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THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



ARCADIA. 



"What's in a name?" 



Everything in the name "Arcadia" im- 

 plies and expresses exactly what the new 

 nature "settlement," "colony" or "vil- 

 lage" purposes to do. 



Arcadia is generally known as a place 

 where simplicity and happiness reign to- 

 gether in harmony with a pastoral and 

 natural life and where all live close to 

 the heart of nature. The original Ar- 

 cadia was pervaded by the spirit of Pan, 

 so named by the other gods because he 

 was the god of all nature and referred 

 to as "the child of heaven and earth." 



So Pan (a synonym for Arcadia) is 

 thus described by Servius : 



"He is a rustic god, formed in simili- 

 tude of nature, whence he is called Pan ; 

 i. e.. All; for he has horns in similitude 

 of the rays of the sun and the horns of 

 the moon ; his face is ruddy, in imitation 

 of the ether ; he has spotted fawn skin 

 upon his breast, in likeness of stars ; his 

 lower parts are shaggy on account of 

 trees, shrubs and wild' beasts ; he has 

 eoat's feet to denote stability of the 

 earth ; he has a pipe of seven reeds on 

 account of the harmony of heavens ; he 

 has a crook, that is a curved staff, on 

 account of the year which runs back on 

 itself, because he is the god of all nature." 

 (Anthon's Classical Dictionary.) 



Could we have a better ideal than Ar- 

 cadia or a better spirit than that of Pan 

 to be its governing influence? 



Then, even in the minor sense, ours 

 is the true Arcadia. Savs the Universal 



Encyclopedia, "The Arcadians were a 

 simple people, inferior to most of the 

 other Greeks in genius and culture. . . 

 . . . This country was a favorite of an- 

 cient pastoral poets who praise the peace- 

 ful and happy life of the Arcadians." 



Figuratively our "genius and culture" 

 may be less than that of "the other 

 Greeks." We do not purpose even to 

 attempt the more elaborate work of the 

 more technical Institutions, Laboratories 

 and Associations. Nevertheless, mingled 

 with our main purpose to popularize na- 

 ture and natural science in the facts al- 

 ready known to technical scientists, we 

 shall strive also to add to the sum of 

 human knowledge of natural facts. Our 

 views of nature may bristle with fewer 

 sesquipedalian words and we may not 

 generalize biological figures to the tenth 

 decimal place ; but we do hope that all 

 lovers of nature will sing the praises of 

 "the peaceful and happy life" of those 

 who shall live near to the heart of na- 

 ture beneath the fair skies and within 

 reach of the fragrant breezes of Arcadia. 



The Standard Dictionary says of Ar- 

 cadia, "Any place where ideal rustic sim- 

 plicity and content prevail." The definer 

 must have had in mind the Arcadia of 

 nature. 



That is to be the dominant idea of 

 the new nature Arcadia. With an equip- 

 ment of astronomical observatory, bio- 

 logical laboratories, greenhouse, experi- 

 mental rooms, houses for our pet ani- 

 mals, insectary, photograph gallery, 

 "clearing bouse," offices for correspon- 



