The Spirit of Nature Study 



RuFUS Stanley 



Elmira. N. Y. 



My childhood was spent in Iowa on the shores of the Mississippi 

 and my first recollections cluster around the finding of camelians 

 on its pebbly banks and seeing the mysterious rafts accompanied 

 by the musical sounds of the mighty sweeps guided by the husW 

 steersmen down the stream at eventide. 



My boyhood was spent on the banks of the "Wapsie" that 

 wound its way through the prairie swamps and bottoms. During 

 that period my recollections cluster aroimd Saturday afternoons 

 spent among the myriads of wnld fowl that covered the overflowed 

 bottoms in the spring, the free prairie life along them in the summer 

 and the exploring of the river on my skates in winter. 



My youth was spent in Illinois on the shores of Lake Michigan 

 and my recollections cluster arotmd its broad expanse of blue 

 waters and the friendly stretches of woods that lined its shores 

 peopled with manifold life. 



My manhood has been spent on the banks of the Chemung in 

 New York State where the habits of my eariy life have led me along 

 its historic and hillside banks. 



Dviring the first period I was usually in company with my 

 companion father when off for an outing, and during the second 

 with boys of my age. 



Chums of both sexes were my companions in the third period and 

 for the last thirty years I have been followed during simimer and 

 winter by a bunch of boys from lo to 1 5 in niimber and age. 



During none of these periods was I taught, nor have I tried to 

 teach nature-study and I am now wondering'if I will be called to 

 accotmt at the judgment day for my indifference in regard to the 

 latter. 



Somehow the spirit of the streams, prairies, lakes, woods, fields, 

 hills and wild life has appealed to me more strongly than their 

 characteristics. 



Probably the latter would have appealed to me even more 

 strongly had I done the former, yet sometimes I think that the 

 "letter killeth and the spirit giveth life" in nature-study as in 

 other studies. 



At any rate I have never been able to get away from my child- 



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