A Chapter of the Agassiz Association. (Incorporated 1892 and 1910.) The Law of Love, Not the Love of Law. 
Humane and Nature Education. 
This old world at present peculiarly 
needs humane and nature education. 
It needs greater kindness and more 
altruism. Thoughtfulness and appre- 
ciation of other forms of life were never 
needed so much as at present. 
There was a time when training in 
the humanities was looked upon as a 
sort of mussy fad by oversentimental 
people, but the last few years’ events 
in the world war and the strange state 
of unrest, clamor and faultfinding that 
followed showed that the greatest thing 
in all this world is love, and that love 
must be applied not merely to one’s 
own family or to congenial friends ; it 
must be like sunshine, radiating and 
warming up everything within its rays’ 
reach. It is not enough to like the fel- 
low that likes you. It is not enough 
to seek the things that cater imme- 
diately to one’s own prosperity. There 
must be a broader appreciation of 
everybody and everything everywhere. 
The scope of the humanities is extend- 
ing. There was a time when it was 
thought sufficient to stop by court sen- 
tences or reprimands the man from 
pounding his horse or the boy from 
kicking his dog. But now we see that 
the mere stopping of cruelty is not 
enough. There must be back of that 
a kindly sentiment that will incite re- 
gard for the distant star, the diatom of 
the ditch or the people of Japan or Ger- 
many. What is even more difficult than 
distance in miles to overcome is re- 
moteness of another fellow’s sphere of 
activity. Capital must understand labor 
and labor must understand capital. For 
either class not to pound the other is 
of vastly more consequence spiritually 
and utilitywise than it is merely to 
force a man to stop beating his horse. 
We, the Members of The Agassiz 
Association with our special ideals, are 
not altogether in sympathy with some 
of the things which to the unthinking 
would seem self-evidently in harmony. 
Take, for example, much of this talk of 
“back to nature.” It is not altogether 
commendable when it means no more 
than greater personal comfort and a 
beautiful estate in the country with the 
best flower garden, record making hens 
and prize bulls with a liberal sprinkle 
of Packards and Locomobiles. That 
may be going to nature and it may not. 
It all depends. It may be in a spirit of 
the good of humanity and it may not. 
A commendable example of an estate 
with highly altruistic purposes is that 
of Laddin’s Rock Farm, owned by Wil- 
liam L. Marks, not far from ArcAdiA. 
Mr. Marks has spent much money upon 
roads, trees, shrubbery, and then he has 
said freely and cordially to the public, 
“Enjoy it.” Now there is real appre- 
ciation of nature and real appreciation 
of humanity. 
The same spirit has animated hosts 
of contributors, Members and workers 
for The Agassiz Association. All have 
combined to build and carry on beauti- 
ful ArcAdiA under altruistic principles 
and ideals hardly equalled by any other 
organization. 
But to return for a moment to this 
“back to nature” movement. It is not 
merely the rich man who may be in 
danger of forgetting the other fellow, 
but also the technical biologist who 
may be so absorbed in his own involved 
and intricate researches as to forget to 
stimulate the interests of those who do 
not know so much or to help them. 
Learning like dollars may be hoarded 
