The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-27
Life as n Tale That IL Told.

Life Al. y Tale That Z. Told.
The growth In the Erea; museums
exhibits materially tho development OF
the attitude OF science toward the poo
pie and in a more Interesting degree
the reaction Of the people at large
toward science. 4 most curs5ry eH-
animation OF the list OF Sir Hans
Sloane's treasures OF nature which led
10 the establishment OF the riches or
the British Museum shows shat tho oh
tect OF such collections was az first the
assembling OF the unusual. The mon
st-ous was then 20 he preserved In the
irteres; of science Just az pious!y as II
was chosen for the adcrnment of the
cell OF the alchcmlst and astrolorer OF
an ege Just passing. Now the highest
purpose or our museums. OF which the
great institution In Manhattan Square
may stand az a type, - 20 present TIE
usual. to order before the eye tho
normal things Of lifc. 20 give US tie
knowledge o, the things as they are
which eu-round our daily lives and
which constitute the environment IN
which we arrive az our own individual
l;y while conserving the type O; our
race.
In Ike manner tire literature OF tbs
great theme, the truism Of the stool;
phrase THE book OF nature" has made
steady progress. In tho archaic earlier
volumes OF the Actd LeopoldiHd. one or
the lonses, series % writings detailing
inevitably the growth OF knowledge Of
nature. we find ourselves IN the midst
OF discussions Of those unfortunate or
rors and accidents OF nature which SIN
enchain our rustics In the side shows.
/ but which IN the world Of research are
set 70 one side IN the science Of tara
;oiogv and valuable only IN reconcile
study Of proper principles gone wrong.
u Is little more than a century ago
that Oliver Goldsm!th's piece OF hack
writing Animated Mature" served as
the most available practical guide to
he natural sciences. Shabby as THIS
large volume now appears TO us. u was
tho only work Of its kind Il became pos
sible only when the orderly genius o'
Lnueus, by establishing genera ani
species within each such genus, had
opened the way % a comparative study
and to a referab!e record - which ac-
cess might he had through . kew which
though highly artificial. AZ 'eas: could he
used Han a century ago tho popular
mind was receiving its instruction IN
natural history through the works
of tho Rev !. G. Wood. ~ which We
recall jus; at present tho :!t'o Of "Our
Tea,hered Friends"
To the class % which he 'oregolus
are fairly representative the fulne>s OF
time has added a third. the work OF !
Arthur THOMSON entitled attrAc,lv-i'
Tn, Wonder NJ Lite DfIeurv Holt an,
Company The ReS!us profes su- o
Natural History al Aberdeen. friend an,
fellow worker OF Patrick Gcddcs. need
no Introduction IN tie literature Of sci.
encc. nor does this work need any better
Introduction to the lay reader than th'
mere mention OF thu fact that II is o.
fcctiVoly a continuation ot his eNc"ilcn
Biology of the Seasons
Half century ago was the golden
T day Of the great biologists, the princi
pics of life were being studied As neye
2 before, the transactions Of learned So
! c!eties werc crowded with new learning
and the PRONUNCIATION NJ discover
I crowdlnC upon discovery was delayc
=. by the necessity Of inyentng new 70
s cabuiary Of knowledge. Yet this wa
= far from reaching the people; tho fact
, 70 reconcile, the jargon Of tho new learn
4 ing 80 Grecian at It's best that the Ia,
I reader reverted 70 tho rlors OF m
l. monkish scriptoris IN the days befor'
:. that other New Learning. and cited tn
n maxim Grseca ergo non legenda, all re
a volved IN q narrow circle OF tho college
= and tho infrequent Laboratories. Tn
$ educated mind, the common area Of cul
= ture. contented itself with our Feath
o cred Friends" and was satisfied 10 loo
= through Nature up 20 Natures God I
! cite tho p!etist,c phrase Of tho period
4 through "a most anthropomorph'c zoo'
o ogy. We we're trained 20 discover IN
), moral nature OF the fowl and the bcas
s each possessing IA spark OF the divine
10 II was still the age when all know
edge had to take It's chances with tn
,. one approved knowledge, that who's
e highest academic reward was the barre
d gown and hood and degree of Sacr1
e sauctn Thcologitc Doctor, and II wa
j., seen that these upsetting biologists v,
-. not worthy 70 he s, r. u Those VII
:, yentured into the literature of biolog
~ cal study and brought back crumbs f,
!. the enlightenment Of the lay were 500
involved IN difficulties with Moses az,
- the Prophets as the directors ot ncui
y truvertiblc thought. The very name
p" Of tho gentle students whom now "
q hold IN honor werc scarcely To- hc me'
IT, toned in proper society. trc~id-ut Ia
" was yet an UNDERGRADUATE when VA
" was torn into shredy over The prophet
. Ior allowing rrOf. sumner Ia recunlin"r
IT, Herbert Spencer Tor collateral rcadiu
Il" Tho rational was an object ~ drca
' the pillars ur society were To- tumble an
the foundations Of lie to cl1m'lo II q
~ atomic theory were to Doe admitted IA
flt a.. ~. Il 4 II,