The San Francisco call., 1906-06-24
SANGSTER TALKS TOGIRLS

lover last summer counted no less than
fifty-two varieties of birds.
Their migrations, their nests. their
patience in finding food for their
young, the mothers and fathers care in
showing the young birds how to fly, all
these are interesting parts of nature
study. But il is not so much of this
that 1 am thinking as 1 write
TO you, as the way in which
ySsss we may Gsvs helg ,r, one ba anothss her IN
the country ought have mission TO
their city cousins, and when spring and
summer bring their pleasant days boxes
of wild flowers and garden flowers. too.
should be sent weekly TO the school
rooms, where the pupils have no easy
way of getting specimens for them
selves. Schools in different parts of the
country should exchange flowers, shells
and other interesting properties of the
nature study class, and it would not be
at all bad idea if there were a regular
system of correspondence between Jean
Of the little village and Betty OF the
big city, all about the work each was
doing in her study of nature.
Another helpful thing that recon-
mend is the marking of passages in the
poetry and prose that you read with an
especial look to their bearing on ma
ture. You will find that the poets care
great deal about the winds and the
waves, the sky and the earth. and thar
reaf poetry is full of beautiful illusions
to the phenomena of the world we live
in Tennyson, whom you will study in
your classes in English literature. has
so much intimate knowledge of nature
that his poetry is almost a guide book
TO the flowers of his native land Long,
fellow, Whittier and Emerson have a
great deal to say about nature When
you read the great masters OF fiction
you will find that they have whole
pages devoted to descriptions OF seen
cry and that some of them paint nature
in words as if with the brush of an
artist.
A good plan is to have commonplace
book, and whenever you find something
that you like write it down for future
reference.
When was girl we studied botany
out under the trees. There was a par
ticularly charming bit of woodland
near our school. and our nature study
was always carried on out of doors.
Our teacher had seat on a gray rock,
covered with a blanket shawl. Mavba
you never heard of a blanket shawl
but IL you had gone with Miss Jane and
had been privileged TO carry her Scotch
paid over your arm you would have
known what delightful and conveu-
lent wrap it was.
The girls grouped themselves around
eiAC SAdSS near DrOOkS10e and
the lesson went on the brook sang and
sparkled and the sound of it's lullaby
and the CLEAN of it's waters made music
ana sunshine in our souls We IeRrnsS
great deal about botany in those ems
chanted afternoons, and we learned
TOO, a love of nature that is not gained
oy those who study her only in dried
specimens between whitewashed walls
You may be interested to know that
we always carried a luncheon on rn7
expeditions. and 1T was not the least in
terestipg part of the occasion. Girls
who fell below certain percentage in
their studies were not permitted TO take
up botany in their work The oppor-
tuntty OF studying nature was thus
made very honorable and precious. and
we held it as something worth striving
for.
The study Of astronomy captivates
those who have scientific turn Of
mind To learn the names OF the CON
stellat1ons and to recognize some OF
the planets when they appear above
the horizon is not beyond any ordinary
mind, but the study Of astronomy is.
on the whole. too abstruse to be at
tractiye TO very young girls. Definitions
ana formulas you may learn, but 10
grasp the principles of ASTRONOMY vo,,
require maturity and insight: for these
You must wait.
Copyright, 1905. by Joseph 3. Bowlss.)