BOY LIFE IN THE OPEN 227 



ipulation of the net, a sudden scoop, and the turtle 

 was scrambling about in the bottom of the boat. 



" See him snap ! Will he bite me ? Look at the 

 markings of his shell! How old do you suppose 

 he is? What do turtles eat? I'm going to take 

 him home ! " 



Questions and exclamations crowded and jostled 

 each other as the eager lad studied his latest prize. 



When the captives had been carried to the cabin 

 and duly admired by other members of the family, 

 the question arose as to what should be done with 

 them. Throw them back? Eager protests from 

 their owner. When he was finally convinced that 

 they were not altogether adapted to serve as pocket 

 pieces, he proposed an aquarium, and aquarium it 

 was. An ancient and discarded dish-pan was 

 found, the holes filled with rags, water and rocks 

 supplied, and clams, crawfish, snails and turtles 

 were compelled to live in seeming amity, whatever 

 their personal feelings may have been. Later on 

 other turtles were added to the collection, and a 

 yellow lizard with a blue tail gave the finishing 

 touch to this conglomerate of animal life. 



How shall we educate the young? This ques- 

 tion, holding first place in the hearts of parents and 

 lovers of children, elicits clamorous and often con- 

 tradictory answers. The advocate of " cultural " 

 studies finds a sturdy antagonist in the defender 

 of " vocational " training, and school boards make 

 frantic efforts to please everybody, and succeed, as 



