NATURE STUDY. 
13° 
A Long Step Forward. 
In the review of the world’s progress at the close of the 
nineteenth century, to which so much attention has been 
given during the past two years, one line has either been 
overlooked entirely or has received much less consideration 
than it deserved, and that is the wonderful progress made 
in opening up to the general public, and particularly to the 
children, of what were for centuries held to be the secrets 
of nature—as if Nature had any secrets which she was un¬ 
willing to reveal. A century ago there was almost no at¬ 
tempt to bring the wonders of nature within the compre ¬ 
hension of any but the small number of professed natural¬ 
ists; today the popular books on natural history would make 
a formidable library by themselves. 
The change has been remarkable, but, like most move¬ 
ments which are to continue, it has been slow. It was al¬ 
so marked by some striking incongruities. It has been so 
difficult, until recently, to see that what is common and near 
at hand may be as wonderful as that which is rare or to be 
found only in distant parts of the world. Not many years 
ago a geography in use in New England schools contained 
pictures of the ostrich and the condor, while there was no 
suggestion that the eagle, the osprey and the heron might 
sometimes be seen from many a schoolhouse door. The story 
is told of Agassiz, that, upon his arrival in this country, he 
was shown through a printing house, where a work was in 
progress of which its projectors were very proud. His atten¬ 
tion was called to the sheets but he passed on without com¬ 
ment. Eater the work was again forced upon his atten¬ 
tion, when he replied : “Yes, yes ; I see. A book on nat¬ 
ural history for American children. A picture of three but¬ 
terflies—and not one of them ever found in America.” 
