28 AMONG THE WILD-FLOWERS 



spring is a mystery. And it is probably be- 

 cause of this very curious trait that its branches 

 are used as divining-rods by certain credulous 

 persons, to point out where springs of water and 

 jjrecious metals are hidden. 



Most young people find botany a dull study. 

 So it is, as taught from the text- books in the 

 schools ; but study it yourself in the fields and 

 woods, and you will find it a source of peren- 

 nial delight. Find your flower and then name 

 it by the aid of the botany. There is so much 

 in a name. To find out what a thing is called 

 is a great help. It is the beginning of know- 

 ledge; it is the first step. When we see a 

 new person who interests us, we wish to know 

 his or her name. A bird, a flower, a place, — 

 the first thing we wish to know about it is its 

 name. Its name helps us to classify it; it 

 gives us a handle to grasp it by, it sheds a ray 

 of light where all before was darkness. As 

 soon as we know the name of a thing, we seem 

 to have established some sort of relation with it. 

 The other day, while the train was delayed 

 by an accident, I wandered a few yards away 

 from it along the river margin seeking wild- 

 flowers. Should I find any whose name I did 

 not know? While thus loitering, a young 

 English girl also left the train and came in my 

 direction, plucking the flowers right and left as 

 she came. But they were all unknown to her; 

 she did 'not know the names of one of them, 

 and she wished to send them home to hei 

 father, too. With what satisfaction she heard 



