EDITORIAL AND GENERAL. 



227 



Why You Should Be a Naturalist. 



A naturalist is one who takes an 

 appreciative interest in the natural 

 world. This interest may be general or 

 limited, but in either case it must be 

 real and active. Interest limited to 

 effusive words is fully as sacrilegious 

 as absolute indifference — perhaps in- 

 deed more so. The indifference may 

 have the excuse of ignorance, but 

 effusion alone is hypocritical. 



You should be a real naturalist : 



First, because you have been en- 

 dowed with intelligence and esthetic 

 powers and placed in an interesting 

 and beautiful world. 



Second, because the series of privi- 

 leges w e call life is ensured to us onlv 

 once. Other privileges may come, but 

 these never again. "Life is real." and 

 the realities are better than the arti- 

 ficialities. 



Then you should persist in being a 

 naturalist. Do not admit and act on 

 the force of the argument once or for 

 limited time, and then be content ever 

 afterwards to be a "has been." 



Most people are naturalists, at heart, 

 and some of the best are so without 

 knowing it, because they have never 

 realized that their own powers of ob- 

 servation and appreciation come within 

 the scope of the meaning of the term, 

 naturalist. 



So do not forget : "A naturalist is 

 one who takes an appreciative interest 

 in the natural world." A general love 

 of starry skies, sunrises and landscapes 



may lead to greater riches of less con- 

 spicuous things. Truly said Fabricius, 

 "Natura, maxime miranda in minimis" 

 (Nature is most to be admired in those 

 works which are the least.) 



As a general rule it may be said of 

 the naturalists' riches, as of those of 

 the commercial world, the rarest things 

 or those the most difficult to obtain are 

 the most valuable. 



Are you missing much of this nature 

 wealth? If so, strive at once, and 

 earnestly, to obtain that which is yours. 



Yes, you should be a naturalist, and 

 probably are. 



Do Not Be Egotistical. 



Do not limit your thoughts to your- 

 self, admire yourself and talk about 

 yourself all the time. Be not always 

 centripetal, but sometimes fly off in 

 centrifugal tangents. Explore the sur- 

 roundings. Get out of yourself. 



I do not mean you, individual, and 

 yet I do as well upon second thought; 

 but I had in mind primarily you, 

 humanity. You, the human race, limit 

 too much your talk, your oratory, your 

 ideas of value, your publications to 

 yourself. Go to any news counter or 

 reading room and a mere g'lance at 

 ninety-nine per cent, of the periodicals 

 show you that thev say incessantly, "L" 

 'T." "I," "I,"— I. humanity, did this, did 

 that. We like to talk about and think 

 about and read about ourselves too 

 much. Humanity can be too egotistical 

 as well as can an individual. Get out of 



