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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



to the thoughtful rather than to the 

 thoughtless. 



It has never been in the glare of 

 great public popularity. The Agassiz 

 Association considers it more import- 

 ant to observe than to be observed. 



The Association, while the oldest and 

 largest organization devoted to out- 

 door interest, has been outdistanced by 

 some of its own Chapters, which have 

 popularized some particular phases of 

 science. It has also seen tlie rise and 

 fall of many fads and fashions, but it 

 will continue for all time as it has con- 

 tinued for forty years to meet the 

 needs of thoughtful, dignified, self- 

 respecting, reverent students and lov- 

 ers of Nature. No other outdoor or- 

 ganization has assembled Youth and 

 Age together on equal terms, no other 

 natural science organization so keeps 

 the enthusiasm of youth in age. Agas- 

 siz was a "big boy," and a learned 

 technical scientist. One of his young 

 pupils, now chancellor of a great uni- 

 versity, David Starr Jordan, a Trus- 

 tee of The Agassiz Association, was 

 so influenced by Agassiz that he re- 

 tains the comradeship of youth. Di. 

 Jordan says of Agassiz : "He was the 

 past master of enthusiasms." 



In the light of to-day's science, Ag- 

 assiz may have made some mistakes, 

 and so will you, not only the least ex- 

 perienced, but even the most learned 

 yet never will any make a mistake in 

 keeping the spirit of Agassiz in a 

 search for the truth. 



The Agassiz Association has never 

 had extended financial aid because it is 

 neither patronizing nor pathetic. 

 Only rare personalities give to those 

 who do not assume an attitude of in- 

 feriority. Josephine Dodge Daskman 

 lias truly said in one of her Fables, 

 "Nothing succeeds like distress." It 

 takes a noble soul to give to equals in 

 the spirit of dignified recognition of 

 equality with no expectation of return 

 other than the joy of doing. 



Individual liberty, the modern 

 thought in education, was insisted up- 

 on by The Agassiz Association forty 

 years ago, and it was put into practice 

 according to the spirit of Louis Agas- 

 siz, who used that method in his teach- 

 ing, when he told a pupil in words now 

 classic : — "study the fish." Then he 

 left the pupil to study in his own way. 



It was sufficient for Agassiz to point the 

 way to the fish, and then let the pupil 

 work out his own problems, and to as- 

 sist only when assistance was really 

 needed. The Agassiz Association does 

 not annihilate the joy of original dis- 

 covery. 



Our Visit to ArcAdiA. 



On Monday, January n, 191 5, our 

 recently organized Putnam Chapter of 

 The Agassiz Association in the Green- 

 wich Academy visited ArcAdiA at 

 Sound Beach. We were met at the 

 door of the Welcome Reception Room 

 by Dr. Bigelow, President of The 

 Agassiz Association. As we entered 

 the room, we saw at the left of us 

 a bright fire burning in a large fire- 

 place. At the right were different 

 forms of apparatus placed on a plat- 

 form. We went on through the room 

 and removed our hats and coats in a 

 small adjoining room. Then we all 

 came back and sat down before the 

 fire with a class from the High School 

 which was also there. Dr. Bigelow 

 then told us all about The Agassiz 

 Association and how it was founded. 

 After that he showed us some lantern 

 slides of ArcAdiA, from the time it 

 was established until now, and explain- 

 ed its emblems and work. We were 

 then initiated and the Charter was 

 given us. All the officers held on to 

 the leaves of a plant, The Agassiz 

 Yucca, brought by Louis Agassiz him- 

 self from South America. The rest 

 of the Members of the newly formed 

 Putnam Chapter were grouped about 

 Dr. Bigelow who stood presenting the 

 Charter, on the other side of the table 

 on which the plant was set. A flash 

 light picture was taken of us in this 

 position. 



Afterward Dr. Bigelow took us 

 around ArcAdiA. It was very pictur- 

 esque in some parts. Then he took us 

 through the different buildings. He 

 showed us trout eggs, buds, twigs, 

 stuffed birds, shells, etc. We were 

 then shown some microscopical pro- 

 jection of buds, snails' tongues, parts 

 of plants, insects, etc. After that we 

 said good-by and went home. 



Dorothy Thorp, President. 



Constance Taylor, Secretary 



