SHUFELDT CONSERVATION AND NATURE-STUDY 261 



successful career in life, is that of accurate observation, and that to 

 gain this early in life is of paramount importance. Also that no 

 study in the entire curriculum of our schools can develop these 

 observational powers nearly so well as the study of all that nature 

 can furnish. Surely mathematics, history, languages, or any 

 subject of that class, cannot pretend to compete with field and 

 class-room studies of flowers, trees and animals of all descriptions 

 in nature. But otir space here will not admit of specific proof 

 and demonstration of this statement. 



Whether a boy or girl is better off exercising and studying nature 

 where nature lives, than the boy or girl who attempts to gain 

 instruction and mental stimulation through sitting two hours in a 

 motion picture theater, vacantly staring at scenes pictorially 

 impressing upon their growing minds the outcome of marital 

 mistakes, vulgar dances, all the nonsense of the socalled "comics" 

 and the rest — I leave it to any sensible father and mother to say. 

 Moreover, when not at such places, children are often idling at 

 home or elsewhere, or materially helping to increase the bank 

 accounts of keepers of candy-stores and vendors of ice-cream 

 cones. 



As to every school maintaining a museimi of natural history 

 objects, collected by the children in its neighborhood or donated 

 by others, there is so much in its favor and practically nothing to 

 condemn it, that to discuss the matter at all would be a waste of 

 time, energy, and valuable space. 



Our "Boy Scout" system is all well enough in its way, if properly 

 regulated and conducted by the right class of scout-masters; 

 but the boy scout and his hatchet is responsible for no end of van- 

 dalism in the beautiful woods that are, in many cases, so close at 

 hand in the environs of Washington. It is all right when these 

 boys are under the observation of duly appointed scout-masters; 

 but when it is otherwise — ^well, it is better to forget much that 

 they do, and much that I know from personal observation. 



We cannot start too early to teach the children in oiu- schools 

 the necessity, in such a country as ours, for conserving and pro- 

 tecting our forests; they should grow up with the idea firmly 

 fixed in their minds that almost without exception all the forms 

 in America's wild life demand continuous and strict protection 

 at all times, and, finally, that each and all of otir grand and beau- 

 tiful water-falls, gorges, natural bridges, streams, lakes, and 



