262 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



OUR SCHOOL SOCIETIES. 



BY H. H. BALLARD, PlTTSFlELD, MASS. 



As the AA has become better known, 

 it has found a wide field of usefulness 



HARLAN H. BALLARD. 



Pittsfield, Mass. 



Originator and Ex-President of The AA. 



in connection with schools, both private 

 and public. Many teachers who have 

 not been able to find a place for natural 

 science in the ordinary curriculum, and 

 who have yet felt that their pupils should 

 not grow up strangers to the (lowers, 

 trees, birds, and butterflies, have been 

 glad to devote an hour once a fortnight 

 to the guidance of a meeting devoted to 

 these studies. In almost every school 

 may be found, at the least, six of the 

 more intelligent boys and girls who will 

 willingly spend an evening now and then 

 in united study and discussion. The 

 young are naturally fond of collecting. 

 Most school committees will cheerfully 

 grant the use of a room for the meetings, 

 and many will even provide suitable 

 cases for the specimens. In each of the 



several hundred schools in which branch- 

 es of the Agassiz Association have been 

 organized, the resultant work of personal 

 observation lias had a marked tendency 

 to counteract the evils of rote-work and 

 routine. In most cases cabinets have 

 been secured and have been filled witii 

 specimens collected by the pupils them- 

 selves within a radius of five miles of 

 the school-house door. Visit such a so- 

 ciety and ask to be shown representa- 

 tions of the local fauna, flora, or miner- 

 alia. The young men and women will 

 show you collections carefully prepared 

 accurately labeled, diligently studied, 

 highly valued, and exceedingly valuable. 

 The Agassiz Association does not so 

 much care for rarities or monstrosities. 

 Our cabinets are neither junk-shops nor 

 dime-museums. Our purpose is rather 

 to learn about the stones by the roadside 

 and in the quarry; to become familiar 

 with the plants we pass on our way to 

 school, and with the insects that feed 

 upon and fertilize them ; to get on speak- 

 ing terms with, and out of all cruel re- 

 lations to. each warbler of the orchard 

 and the wildwood ; to discover what 

 fishes swim in our brooks, what shells 

 lie on our beaches and hide in our 

 groves, what invisible animalcules live 

 in our ponds and ditches, what stars 

 shine in our sky. It was a dream of 

 Louis Agassiz himself to see American 

 youth early led into the pleasant paths 

 of natural science ; to see them forsaking 

 all foolish and wanton sport for the sake 

 of a wise and loving study of the works 

 of God. 



Every teacher has at some time felt 

 how delightful it would be if she could 

 only lead her pupils to see the inexpress- 

 ible beaut\' that lies hid from unwakened 

 eves in pebble and leaf and wing. But 

 many have been discouraged from mak- 

 ing any serious endeavor from fear of 

 failure. Tt is better to try and fail, than 

 fail for fear of trying. It must be ad- 

 mitted, however, that there are usually 

 serious hindrances in the way. First of 

 all. raanv teachers feel that they are al- 

 ready working at too high a tension. 

 Then others, not having enjoyed special 

 training in natural science, feel a modest 

 reluctance about attempting to train 

 others. In other cases it is found diffi- 



