SAMUEL A. SCHMUCKER 53 



after listening to him for an hour and witnessing the way he held 

 spell-bound a large audience at Chautauqua, N. Y., while giving 

 the simple story of the dandelion : "Dr. Schmucker is the evange- 

 list of Nature Study; the rest of us work and plod but he preaches 

 the gospel of Nature and lets in the light on indifferent and 

 benighted souls." 



We asked Dr. Schmucker to tell us of his present interests and 

 the following is his answer: 



"As to my work, the part of it on which I lay the stress myself 

 is that of the teacher. I was prepared and equipped to be an 

 investigator. I longed for it. But steadily the vision withdrew 

 and in place of it loomed up the work to which I have been 'called' 

 that of making science plain to the untrained in science. Often 

 this means to people of very limited education. I never give up 

 an attempt when once I undertake it, to make anything I really 

 understand myself, plain to anybody who really cares. This has 

 given me what place I have in the lecture field. I am staff lec- 

 turer in Biological science in its various phases, whether unofficially 

 or officially, for The University Extension Society of Phila., The 

 Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia, The Brooklyn 

 Institute of Arts and Sciences, the New York Board of Education 

 in its Department of Free Lectures to the People, and of the New 

 York Chautauqua. This is my life outside of the class room. Last 

 year I lectured 174 times outside of my classroom not including 

 my classes at Chautauqua, as lectures. So you see, whatever I am 

 doing, I am doing hard. I regularly hold six classes a day five days 

 of the week here in the Normal School." 



"President Eliot once said that he had often reflected on the problem 

 of why one person is a successful teacher, while another of equal knowledge, 

 talent and character fails. As the result of much observation he had con- 

 cluded that what makes a teacher successful is the power to impart joy. 

 The end of a teacher's work should be to inspire in the pupil joy in learning, 

 joy in the possession of truth. This is not a lower aim than some other 

 conceivable one, but the highest of all, for joy is the highest end of the universe, 

 the final purpose of God himself." — P. C. Porter. 



