FIELD DAY AT ASBURY GROVE. 155 



carrying another ant, apparently of the same species. 

 While he and his friend were making their observations, 

 a few other persons gathered around, and in a short time 

 curiosity led many others to the spot and all became in- 

 terested in the ants and curious to know why they were 

 thus engaged in carrying their fellows, which it was found, 

 could travel well enough as soon as they were taken from 

 the jaws of their bearers. This led to a few statements 

 in relation to the habits of the ants ; and thus curiosity 

 had led to knowledge. In this way curiosity had often 

 been the cause, leading men to devote their lives to deep 

 studies, the results of which had been of great importance 

 to mankind, and when properly directed curiosity could 

 not fail to elevate the mind ; while misdirected curiosity, 

 on the contrary, debases ourselves and often proves inju- 

 rious to our fellow-men. 



Tbs speaker then gave instances in the life of some of 

 the early naturalists who regarded all natural objects as 

 curiosities, and who wrote to their friends to send them 

 such curiosities as could be obtained, stating that they were 

 curious to compare objects from different places. Thus 

 begun many branches of natural science which have since 

 occupied the minds- of profound thinkers and men of deep 

 research. He then called attention to the collecting of 

 arrowheads and other worked stones, out of simple curi- 

 osity on the part of many persons, and showed how such 

 curiosity, if not properly directed, leads to hoarding the 

 objects as the miser does his gold, whereas if such collec- 

 tions were properly used and the curiosity of the collector 

 properly directed so as to lead to research, much of in- 

 terest and importance could be made from such things in 

 relation to the early condition of man and his migrations. 

 In concluding the speaker called attention to the importance 



