146 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



them are the aesthetic elements of wood- 

 land and landscape, with coloring and 

 form marvels. I would judge that this 

 is the stimulus to most, for no sharp di- 

 viding line can be made between art and 

 science. To others nature study ap- 

 peals most strongly because it draws 

 them away from themselves and makes 

 them forget for a while the humdrum 

 of existence. Still others are of more 

 inquisitive mind, they are not satisfied 

 with admiration, but wish to understand. 

 Again, a considerable number, particu- 

 larly among the beginners, are more in- 

 terested in buildine collections of natur- 

 al objects ; they are really tentative 

 museum curators. 



Thus the satisfaction given by the 

 study of nature is many sided, and that 

 is whv it appeals to people of very dif- 

 ferent temperaments. Natural history, 

 when one gets started into it, always 

 proves more pleasure-giving than the 

 reading of newspapers and poor novels, 

 than the haunting of a social club or the 

 nursing of a bleacher at a baseball game. 

 It is within the reach of everyone, rich 

 and poor. It trains all the senses and 

 presents an endless field for the fancy 

 and for thought. Taken all in all it is 

 about the most satisfying hobby that one 

 can undertake, and to keep sane and 

 fresh a man is obliged to have a hobby 

 apart from the daily business. It helps 

 us to forget life's disappointments. The 

 subject presents in right perspective 

 man's relation to nature, and is thereby 

 helping to abolish superstition. It 



teaches that everyone should feel and 

 think for himself. The pursuit of nat- 

 ural history can lead us back to our ear- 

 lier, more normal and healthy natural 

 life, from which our over-civilization 

 has withdrawn us. 



"THE JOY OF LEARNING MORE AND 

 MORE." 



by Frederick leroy sargent, cam- 

 bridge, MASS. 



It has always seemed to me that the 

 most satisfactory things in the world to 

 know about are those which are common- 

 est. I believe also that the most satisfac- 

 tory ideas I can gain regarding them 

 are such general views of their proper- 

 ties and places in nature as will enable 



me to predict their behavior under var- 

 ious conditions, to tell what I can do 

 with them and what they can do for me 

 —physically, intellectually and spiritu- 

 ally. 



The earnest study of common things 

 has led me far, back and forth, over 

 the field of nature, often to inquiries 

 seemingly remote from everyday con- 



FREDERICK LEROY SARGENT. 

 Member of the Agassiz Association Council. 



cerns, and yet leading in turn to ideas 

 useful in daily life. While yet a school 

 boy I had the desire to find out all I 

 could about the curious fruit of the com- 

 mon dandelion which helps to make this 

 plant so successful. This early study 

 of the fruit led me later, through watch- 

 ing its development, to a study of the 

 flower. Then were aroused questions 

 regarding the behavior of the floral parts 

 in pollination with reference to helpful 

 or harmful insects and favorable or un- 

 favorable weather. An attempt to un- 

 derstand the floral parts led to tracing 

 their development back to the cradling 

 hnd of the leaf-rosette. The history of 

 the leafy shoot with its underground 

 reservoir of protected reserve food and 

 far-reaching roots raised many questions 

 more, not least of which were these: 



