CENSORED NATURAL HISTORY NEWS 223 



his head, looked toward every point on the horizon 

 and at the sky, and then had gone back! For these 

 Boy Scouts the weather will hereafter have to be 

 regulated without a ground-hog. Perhaps some 

 day the Scouts will look into prairie-dog holes. 



The object of the censors seems to have been to 

 keep people indoors, to keep them from knowing 

 the facts about natural history and the outdoors. 

 It is but little less than a crime to attempt to sup- 

 press a normal child who has become restless 

 through indoor life by telling him that bears eat 

 bad children. Bears never eat human flesh. 



Nor are bears ferocious. Bears, like all strong 

 and desirable citizens, are constantly assailed with 

 attempts at character assassination. People who 

 are constantly maligning the bear probably do not 

 have anything against him but he simply is their 

 favourite factor for trying to accomplish a purpose 

 through fear. They believe that people can be 

 frightened into doing what indoor folk consider 

 good, like staying indoors and other debatable con- 

 ventions. Punishments and threats were in vogue 

 during the Dark Ages, when education was dis- 

 counted and kings and powers-that-be sought ser- 

 vice and servility. 



However, there appears to be an open season on 

 superstitions. Ghosts are almost exterminated. 

 Witches on broomsticks will need to watch their 

 way where Liberty Motors fly. Many alleged 

 man-eating monsters and monstrosities are al- 



