THE SCOPE OF NATURE-STUDY 37 



V. THE DWELLING. 



Something has been said already about the relation of the home 

 to the general features of the landscape. People as yet by no means 

 fully realize how directly its great aspects affect them. This does 

 not refer to the momentary effect upon the emotions, but to th(.' 

 power that such influences have upon the development of character. 

 The constant presence of a great mountain range, studded with its 

 cloud-capped peaks ; or of a sweep of water whose surface, whether 

 smooth or turbulent, is a constant reminder of the primitive forces 

 of nature ; or of the majesty of a river that rolls its way from hill 

 to hill through a valley ; or of a stretch of prairie whose vastness 

 seems to lift and expand the arch of the sky into an almost limit- 

 less dome — the constant presence of any of these great elemental 

 facts of nature insensibly impresses itself, especially in the early 

 years of childhood and youth. In later years we become conscious 

 that these raw materials, by the mysterious chemistry of life, have 

 been transmuted into the strength, the refinement, and the subtleties 

 of human character. 



Realizing these facts, the outlook of a home becomes an impor- 

 tant consideration. Farms are usually purchased with an eye chiefly 

 to fertility of the soil, but no less attention should be given to pos- 

 sibilities of outlook for the dwelling. The site of a home does 

 something to determine whether its occupants will be honest or 

 dishonest ; the way it faces will in some degree determine whether 

 the family will be happy or morose. These facts are not the prod- 

 ucts of the imagination belonging to the domain of poetry ; they 

 rest largely upon chemistry and physics, and are the legitimate 

 considerations of science. In its construction, from the arrange- 

 ment of its rooms and windows so as to secure the maximum 

 amount of sunshine, to the means employed for the disposal of 

 garbage, everything should rest upon scientific principles. The 

 character of the soil and subsoil determines its stability upon the 

 foundation, and it also affects the drainage. In latitudes having 

 long winters the questions of heating and ventilation are of para- 

 mount importance. To solve these problems, properly, requires a 

 fairly liberal education in physics and chemistry. Most of the 

 teaching and most of the text-books in these subjects, however, are 

 still as hopelessl}' dull and remote as though no such necessity 

 existed. Modern construction involves plumbing, gasfitting, and 



