Astronomy as a Nature Study 

 E. A. Path 

 (Continued) 



In the first instalment of this article an attempt was made to 

 show that certain difficulties which hindered the use of our science 

 in Nature-Scudy were not as formidable as is often supposed. 

 The statement was made that "A map of the sky is as easy to 

 read as the map of a country and the constellations are as easily 

 learned as the states of the union." In this instalment it wiU 

 be our purpose to bring to the attention of teachers some of the 

 books which will enable anyone having no preliminary knowledge 

 of the heavens to get on speaking tenns with them and to verify 

 the above statement. 



The first book recommended is "The Friendly Stars," written 

 by Martha Evans Martin and published by Harpers. It was 

 written by one who loves the stars and comes nearer expressing 

 the poetry of star gazing than any other with which I am ac- 

 quainted. Thus we find in the introduction a statement of the 

 purposes of the book in the following words: 



"As the revolving seasons rise 

 Above the tree- tops star by star." 



"and the steady advance of the changing seasons gets a definite- 

 ness and an interest to one otherwise impossible when he has 

 learned to associate the visible signs of the progress of the year 

 as they appear in the skies as well as on the earth. He will then 

 associate the blooming of the blood-root and the first warble of 

 the bluebirds with the eastern splendor of Arcturus and the 

 blooming of the maples. When he watches in the da3^ime for the 

 first blue violets he will look the same evening for the blue twinkl- 

 ing face of Vega. He will know that the Juncos and Sirius leave 

 us at about the same time in the spring; that when the golden- 

 rod and the wild asters are blooming it is time to look for Fomal- 

 haut and that Antares is about to go ; and a creaking, frosty night 

 will make him involuntarily turn his eyes up to mighty Orion 

 striding across the southern skies." 



If anyone can read this simple little book and not feel impelled to 

 try to get on speaking terms with "The friendly stars" themselves 

 I shall be greatly -mistaken. Other books of a similar nature are 



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