32 Outlook to Nature 



give our main thought to other matters, and 

 let the outlook to nature be chiefly a well- 

 guided affection. 



The nature companion. 



The best possible introduction to nature is 

 that afforded by a sympathetic person who 

 knows some aspect of nature well. You im- 

 bibe your friend's enthusiasm at the same time 

 that you learn birds, or plants, or fishes, or the 

 sculpturing of the fields. By enthusiasm I 

 mean never exclamation, but that quiet and 

 persistent zeal that follows a subject to the end 

 for the love of it, even though it take a month. 

 This person need not be a professed " scientist," 

 unless he is also a good teacher and knows 

 what is most important in the subject and 

 most relevant to you. The earlier the child 

 has such a guide if arrived at the age of 

 reason the more vital and lasting the effect : 

 even one or two excursions afield may change 

 the point of view and open the way for new 

 experiences, although neither the guide nor 

 the child may be aware of it at the time. The 



