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THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



veranda, needs only to concentrate his at- 

 tention for a few minutes upon what is 

 going on among the insects on or about 

 the very vines that shade him, in order 

 to become interested and to desire to seek 

 for an explanation of the things he sees." 



THE CHURCH AND NATURE STUDY. 



BY REVEREND CHARLES MORRIS ADDISON. 



The church is commissioned to teach 

 the truth of God, to help men to obey 

 God and to inspire them with love and 

 reverence for God. 



It may use various means to accom- 

 plish these ends. Some churches prefer 

 to use exhortation and the prayer meet- 

 ing - ; others think it more useful to use 

 the sacraments and incense ; others de- 

 pend upon intellectual instruction. The 



REVEREND CHARLES MORRIS ADDISON 

 Stamford, Connecticut. 



best church or the best parish is the one 

 which can consistently use the most 

 methods. Almost all try to use as many 

 as possible. The most progressive will 

 have gymnasiums and baths and manual 

 training classes, singing schools and 

 dramatic and social clubs. 



Very few as yet have added nature 

 study. I believe in this as a most valu- 

 able adjunct. I deem it better and more 



Christianizing for the young people than 

 making them sing hymns which they 

 don't understand or give immature re- 

 ligious experiences in public. Nature 

 , study helps towards the development of 

 the body in God's out of doors. Nature 

 study helps the rounded development of 

 the mind. God in nature has given us 

 the best graded system of instruction 

 which we have, adapted to the little child 

 picking up shells upon the seashore and 

 itip to Newton studying the abstract ma- 

 thematics of the stars. 



Nature study impresses moral lessons 

 of utter obedience to law and helps to 

 watchfulness, adaptiveness and helpful- 

 ness. It enlarges the child's apprecia- 

 tion of and passion for beauty and gives 

 him grounds for the love of God, for 

 reverence and gratitude. Therefore, as 

 twenty years ago in Fitchburg, Massa- 

 chusetts, so now I welcome the work 

 of The Agassiz Association and claim it 

 as part of the church's work and am glad 

 to use it as one of the ways to lead 

 young people to God and to make them 

 better followers of Jesus Christ who 

 cared for the sparrow and noted the lily 

 of the field. 



LETTER FROM HARLAN H. BALLARD. 



(Thirty-three years President of The Agas- 

 siz Association.) 



Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 



December 15, 1908. 

 Edw'ard F. Bigelow, Ph. D., 



President The Agassiz Association. 



Accept my congratulations upon the 

 reorganization of The Agassiz Associa- 

 tion, which you have accomplished, and 

 upon the bright outlook for success 

 which is opening before you. 



Since you accepted the arduous and 

 somewhat thankless task of President 

 of the AA two years ago, I have kept 

 in touch with your work and I know 

 that nothing has been left undone which 

 enthusiasm and energy could do. You 

 have infused new life into the Associa- 

 tion, have broadened the scope of its 

 endeavor and have succeeded in arous- 

 insr an interest in nature, and in the 

 Association among men of influence and 

 power. The magazine. The Guide to 

 Nature, has been established and main- 

 tained by you at a very high standard. 



