b 





preface 



is quite possible to take a walk in the 

 country, through the most beautiful 

 scenery, in lovely weather, with every- 

 thing to conduce to our enjoyment and 

 invigoration of spirit, and yet to return feeling bored 

 and weary, and half inclined to say how dull the 

 country is ! That is one side of the picture. 



On the other hand I have known young people 

 come back from a ramble in a quiet and rather 

 unpromising country lane, their faces beaming with 

 pleasure, and their hands filled with an odd collec- 

 tion of specimens, leaves, mosses, stones, anything 

 in fact which had taken their fancy as curious or 

 interesting. Then eager questions are poured forth 

 with bewildering rapidity, and it is easy to see that 

 keen enjoyment has been derived from even this 

 commonplace little stroll. May I point out that the 

 difference between these two results simply arose 

 from acquiring or not acquiring the habit of seeing 

 intelligently what lies around us? If we pass every- 

 thing by with our mental eyes shut, our physical 

 eyes observe nothing. 



