THE SPRING AWAKENING 3 



succeeding the other. Or suppose that, while in a sense 

 knowing it, we had never given the matter any serious 

 thought, had never cared to learn how such wonders 

 come about. 



For, indeed, they are wonders. And to unaccustomed 

 eyes, the eyes of visitors who had never known aught of 

 the kind before, they would be simply amazing. 



In either case, if we had not known, or if, knowing, 

 we had not understood or cared to consider — the first 

 step for us to take would be to look ; to gaze hard, to 

 find out what there is that is worth seeing and thinking 

 about in the gar den- world. This would not mean 

 idleness. Real looking, real watching, real thinking, 

 are often harder work than cutting or hammering or 

 digging or studying. It is studying — trying to learn 

 from the Book of Nature. 



That great Book of Nature is more difficult to read 

 than any printed volume; and naturally so. For the 

 author of such a volume is a man, but the Author of the 

 Book of Nature is God Himself. 



It has easy pages, however, as well as hard ones ; 

 and it lies always within our reach. Anybody may read 

 from it at any time. And that which we spell out for 

 ourselves is worth far more to us than what we have been 

 taught verbally by others. 



II — Many Plants 



This is what we have to do in our garden. We will 

 try to make out a few sentences from the Book of 

 Nature, lying invitingly open ; and then we will go on to 

 learn other facts, many of which we could not find out 

 for ourselves. 



