3 2 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
due accounts of Little Japan in lack of con- 
tributions for that purpose. 
The Bigelow family consists of four work- 
ers (manager, secretary, stenographer and 
bookkeeper, proof reader), in behalf of The 
Agassiz Association. Some devote much of 
their time, others nearly all of their time to 
the work of publication, correspondence and 
telephone information, care of premises, enter- 
tainment and instruction of students and many 
parties, large and small, of visitors, some for 
a brief time, others for the entire day or more. 
For their services in 1919, the entire family 
received $570.06. 
Can You See? 
BY THE EDITOR OF “LEPIDOPTERA.” 
Of course you can see ! Even though 
you are shortsighted or cross-eyed you 
still have sufficient vision to recognize 
your friends, to read the paper, to add 
a column of figures, or to drive your 
automobile. But how much can you see? 
Are you blind when you enter any fields 
other than those through which your 
dailv rut leads you? 
The average person today can recog- 
nize the make of an automobile going 
by at forty per ; but he only knows the 
dandelion because he digs it out of his 
lawn, and the violet because they cost 
him five dollars a bunch. He can quote 
you the market price of five Liberty 
Bonds and twenty-five other securities ; 
but he only knows the sparrow, the 
crow and the hen. He reads the latest 
novels and attends the nearest “movie” ; 
but he never heard of the “Book of Na- 
ture” or witnessed the “Birth of a But- 
terfly.” He can see a pretty girl half 
a block away : but he only knows one 
way to recognize a skunk and then it is 
too late. His knowledge of minerals is 
limited to the diamond he must buy. 
the coal he must burn, and the granite 
slab he must ultimately rest beneath. 
The average man is defunct as regards 
any knowledge of Nature. Here is your 
opportunity — you collectors ! 
The next time you take a trip ask one 
of your average-man friends to go with 
you. Don’t tell him why or he will 
name a new species of “nut” and refuse 
to go. Tust take him along and talk 
money, music, books, business or what- 
ever he wants. But between sentences 
call his attention to the peculiar spot 
on that tree just ahead. He probably 
won’t see it until he gets so close that 
the frightened spot takes flight and dis- 
closes a brilliant pair of hindwings. 
After this he will be interested enough 
to be fooled by every patch of moss or 
wad of pitch or bunch of gypsy eggs. 
When you reach a stone wall show him 
that little pointed brown head sticking 
around the corner of a rock. It will be 
the first chipmunk he ever saw that 
wasn’t stuffed. After climbing the wall 
turn over one of the stones and see the 
ants and termites running around. Then 
pull down a branch of an oak tree and 
look for the little tunnels of the leaf- 
miner moths, made by caterpillars so 
small that they cannot be seen by the 
naked eye. Walk a little deeper into 
the woods and pick some ladies’ slip- 
pers. He will appreciate these because 
they don’t cost him twelve dollars a 
pair. Now proceed toward that ham- 
mering noise and find a red-headed or 
downy woodpecker relieving some tree 
of its pests. Finally plunge into some 
dense thicket and discover a little 
brown house full of naked, open- 
mouthed babies waiting for their 
parents and a juicy worm. 
By this time your guest has forgot- 
ten about business and is asking you 
questions which you cannot answer. 
On the way home Be will wear his eyes 
out trying to look everywhere at once. 
Next week you won’t have to urge him 
to accompany you and the week after 
that he will be asking you to take him 
or else going alone. You have opened 
a man’s eyes, broadened his field, and 
entered unheard-of riches in his life 
account, for — 
“He who knows the most, he who 
knows what sweets and virtues are in 
the ground, the waters, the plants, the 
heavens, and how to come at these en- 
chantments. is the rich and royal man." 
— Emerson. 
The Point of View. 
A mission worker, says Harper’s 
Magazine, deprecating the way some 
people talk of “the drab lives of the 
poor.” tells of some East Side girls 
who were taken to a beautiful West- 
chester County country home to spend 
a summer day. As they were leaving, 
their hostess told them how much she 
had enjoyed their visit, whereupon one 
of the girls replied: 
“I guess we have cheered you up a 
little: it must be awful dull for you up 
here.” — The Youth’s Companion. 
