The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-05-25
ArALk ABOUT BOTANY
By one OF our Girls.

BY One OF our Girls
Ny roommate studies Botany.
wish she didn't, for our room is not,
in consequence thereof, little, en-
powered paradise, besutified and odoriz-
ed with natures poetry, written in
masses of lovely flowers and festeOns
of graceful vines, but on the contrary
it would not be very strong hyperbole
to liken It's appearance to the local
habitation of swine. That horrid old
case knife with more or less of the
dark, moist mould of mother earth
clinging to it, is ever present, some
times on the undiscovered toilet table,
sometimes on the stool heretofore
dedicated to the. dictionary and
writing desk. Its anywhere, any
where, always in sight"
No article of furniture in the room
stands on its original number of legs,
all being made do duty as flower
presses, and a more maudlin, leering,
Keeling looking set never was prOduc-
ed without calliRg In the aid of spirits
(alcOhOlic). These presses consist Of
old, ragged, dog-eared books, a quire
or SO OF similar paper and a rough
board, the whole being ugly enough
to tempt the toe of my boot every
time enter the room. Ne more do
we s'knit up the raveled sleeve Of
care' with "balmy Sleep" for owing
to the frequent change of the presses
beneath the bed posts We never know
in what part of our anatomy our
brains will be before morning, but
we do know that
''In sleep
The soul hath capacity of horror
Unknown to waking hours.'
Arriving home one eve after a Lhir-
ty miles drive, facing q strong wind,
fastened to my room in order to
soothe nay burning face with glycer-
inc. After free application a faint
suspicion dawned upon my mind caus-
ing me to shrek out, "Arethusa janet"
"Yes'm."
"Haye you changed the glycerine
bottle?
so, yes! 1 have been arranging my
specimens. That bottle in your hand
contains mucilage."
And that was all, I care TO tell.
AS sure as 1t is true that 'Emisery
loves company" have my consolation,
for our neighbors study Botany in q
similar manner. Unlike the damsel
in the fairy tale whom the disguised
enchantress empowered to utter dia-
mOnds and pearls, these three enthusi-
astic students of "Aature in her most
pleasing FORM" seem ever to be chok-
ing and sputtering on some huge
unmusical polysyllable boulder of g
word which translated into English,
will perhaps, mean something as SIM
pie as leaf or seed. Often times they
start out to hunt specimens. After
DOMINIC calico suits, stout boots and
percale tunnels they drive around to
the back door, where they load up
their "fearfHl and wonderful para
phernalia and are duly Instructed by
Paterfamilias not to 'Ethrow" Mercury's
halter strap over a sumac bush and i'm
agine every thing safe. They meekly
respond, ''NO sir" and pass around to
the front window, where thew are
warned to "Beware for Pegasus eye
looks wild and CLASSY, betokening de-
struction dire $50 ali green things, }" and
respond with an Indignant, "Oww."
At the gate Materfamilias charges
them net to let fEold Doll ran of" and
again they relapse into meekness
and soon pass out of sight "over the
hill to the Neosho.''
But with the fading light of day
they return, ''tattered and torn" as
to toilet, hungry and tired physlcally,
but triumphantly producing plants
and flowers enough to fill all the
milk pans in both houses. Then
taking the finest specimen, roots
and all, with the life fluid yet cOurs-
ing through their veins and rootiets
they place them in the presses and
merciIessly crush them to flatness
and munmyism.
All, girls! don't affect to shudder
hereafter at thoughts of the dissect-
ing knife in the hands of the surgeon.
He only mangies inanimate, while
you ruthlessiy put to the rack the
healthy living organism.
And what is to be the cad of these
varied and energetic means you now
employ. My prophetic soul tells me
that it will be something like unto
this. In the t'dim distant'' or posi-
bility in the near, future, certain
the garnet and elicit from the curious
"What is that queer looking book" I?
"Thati oh! that is my old Her
barium I made when I was q school
girl and studied Botany"
"Ian't it u delightful study?
eyes. Well, that isl used to like
it, but have forgotten all about it
now"
"Only that and nothing more"
The alleged Americanism of weigh
ing well in all matters the question,
"Will 1t pay ?" is the secret of our
grand success as Q nation, fer, tfOur
country" is q success and as 'nation-
al greatness depends upon individual
character" we can not one of US in
any course we pursue afford to leave
that consideration out. "Will 1t pay:
months of your time, your mental
and physical effort and Q small amount
of the root of all evil, in this study,
and then allow it to amount to liter
ally "nothing but leaves? But
you ask, would you have us all spend
our whole lives roofing, or rather up
roofing, around the "byways and
hedges" in search of rheumat tbs n and
| famep Nom. For some of you
might not be able to attain the lat
ter, If you did. Bat when your in
structors, having skillf0lly guided
your lettering steps, and laundering
tongues through its rough beginning,
pronounce you ready to walk alone,
do not drop it because you don't
shave to" continue it. We do waste so
much time and money in acquiring
smatterings nor Is it in the least de-
gree the fault of our educators, but
In our own selves. Whatever your
position in life you will find q real
knowledge of Botany to be source
of profit and pleasure, beguiling you
at the proper seasons into forest and
field, thus giving the vigorous exer-
else necessary to a healthy body and
mind and at the same time refining
the taste and improving the heart by