atory, with nature's best instruments, the seeing eye, 

 the hearing ear, the understanding heart. Why do you 

 come here among these mountains for your gathering ? 

 Why do you, during half of your day, turn away from 

 hall and platform, from teacher and book, and turn 

 toward the open page of nature ? To me this gather- 

 ing of the devotees of the book, the upholders of 

 authority, in this the very citadel and stronghold of 

 nature, is prophetic ; this division of the day between 

 the study of man and his experiences, and the investi- 

 gation of nature and her story is a harbinger of the 

 better time when our boys and girls shall learn to use 

 their own eyes and ears as well as calmly to appropriate 

 what others have seen and heard, to do as well as to 

 listen, to climb as well as to sit and absorb, to develop 

 mental muscle and power as well as to be carried, to be 

 raised from that which is sordid to that which is noble 

 and inspiring in the works of man and the works of 

 God, to be lifted from nature and through nature up to 

 nature's God. 



Shall we shut out from the education of the child 

 that which so helps and develops, so broadens and ele- 

 vates you and me ? To the eye that sees, the swelling 

 bud, the unfolding leaf, the opening flower, the germin- 

 ating seed, tell a story no less wonderful than that 

 which comes from these mountains, a story of care and 

 purpose and plan. To the ear that hears, the song of 

 the bird, the patter of the rain-drops, the singing of the 

 tea-kettle, and bubbling of the brook, tell of work done 

 and work to be done, of mutual dependence and 

 mutual helpfulness. To the mind that thinks, to the 

 heart that understands, the soil of the field, the sand 



