Evening star., 1938-09-04
Zonta Club
Member
Writes
Mrs. Athey Turns
Nature Hobby
To Profit.

each profession, Mrs. Athey could
qualify under several classiflcations,
but she prefers that of mature writer"
Nature had been her hobby from
her earliest childhood days on farm,
when she learned the first principles
from her father, but because she had
never had any formal instruction she
considered herself an amateur.
When the child specified so par
ticularly that the stories must be true,
she decided to look for book that
would give him accurate information
in simple language. There was none
to be found
Write one yourself" friend sug-
gested, and Mrs. Athey took the advice
to heart She wrote some nature
studies and checked the facts at the
Congressional Library
When she gave them to the child he
was delighted. So was his teacher
and so, too, were all of the children
in the school room.
Mrs. Athey thought that over. Ap-
parently 1t was possible to be both
accurate and entertaining about
nature. If she could please one room
full of children, why not others? She
began to publish small magazine,
that found ready acceptance in hun
dreds of schools. Today that same
magazine, somewhat enlarged, Is used
in class rooms all over the United
States.
The work was congenial on two
counts. Mrs. Athey was devoted to
children, as she was to nature, and
she believed in bringing the two
together.
Some years before Chief Justice
Taft had told her late husband,
Frank Athey a Washington lawyer,
that the child who was interested in
nature would never be criminal
Mrs. Athey, a lawyer herself. had
been told by other lawyers that a
love of nature and life of crime we're
Incompatible Teachers told her that
nature-loving children were more
alert and less destructive than others.
"A study of nature has the same
effect on a child as sending him to
good camp" she said He learns
the Importance of conservation and
his mind is filled with wholesome
thoughts. A person who is inter-
ested in nature need never be lone
ly, He or she can always find some
thing to study and the materials are
right at hand
When asked what preparation she
had for nature writing, Mrs. Athey
laughed as she answered. Domestic
science, law and accounting. That
doesn't sound much like a prepara-
ton for a naturalist, does it? That
my facts checked before l use them.
Everything in my magazines is edited
by a real expert. for l have never
forgotten that the little boy insisted
that the stories must be true"
Mrs. Athey has shown the same
characteristic thoroughness in her
other undertakings. She is a WASH
ingtonian and was educated in pub
lie and private schools in the District.
Married at II, she took course in
domestic science in Boston to learn
how to manage her household. Now
she remembers with pride that she
had one of the first model kitchens
in Washington and that it was writ
ten up for the newspapers because
of its novelty and completeness.
She studied law because her hus-
band was a lawyer and she wanted
to assist him. Besides, she says, it
helps one to understand people.
Long vacations in Florida gave Mr..
and Mrs Athey chance to observe
and study life in the woods and in the
water. We liked to tell the children
about our discoveries. and we used
to discuss ways of bringing nature
studies to large groups of children.
We both believed that filling their
minds with wholesome ideas would
drive out mischevious Ones" she ex-
planned.
The work she is now doing is a
realization OF the dreams of those
days. Now she speaks to millions of
children through her nature books.
through her magazine and through
syndicated articles in newspapers.
Grown people like to read about
nature, too, 1 have found" she OBJ
served My first attempt at reach
ing adults was through the news
papers. A friendly editor told me
that if I could write about bugs for
four months I would establish my
work. wrote about them for nine
months with never duplication.
Since then I have been writing for
The Evening Star for six and half
years. I think nature stories appeal
to children because they learn about
life through them. Adults like them
because they renew their contact with
their own youth and with the simple
fI,i,,re of