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relations to their surroundings and the part they play in the economy 

 of Nature. 



Be convinced, then, there is work for all. No field is yet exhaust- 

 ed ; no man, however great, can say I know all ; no lifetime, however 

 well spent, is long enough to rolve the questions^of a single subject. 

 Many must contribute each his little store, that the genius may glean 

 and sift new truths from the cumulation which he skilfully lays upon 

 the foundation at that point where his predecessors left the uncom- 

 pleted work when their summons came to go hence to : ' join the great 

 majority." 



All can help — -man, woman and child — whether as the individual 

 or as a society. For those who employ only their leisure hours, the 

 hours of relaxation from the worries or toils of business and busy life, 

 there is this thought, that they are aiding in the great work, and though 

 the contribution be but a single new or rare specimen, the record of an 

 accurate observation, the relation of some true anecdote, or a new 

 psychological inference, he may be furnishing a missing link in some 

 complex chain, some thought that may be crystallized into, and vitalized 

 anew along with the life-long labors of some genius, or he may be 

 furnishing the keystone to some uncompleted structure. Pursued at 

 home, or when visiting foreign countries, who can tell the result 1 

 Some strange bright bird may serve to fill an unoccupied space in the 

 web of Nature ; a fossil bone may reveal the existence of previous 

 unknown monsters ; a broken branch may disclose invaluable material 

 for future mansions or navies ; a mineral fragment may reveal a rich 

 mine, or a geological observation may point out a new locality for coal, 

 that indispensible aid to commerce and industry. 



Business must be attended to, and some one has aptly said : " The 

 intervals of business must be attended to." Though a man's leisure is 

 his own, yet tor his sake, as well as that of the community, it ought to 

 be one of occupation. His pleasures and recreations ought to bear a 

 contrasting character to his business or profession, in order to cultivate 

 those powers of the mind that are dwarfed or unemployed during work 

 With Natural History as a recreation of leisure hours, ennui disap- 

 pears, and every step becomes enchanted ground, and a walk with an 

 aim in view is not exercise for the body alone, but patience, minuteness 



