A DAY WITH A NATURE GUIDE 195 



ture guide and fortunate the child who can have a 

 number of these excursions. They are thought- 

 compeUing, interest-arousing. Children are led 

 after the manner of old people. They must not be 

 talked down to. The guide may enter a little 

 more intimately into their joys, perhaps, making 

 slight re-adjustments to their tastes. As a rule, 

 the imagination of children is more readily and 

 definitely fired than that of older people. 



Climbing a high peak is an excellent experience 

 for any child. A thousand movies of mountain 

 climbers, a thousand stories by the climbers them- 

 selves, weeks in school, and numerous other ex- 

 periences cannot do for the child what one day's 

 effort in the heights will do for him. Mountain 

 climbing has rare richness which cannot be trans- 

 ferred, but which any child may make his own in 

 a day. 



The climb should be made with a nature guide. 

 One other individual or child might go along, but it 

 would be better for the child to have only the guide 

 to interrupt his stirring thoughts. A day of this 

 kind will do much for the child's imagination and 

 mental resourcefulness, and give a landmark to 

 his mental horizon that will stand out through 

 life. 



In this the Age of Movies it will be a fortunate 

 child who has interest in the fundamentals; who is 

 rich through knowing the principles of Nature. An 

 interest in flowers, birds, animals, or geology calls 



