Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-05-13
Turning Toward Out Door Pleasures
81 Aunt MehitabIe.

x s. 3
The Social Cornerites were holding
their May picnic in their happy hunt
Ing grounds on Valley street. While
they partook OF a. delicious lunch there
rose the sound OF happy talk and mer-
After the feast had been finished
and the remnants cleared away, Eta
Barber, chairman OF the entertainment
committee, said: Sisters, this is the
last indoor picnic for this season The
stormy house bound DAYS are past and
our thoughts are turning toward OUT
door pleasures of which nature study
is one OF the most delightful The
committee have asked several Sisters
70 give us something that savors of
the woods and Acids.
After they have "held forth we
shall be glad to hear from any others
who care to speak. We first will listen
to Samantha.
Samantha rose and began: Sisters
and Jim don't try to hide behind the
piano. We all are glad you came-as
was saying I meant to write out a
speech full of the scent of apple .blos-
SONS and dear little wild white yio-
let's and the song of robins and blue
birds, but Josiah went to a 81 .suffrage
meeting and had to milk the cows,
feed the horses and put the chickens
to roost in addition to my Homework
so only had time to look up this ar
ticle that will read to you:
William ]. Long in his excellent
book, Secrets of the Woods says:
Perhaps the real reason why we see
SO little in the woods is the way we
go through them-talking, laughing,
rustling, smashing things, disturbing
the peace OF the solitudes by what
must seem strange and uncouth noises
to the little wild creatures. They, on
the other hand, slip with noiseless feet
| through their coverts, shy, silent, list
4 en1ng: more concerned to hear than to
be heard, loving silence and hating
! noise and fearing it as they hate and
| fear their natural enemies. We would
not feel comfortable if a big barbarian
came into our quiet home broke the
door down, whacked his war club or
the furniture and whooped his battle
i yell. We could hardly be natural I'M
| der the circumstances. Our true dis.
positions would hide themselves. We
might even vacate the house bodily
Just so wood-folk.
All the wood folk are more curiou.
about you than you are about them
Sit down quietly anywhere in thu
woods and your coming will occasion
the same stir that a stranger make.
in New England hill town. Contro
your curoiosity and soon their curios
ity gets beyond control; they mus
come to find out who you are ant
what you are doing Then You hay,
is being gratified they forget fear an
will show you many curious bits o
their life that you never will discove
otherwise
AS Samantha resumed her sea
Great Grandma rose and started t
speak, but the Cornerites would no
allow so venerable a person to STAN
and she was tenderly seated in a.
easy chair on the platform.
Friends" said she, Il have bee
thinking of the contrast between pas
and present methods of nature study
My first lesson in botany was the ar
tificial system for the classification Q
, plants arranged by Linnaeus. The
were divided into twenty-four classes
each of which had Greek name
There was the first c1ass-Monandris
composed of flowers having one sta
men; Digandria, flowers having tw
stamens, Triandria, flowers with thre
stamens and so on.
l finally succeeded in committing
memory all twenty -four classes an
strange to say. my love for botan
survived tl1eA ordeal, although I neve
! advanced very far. Busy housekeep
ers must leave microspocica1 analysis