EDITORIAL 



45 



manufacturing- establishment, Dr. Big- 

 elow called him his senior pupil and in- 

 sisted that he come to the front of the 

 teacher's desk, put his hoels together, 

 turn his toes out at an angle of forty- 

 five degrees, make a bow and recite a 

 little ditty, "Popping Corn," as he re- 

 cited it forty years ago. 



The lecture by Dr Bigelow was 

 given in the chapel and then there was 

 an adjournment to the schoolhouse 

 near-by for the roll call. Dr. Bigelow 

 went into the schoolhouse and wonder- 

 ed why his pupils delayed their coming. 

 After a somewhat impatient wait of a 

 few minutes he went out to find these 

 prominent men and women on the play- 

 ground and to be rather indignantly 

 informed that they were not in the hab- 

 it of coming in after recess — only forty 

 years this time — until he rang the 

 school bell. Recess immediately closed. 



At the close of his principalship of 

 this school forty years ago Dr. Bigelow 

 returned to Bacon Academy, but off 

 and on, with intercalated preparatory, 

 college and general biological labora- 

 tory work, he has always been a school 

 teacher. At present he is a member of 

 the faculty of the Wabanaki School at 

 Greenwich. Although he has for the 

 last thirty-two years been printer, pub- 

 lisher and editor, he has never lost his 

 interest in the schools nor in school 

 work. During the greater part of that 

 third of a century he has visited schools 

 at least once every week, and has been 

 associated with many private institu- 

 tions. He was a visitor at The Castle, 

 Tarrytown-on-Hudson, New York, 

 every Friday and Saturday for ten 

 years, and in addition to this work, 

 which he considers delightful, he is the 

 Editor-in-Chief of this magazine, the 

 official organ of The Agassiz Associa- 

 tion of which he is President, and 

 which is the exponent of Louis Agassiz 

 and his teaching. He admires Louis 

 Agassiz and takes pleasure in continu- 

 ing Agassiz's work, not only on ac- 

 count of his admiration for Agassiz as 

 a scientist, but chiefly because of that 

 famous man's missionary spirit as a 

 teacher. Dr. Bigelow's favorite expres- 

 sion is, "I have always been an editor 

 with a school-teaching attachment," so 

 strong an attachment that he is con- 

 stantly in those schools in which he 

 has been engaged as a teacher, in uni- 



versities, colleges, teachers' institutes, 

 where he has been an instructor of 

 teachers. In all the world there is no 

 grander calling than that of a teacher. 

 Upon that profession depends the mold- 

 ing of every human mind. The editor 

 may help to mold public opinion, but 

 his work can never equal that of a 

 teacher. The teacher takes the mind 

 before it has become case-hardened and 

 he can, at least to a certain extent, do 

 what he pleases with it. 



One of the Boy Scouts' Great Needs. 



"The Boy Scouts of America," in 

 theory and practice, is the best organ- 

 ization that was ever established for 

 boys. The Scout movement has done 

 more to develop true manliness in boys 

 than any other organization has ever 

 done. It takes into consideration the 

 development of the physique, kindness 

 for others, regard for religion, love of 

 education, and arouses a commendable 

 spirit of protection and patriotism. 



Within the last few months increased 

 efforts have been made to develop the 

 ability to see and to draw correct con- 

 clusions from what is seen in the world. 

 Last June, Edward F. Bigelow was 

 elected Scout Naturalist, and since then 

 he has been in correspondence with a 

 large number of boys and has conduct- 

 ed a department, "On Nature's Trail," 

 in "Boy's Life" This work was under- 

 taken for a nominal sum that just about 

 covers the cost of correspondence. Fur- 

 ther development of this feature of 

 "Boys' Life" is needed. To that end 

 an appeal is made for contributions, all 

 of which will be turned over to the Boy 

 Scouts of America at their New York 

 office, or may be mailed directly here. 

 The Boy Scout movement has brought 

 many of its features to a high degree of 

 perfection, but we believe that the abil- 

 ity to see and to study the world of 

 nature needs assistance in its develop- 

 ment. Further particulars will be giv- 

 en to any one who will inquire. 



Your lively and most instructive 

 magazine always gives me much plea- 

 sure and I always find something of 

 real interest in it.— Professor Wesley 

 R. Coe, Zoological Department, Yale 

 University, New Haven, Connecticut. 



