VALUE OF BIOLOGY 3 



Vocational knowledge. Sooner or later the boys and girls who 

 read this book must think of the kind of work they are going to do. 

 Selecting a vocation is one of the most important decisions that 

 one will ever have to make. Through a study of biology you will 

 learn something about such professions as medicine, nursing, 

 forestry, agriculture, or the teaching of science which might 

 appeal to you as worth-while vocations. Your teacher may give 

 you the inspiration which will determine your future career. 

 Many years ago, a professor in college inspired me to become a 

 teacher of biology and I have never regretted my choice. Perhaps 

 you will be as fortunate. 



Use of leisure time. It is a wonderful world we live in, but not 

 many of us know how to enjoy it fully. Many boys and girls of 

 today think that they are getting all there is out of life if they go 

 regularly to the " movies " or meet with their crowd at games or 

 parties. But no one has really got very much out of this world 

 until he or she has learned, among the other things, the fun of 

 hiking, of collecting, of observing nature, of taking trips to the 

 shore, to the canyon, and up a mountain with an end in view. 

 The interest that comes in observing and collecting insects or 

 flowers makes life much more worth while. A study of biology 

 will give one the information and incentive for such excursions. 



Reading values of biology. The papers and magazines of today 

 contain many discussions and stories which deal with biological 

 subject matter. The daily paper has its column of health hints, its 

 stories of animal doings, and its statistics about animal and plant 

 products. The average person with no biological training reads 

 without being able to judge of the truth contained in these state- 

 ments. The study of biology ought to give us some knowledge 

 and should certainly show us where to go for accurate information 

 so that we can tell whether our newspaper " science " is true or 

 false. It will also open to us a wealth of books which are accurate 

 and fascinating to read. The names of such books are given from 

 time to time in the pages which follow. 



Open-mindedness a by-product. There is no doubt that in 

 spite of living in an age which is noted for its products of scientific 

 thinking, many people are satisfied to have others do their 



