258 Kansas Academy of Science. 



and, placing it under the large binocular microscope and adjusting 

 the focus, would turn the top of the table around so that the mi- 

 croscope with its object would come in front of myself for obser- 

 vation. In that little room we spent a delightful evening looking 

 at the beauties of the mineral kingdom, exhibiting the most perfect 

 crystallization, and gorgeously beautiful in color. Crystals so mi- 

 nute that they could not be seen by the naked eye appeared under the 

 microscope as large as sections of a lead-pencil. It was a great 

 pleasure to discover that quite a number of his most beautiful and 

 rare gems were some that the writer had picked up on old dump 

 piles in New Mexico and Arizona and had sent to him. 



The microscope discloses the fact that a great deal of nature's 

 most perfect and beautiful work in the mineral kingdom is in 

 minute forms. Large minerals require the natural and best light 

 of day to bring out their beauties, but these little gems under the 

 microscope can be seen to advantage and studied by artificial light. 



Something should be said to encourage the youth — the boys and 

 girls — to become interested in this study. It does not cost much 

 to get a few interesting specimens of minerals for them and some 

 rudimentary works on minerals. A little later a microscope will 

 open a new world of beauties to them. Then the determination of 

 them will give them endless employment and happiness. It will 

 bring them only good, and keep them from a great deal that might 

 be harmful. It is healthful, physically and morally, instructive and 

 entertaining. 



It makes a very attractive and interesting study and recreation 

 for women. There is nothing so attractive to an esthetic taste as 

 the gems of the mineral kingdom. One cannot conceive of a more 

 delightful recreation for a cultured woman tlian to gather these 

 gems and study their varied forms and beauties. By gems is not 

 meant, what a good many would suppose, the costly gems, but the 

 gems of the mineral kingdom — small, unique and good crystalliza- 

 tions of the minerals. The gathering of these is not confined to the 

 minerals that are found in the neighborhood. They can be ob- 

 tained at moderately reasonable prices from houses that deal in 

 minerals and by exchange with collectors in other localities. When 

 a collector finds himself or herself in possession of a number of 

 duplicates of any mineral, by the possession of a copy of the 

 Naturalists' Directory, a book that is published giving the name 

 and address of all known collectors, with their specialties, he can 

 select persons to correspond with who are interested in the same 

 line of work, and learning what his correspondents have to ex- 



