The Nature Work at Aloha Club* 



YosHi Kasuya 



"We'll meet under the birch tree." Miss Shearer never ended 

 her announcement without coming to this birch, and we girl& 

 could not do anything without first gathering under the big high 

 tree near the bungalow, and say how-do-you-do to the little birch 

 family up among the branches. Yes, this birch-tree was every- 

 thing to us, and Miss Shearer, who was as tall, as steady and serious^ 

 as the birch, and yet her speech as full of himior and inspiration 

 as the whispers in the fbliage, was our leader, friend and every- 

 thing. And we girls were just as happy as little birds or daisies 

 when we were engaged in "Nature work." 



"Come to the fern-walk!" was the first call of nature when we 

 went up to the club with our minds as blank as white paper 

 toward nature. We had seen things, it is true, but not with our 

 mind's eye. Miss Shearer called and we followed ; we just couldn't 

 help it. There was some charm in nature work, we did not know 

 what. Well, what do you think we saw? Ferns, of course? Yes, 

 but can you imagine how many kinds of ferns we found? Miss- 

 Shearer picked up one after another, and showed us the peculiari- 

 ties of each. Our eyes rolled, our mouths were wide open. At the 

 end of the pleasant walk in twilight through beautiful woods, over 

 trickling streams, our hands were full of ferns, and our minds 

 treasuring seventeen names of them. How rapturous we weref 

 I brandished some Ostrich ferns and felt as triumphant as the 

 Roman Conqueror. I decked my tent-mates' hair with dainty 

 lady ferns, and how I purred the seventeen names into their aston- 

 ished ears ! 



"A tree- walk? What fun!" We whispered to one another 

 when the walk was announced. And one morning all the trees 

 about the camp had a nice visit from us. The Balsam firs were 

 caressed, the Aspen poplar talked with us, and at least fifteen other 

 trees crept into our hearts. And how proud we were when we 

 could tell which was pitch and which was white pines ! 



*Note: This article was written by Yoshi Kasuya, a Japanese girl from- 

 Tokio and now a sophomore at Wellesley. She received highest honor in nature 

 work at Aloha Club in 1920. This young lady has been in this country a 

 little over one year. The article is printed just as it came from the writer and 

 we feel that it is remarkable not only for its English but for the appreciation^ 

 that it shows for nature. 



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