The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-01-06
1OuChStOneS of SucCe SIS
From Touchstones Of suucers, copyrtsht b,
VIZ PubIIshInE Com many ~
THE CALL OF THE OUTDOOR LIFE. AND
THE INFLUENCE OF A GREAT TEACiIEI,'

by BARTON WARREN EVERMANN,
San Francisco. Cal
Naturalist

, ~ Is not easy for modest man to write about
thlngs or events which have influenced his life ;
Whlch nave made him what he is or which per
chance. have kept him from being what he
should have been; but let the apology 20 at
that
/ had the extremely good fortune to be
brought up on large farm in the best part
Of Indiana.
on such farm the woods. the fields and the
streams were ever calling and beckon ming TO out
door NE such life was mine in my boyhood
days, with two very important results The first
was that became accustomed and Immune 10
az sorts OF weather conditions and grew up
physically strong. The store of health and the
power OF resistance then acquired have
mained to this day.
q, Another inestimable good that came from
thAt outdoor life was that. as a child I he.
came Interested In all things outdoors and in
uihhley acquainted with many kinds OF ami
~ a, anu piants ana the FORCES and phenomena
or nature and their behavior through daily con
tact and observation. In this SCHOOL of tho
woods / saw and examined and investigated the
thlnss themselves, but all the better on that
account. for Interest Is what brings results Tho
poy examined the facts themselves and reached
MS own conclusions. The habit OF making his
own observations. examining the evidence fos
himself and reaching his own conolusions he
camc 30 fixed that the schools failed to shr, hi.
eyes az they all too often succeed In doing TO
things beyond the covers OF the books
WhiIe ! learned a good deal about animals
and plants and the like, II proba bly no more
than. any other normal country boy knows;
had no thought OF becoming a naturalist; nor
had any ambition beyond the farm. IL 40
happened that while yet In my teens | began
to teach In the country schools In the winter
bolhb 10 scnool IN tne spring and fall, and help
ing on the farm during the summer. Meeting
with some success, this naturally DEVELOPED nj
ambition TO become high school principal or
school superintendent. About this time oc-
CURED the most dctermnative event of my life
/ met DR.. David Starr Jordan. It was by the
merest accident, In the spring and summer OF
1877, my wife Meade Hawkins Evermann was
student at Butler college and lived In the same
house with Doctor and Mrs Jordan, DR. and
Mrs. A. w Brayton and Mr.. Charles ii. Gilbert
all Of whom were enthusiastic naturalists and
at that particular time, very active in collect
ing and studying the local flora and ayi-fauna.
Mrs. EVcrmann was member OF Doctor Jor-
dams class in botany, and became deeply in
terested. not only In botany, but also In birds
Under the direction of Doctors Brayton and Gil
bert she learned to prepare bird skins. Through
her enthusiasm l. too, became interested. espe-
cially In birds.
During the next yeer we together observed
collected and studied the birds in the vicinity of
our home. BY the spring the incubation
was complete and we both decided to enter
Butler university and major in Doctor Jordan =
department That we did, and from that day
to this / have been most closely associated with
DIR. Jordan In scientific work. II DIR. Jor-
dan, the great teacher and the great man OF
science. who has most influenced my life.
"An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound OF
cleverness"