50 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



THE SI'lHIT OF "THE GLIDE TO NATURE;" 



It is the mission of "The Guide to Xatu 

 of the beauty and value of natural object 

 of wild nature: to arouse tlie listless stud 



Even to the most enthusiastic of us w 

 when after we hare "wandered away and a 

 what Longfellow said of Agassiz. that 



. . . "the way 

 Or his heart began 



It is at such times that "The Guide" w 

 every student by telling of the faithluluc 

 good cheer from fellow workers. Much o 

 which freely translated means, "We are i 

 Guide" «ill be a leading, enticing', cheeriu 

 of nature. 



re" to draw the reader toward an appreciation 

 s and away from artificial objects to the domain 

 ent to activity and zeal in the study of nature, 

 ho study and love nature, there comes times 

 way with Nature" we can sympathize with 



seemed long', 

 to fail." 



ill inspire to greater efforts and encourage 

 ss. zeal and success of others. >Ve all need 

 f our inspiration is, "Oiune vivuui ex vivo," 

 aspired ami cheered by a friend." "The 

 g 1 , encouraging' friend to students and lovers 



"GLITTEKlXG GENERALITIES." 



The most difficult task that has thus 

 far come to me in the establishing of 

 "The Guide to Nature" has heen the re- 

 turning' of manuscripts, as I have had to 

 do even to some of the magazine's best 

 friends. The announcement that this is 

 to be a magazine of helpfulness, to in- 

 spire and increase an interest in nature, 

 has brought forth an immense number of 

 essays on what, for lack of a better term, 

 I must call "glittering generalities" 

 about fhe beauty and suggestiveness of 

 nature. This is to be a magazine, not of 

 preaching on "The Beauty and Interest 

 to be Observed in Insects," "The Fasci- 

 nations of ( >rnithology," "Wonders of 

 the Plant World," or similar general es- 

 says ; but each article is to have a spe- 

 cific statement of what has been actually 

 seen or done, not what the author's 

 point of view may be nor what he has 

 read. 



Long ago I learned that to show one 



real interest is worth more than many 

 lengthy arguments about abstract inter- 

 ests of that subject. It is not necessary to 

 tell nor argue that this thing is attrac- 

 tive, but point out the winning features 

 and let the persons for whom you write 

 decide whether it is interesting or nor. 

 No jury cares for opinions. It wants 

 proofs. Submit the "Exhibits" and let 

 the jury of our readers decide. 



And do not try to tell too much in on* 

 story. Tell it as brightly and brief!) as 

 possible and stop. 



THE USUAL AND UNUSUAL. 



Constantly to crave some new thing- 

 seems to be a natural quality of the hu- 

 man mind. But it is not the new things 

 that are really the most important nor 

 the most alluring, when the cultivated 

 man begins to think and to investigate. 

 The commonest objects upon which the 

 undeveloped or uneducated person sets 

 his foot in ignorance and in careless 



