Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-11-28
TIE Rack cooas or SCIENCE.


I u
Years ago, In Brzttieboro, among the
green hills Of Vermont, lsvel q man who
wxs wsrfhily earning his Irving AZ . shoe
maker. He vas fairly saeeesziui in . tasi-
mess point Of yiew .bat when he had reached
the age of thirty-fiye or fsny has health gave
way Goiaz ~ Ses York ~ eDslsalt eminent
physicians he WAS shown INTO xn snse-Foou-
and was looking II some plants IN the win
aos when the doctor came IN Examining
the case carefully. this wise PM sieian sad,
sYoa do NOT need nlesiicjne: what You want
ID outdoor exercise and uiefltal employ
nsent. saw you looking at the flowers ~
the window. Are you Interested IN Botany
The shoemaker replied that NJ kisew moth
ing aboa, botany. hut hsd Always been fond
Of flowers ..Tel sad the doctor, go
home, and eTery day This ssiraiaer 50 out
into tn. woods and f~lds AMI gather one
tsoser. hiring IL home and find ont the name
Of it.r
He at first fell liffle as Saslusan did AT
his prescription of washing in tine river
Jordan. but finally, Ike Saanian, took his
prescription an | begsn the study Of botany.
Soon he became deeply Interested, and ~
two or three seasons had collected nearly
al the towering plants of that vicinity.
Having bis attention called to NOSES he
wrote DR. Gray. asking for some textbook
upon that subject. This being before the
dsy of .Grays Manuaf'-tlar model OF
what a textbook should be--tbe only work
Dir. GRAY had TO recommend was in Ger
man.
Nothing daanied. the shoemaker bought
an .4ollen.iorf' and soon learned German
enough To read his textbook. A while
after, French book on that subject com
ing IN his way, he studied French until he
could manage It's contents, and then took
up Latin and Greek sufficiently TO be able
to traee the derivation of botanical names
At last having mastered the more common
divisions of the vegetable kingdom, he
began the study of fungi, AMI there. As he
told friend, he hui founl work To last
him lifetime. This necessitate'! the pur-
chase of more books and finally OF Il
Beeks microscope. And for wears he
could be seen every day IN hia shop, on
one sile his lap-stonc. his bench AN HE
implements OF bis daily labor, and oil the
other u library Of botanical works IN
three or four languages, and on shelf
over his head bis beautiful microscope.
And thus he spent the evening Of his days
until lis DEATH genial cultivated, inteiii-
gent, Christian shoemaker -botanlst. In re-
ply To question as to the amount of time
lie hal devoted to his studies. he sail, Al
WAYS an hour a day, and as much more as
possible Such was the record of Charles
c. Frost, a man whom it was a privilege to
have as II friend.
The second case is that of a farmer in
Virginia from whom, some years ago, |
received a request that he might send me a
package of colored sketches of wild flowers,
and that would verify or reetify his deter
minatIon of their names.
Inquiry developed the fact that he had
reached adult age as farmer, when he be-
gan to feel the need of some subject of
thought and interest outside of his daily
work.
Without any scientific help or knowledge,
he set about collecting and naming the birds
of the Shenandoah Valley. Not satisfied
with stuffed. specimens, he conceived the
idea of painting the birds he collected.
With no artistic knowledge or instruction,
he ordered paints and brushes and set him
self at work, and today there are very few
artists in the country who can paint birds
with SO much artistic grace and scientific
accuracy as he.
After few years, having transferred to
paper all the birds of the region, he pro-
CURED "Gray's Manual and began to
study the plants of the valley, first deter
mining their names and then painting them.
He accordingly sent on package of col
ored sketches, artistically attractive and SO
true to nature that there was not the slight
est doubt as to any of the 80 species rep
resented, while his own unassisted deter
limitations were so accurate that not dozen
names needed To he altered.