The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-15

As went up the brick walk leading
to the house door on my way to visit
one of our mothers not long ago ! passed
her little 4-year-old son STOPPING over
something and grooming softly to him
self Hearing my fOotstep he looked up
eagerly and said:
oh, come see these little antics!
They're dragging a dreat. bid leaf home
and they can't hardly tarry 1t. Is II
for cover for their little babies
I stopped down beside the little fel-
low and together We watched the strug-
gle of the insects to convey the leaf 10
the little pile OF sand that marked the
entrance to their home. Once or twice
he gave 1t a gentle push with his Fat
little forefinger over a particularly dt-
fiCult passage.
Aren't the aunts funny people? he
questioned as we stopped over the ant
hill Mother telled me all about them.
They keep cows-little green bugs called
ap-ap-something-
"Aphides l suggested.
Yes, that's it, apides, and they get
milk for their little babies from them.
Do the bees keep cows, too"
What in the world are you two doing
down there" the laughing voice of the
mother called to US from the veranda-
coming in to see me or intended your
visit for Harry out there on the walk.
Harry and I rose at that and he ran
before me to tell his mother about the
aunts and the big leaf. As came up TO
them / said He has an astonishing
amount of information about the ants.
Is It because he is just naturally inter
ested in such things or have you tried
to cultivate love Of natural history IN
him."
"I suppose | have cultivated it," she
replied. 81 do not believe children
ever take an interest in things un-
less their attention is called that
way, do you? At any rate. l know /
owe all my interest in nature studies
to my dear father, who was an en-
thusiast on the subject himself He
would take us on long walks ana
drives with him and call us to look
at the birds and insects OF all kinds
that he could find. Naturally, when
this dear little boy came to me,
wanted him to know about such
things, too, and so he and l have OBJ
served all we could together. I think
it has a good influence on him in
teaching him not to be cruel to any of
Gods creatures, besides cultivating
powers of observation
l heartily agreed with her. Only
short time before, l had seen two boys
playing with some of the beetles
known as tumble bugs" and
stopped to demonstrate with them
about It, Each one had captured an
unfortunate bug and had tied a string
to a hind leg to use as rein for
driving the two in a race-or rather
| in pulling and jerking them about II
they did not race" as their tormentors
desired It was wanton boyish cruelty.
/ of course, done with no thought OF
the possible sufferings of the poor
| insects, but when l saw the other
small boy trying to help the ants
with their loaf of leaf. l could not
help but contrast the two kinds Of
| boys.
Don't you think, dear mothers, that
! this is another responsibility added
! to the mountain load you already
| bear, that you will want to assume
attention to the habits of insects and
| birds will lead to such interest and
| also such love for them that instead
| of finding amusement in capturing
! specimens merely to pit them against
| each other, or robbing the birds nests
! of the eggs for the pleasure solely
| of destroying them, your boys will
| learn kindness to every creature
| through very curiosity about its hab-
its of life? The animals and the peo-
! Pile we love. you know. are those we
watch and tend, and are interested in,
| and I know no more civilizing in
fuence upon the average small boy
| that the rousing of his humanitarian
! instincts in this way.
| There arc so many valuable books you
can obtain for your boy to read on this
subject that it need take comparatively
little of your own personal attention to
interest him. once he has begun to read
land observe for himself. Maeterlinck's
Life of the Bee" is one of the most
Fascinating nature books it has ever been
my pleasure to read No boy who reads
that can fail to succumb to an intense
desire to study and know the bee for
himself. The great French naturalist,