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THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



JUST AS WE ARE. 



The Guide to Nature is an attempt 

 by an Association of nature lovers to pro- 

 duce a nature magazine really worth 

 while. It is yet far short of its ideal, 

 but even now, with all its imperfections, 

 it is undoubtedly the most successful at- 

 tempt to publish a periodical for nature 

 lovers. It is better patronized, it con- 

 tains more valuable and instructive mat- 

 ter, is better illustrated, is more attract- 

 ive mechanically, and. its prospects are 

 in every way better than those of any 

 other similar publication in this country. 



ADVICE A>D SUGGESTIONS. 



It takes many people to make a mag- 

 azine, and it takes more to tell what the 

 magazine should be. Most persons vote 

 silently, for or against, that is they sub- 

 scribe or they do not. Suppose every 

 person who has subscribed would tell 

 fully why he did so, and every person 

 who has seen a copy or announcement 

 and didn't subscribe, would tell why he 

 didn't! How clear it all would be to 

 "guide" aright. 



lint being surrounded by a silent com- 

 pany is like steering in a fog, with only 

 one's own ideas and sometimes mere 

 guess work to direct one's course. Please 

 let the sunlight in so that we may see 

 the channel and the objects on the shore. 

 Please write and tell us what yon want, 

 what you don't want, and why. 



FOR THE SPECIALIST. 



Many copies of the Prospectus of this 

 magazine were sent to various special- 

 ists in various departments of nature 

 science, and, we are erateful to say, that 

 from these specialists we have received 

 a liberal number of subscriptions, and 

 not a few contributions'. Most of this 

 clientele seems readih 7 to understand the 

 scope of The Guide to Nature, and all 

 is well and ha 1 "^"" 



We naturally expect that it will take 

 a new thing some time to grow, to 

 find its true form, and to adapt itself 

 to its surroundings. This fact is true 

 of The Guide. But in the main the 

 ideals of its forms and adaptations are 

 clear and sharp. This magazine is to be 

 ore-eminent 1 " a magazine for the spec- 

 ialists, but not in all his needs nor in 

 his major part. Professor William F. 

 Ganong, in his book, "The Teaching 

 Botanist," well defines a specialist. He 

 savs : 



"Specialization is 1 no means a selfish 

 isolation in a narrow line of interests, 

 but rather it consists of making one's 

 greatest interest the axis for the group- 

 ing of the others. The conditions of 

 modern life have settled it for us that 

 the well-educated man is a specialist, one 

 who knows somethin"" well, it matters 

 not so much what, and has sympathy for 

 other things." 



\'o one magazine can represent for all 

 specialists the "know some thing well," 

 but The Guide to Nature can and will 



