EDITORIAL AND GENERAL. 



165 



meets people who might as well be in an- 

 other world so far as any appreciation 

 of this is in evidence. 



Then, too, in the realms of nature 

 literature, and of nature in education, 

 the support is far from what it should 

 be. 



The more I have considered this lack, 

 the more I have tried to formulate a 

 solution to the problem, the more I am 

 inclined to believe, that the common say- 

 ing "Distance lends enchantment to the 

 view," contains a truth on which rests 

 most of the lack of popular and even 

 esoteric interest. With the populace as 

 well as with the select club, there seems 

 to he a feeling that this thing- near at 

 hand isn't worth considering. There 

 is undoubtedly a popular interest in ani- 

 mals , as witness the money-drawing 

 power of the menagerie of foreign ani- 

 mals generally connected with the trav- 

 elling circus, in the extended sale of 

 certain books describing animals that 

 live in distant countries, and in the Mun- 

 chausen newspaper stories of some new 

 bear from Alaska, or a 1,000 year old 

 toad found alive and well in a rock from 

 a Nevada mine. 



How attractive and popular seems the 

 distant time. The route of the Anab- 

 asis is regarded as of more vital in- 

 terest than a path through the neighbor- 

 ing woods, and the dates in the life of 

 Louis Somebody of France more cultural 

 than the metamorphoses of an insect in 

 the nearest field. 



Take for example the curriculum of 

 any school and observe the undue atten- 

 tion given to events of the distant past 

 in comparison with that devoted to im- 

 parting a knowledge of the common- 

 place things of to-day. 



Take, again, the programme for the 

 year's lecture course of any woman's 

 club and observe those on the "Which- 

 ness of the What," compared with those 

 on 'AYhat is this that I Have Seen?" 



Think of it carefully. Do you, 

 whether you are a naturalist or not, 

 know any more astounding fact than 

 this, that so many hours and so much 

 appreciation are given to the distant in 

 time and place and so little attention to 

 the denizens of one's own dooryard, or 

 the neighboring field? There is a prin- 



ciple involved in the familiar quotation, 

 "Distance lends enchantment to the 

 view" that should have infused into it, 

 that embodied in another equally trite 

 and time-honored saying, "Charity be- 

 gins at home." I suppose this word 

 charity means love, but it may also 

 mean education and life. 



THE END. 



I am a devoted reader and admirer 

 of one of the high grade magazines de- 

 voted to the description of those lavish 

 appliances with which the wealthy and 

 yet busy man is supposed to restore the 

 normal action of his nerves, when he 

 flees to the suburbs to escape from the 

 stress and storm and struggling compe- 

 tition of the "madding crowd." I read 

 this magazine not so much from personal 

 as from editorial interest. I like to see 

 how that other editor strives to make at- 

 tractive the "quiet" of the suburbs. 



In a recent issue he publishes a mas- 

 terpiece. The title is alliterative, eupho- 

 nious and catchy — 'Alice and Money." 

 And the contributor goes on to tell in 

 glowing terms how even in a small place 

 one can make much money by raising 

 and selling" these small nets. This and 

 other publications have honored me by 

 allowing me to tell their readers how to 

 make money on all sorts of things that 

 I have in my backyard or have seen in 

 others' backyards. These magazines 

 stand then for ways and means- 

 how to get some money to use as a 

 means for something else as an end to 

 get more means. 



Let it be known once and for all that 

 Thk Guide to Nature stands for the 

 end not the means. This magazine be- 

 lieves in keeping mice, and advocates 

 keeping mice if yon have a liking for 

 those little creatures, and it advocates 

 any other kind of pet or any plant as an 

 end in itself. 



We do not care for an article on 

 "How I Sent My Son to College on the 

 Products of One Hen." and we have no 

 vearning for an article on "The Aston- 

 ishing Results of One Hundred and 

 Forty-four Square Inches of Ground 

 Devoted to Violets," and scintillating 

 with $ $ $ and padded between the 

 sparkles with tabulated columns of re- 



