efforts at observation 

 and, as their experience gradually 

 leads to knowledge, their awakening 

 ability to notice differences and resem- 

 blances becomes an agent of marked 

 power in developing their intellectual 

 lif c ._'-The Catholic Educational Re- 

 view." 



Why Not More in Education. 



The Greenwich Bird Protective So- 

 ciety in a recent circular announcing- 

 a lecture by Niel Morrow Ladd, Presi- 

 dent of the Association, uses this re- 

 markable expression: "The good in- 

 fluence the study of nature has upon 

 the mind of the child." 



That expression represents the opin- 

 ion of most teachers and parents. In 

 fact every one recognizes that nature 

 study is good for the child. And we 

 should not forget that it is even bet- 

 ter for the adult because the adult can 

 better understand nature. It is not 

 possible for any one person to learn 

 all there is to "be learned of nature. 

 Although he may begin in childhood 

 the life of even the oldest person is 

 not long enough for him to learn more 

 than a fraction of what is to be learned 

 in this wonderful world. It is there- 

 fore well to begin early. 



We linger in manhood to tell the 

 dreams of our childhood, and they are 

 half forgotten ere we acnuire the facul- 

 ty of expressing them. — Thoreau. 



