---------------------------------------- -- ,transcriber's ,note ,spelling1 punctuation and inconsistencies in the original book have been retained4 ---------------------------------------- -- ,illustration3 ,book ,cover ,the ,renewal of ,life ,,by ,,miss ,,morley ,a ,,song ,,of ,,life4 #abmo #a4be ,,life ,,and ,,love4 #abmo #a4be ,,the ,,bee ,,people4 #abmo #a4be ,,the ,,honey-,,makers4 #abmo #a4be ,,little ,,mitchell4 #abmo #a4be ,,the ,,renewal ,,of ,,life4 #abmo #a4be ,each fully illustrated ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,c,l,u,r,g ,,co4 ,,chicago ,the ,renewal of ,life ,how and ,when to ,tell the ,story to the ,young ,by ,margaret ,warner ,morley ,author of ,a ,song of ,life1 ,life and ,love1 etc4 ,illustrated ,illustration3 ,publisher's ,logo ,chicago ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,clurg ,co4 #aijf ,,copyright ,,by ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,c,l,u,r,g ,,co4 #aijf ,published ,september #ae1 #aijf ,,the ,,university ,,press1 ,,cambridge1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,renewal ,,of ,,life #i ,,ii4 ,,who ,,is ,,to ,,tell ,,the ,,story1 ,,and ,,when ,,is ,,it ,,to ,,be ,,told8 #ag ,,iii4 ,,how ,,to ,,tell ,,the ,,story #bg ,,iv4 ,,telling ,,the ,,truth #cf ,v4 ,,on ,,nature ,,study #dj ,,vi4 ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,seed #eb ,,vii4 ,,the ,,fertilization ,,of ,,the ,,flower #hg ,,viii4 ,,what ,,can ,,be ,,learned ,,from ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,fish #ajg ,,ix4 ,,amphibious ,,life #abg ,x4 ,,the ,,bird #acg ,,xi4 ,,the ,,mammal #aed ,,xii4 ,,vigilance #afi ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,transformation #agh ,,list ,,of ,,books ,,helpful ,,in ,,studying ,,plant ,,and ,,animal ,,life #aic ,the ,renewal of ,life ,how and ,when to ,tell ,the ,story to the ,young ,i ,,the ,,renewal ,,of ,,life ,every human being must sooner or later know the facts concerning the origin of his life on the earth4 ,one of the most puzzling questions is how and when such information should be given to the young4 ,there is nothing the parent more desires than that his child should have a high ideal in regard to the sex-life and that he should live in accordance with that ideal1 yet nowhere is careful and systematic education so lacking as here4 ,what parent would allow his child to go untaught in the particulars concerning truth-telling1 honesty1 cleanliness1 and behavior1 trusting that in some way the child would discover the facts necessary to the practice of these virtues and live accordingly8 ,and yet with apparent inconsistency one of the prime virtues is neglected2 one of the most vital needs of every human being--the understanding of his sex-nature--is too often left entirely to chance4 ,not only is the youth uninstructed1 but no proper way of learning the truth is within his reach4 ,it is as though he were set blindfold in the midst of dangerous pitfalls1 with the admonition not to fall into any of them4 ,those who ought to tell the facts will not1 consequently the facts must be gathered from chance sources which are too often bad1 poisoning mind and heart4 ,even the physiologies1 with the exception of those large1 and to the average reader inaccessible1 volumes used in medical schools1 scarcely ever touch upon the subject4 ,of course these larger books give only the physiological facts couched in scientific terms4 ,how and where1 then1 can the youth learn what he needs to know8 ,it is true there is a noble effort being made for young men1 and to a less extent for young women1 by certain organizations that exist for the help of the young1 to supply this curious defect in our educational system2 but these efforts reach but comparatively few members in a community1 and come too late in the life of the young to give them their first impressions on the subject4 ,perhaps the most encouraging sign for the future is the interest that thousands of mothers in all walks of life are to-day taking in the best methods of training their children to a right understanding and noble conception of sex-life4 ,innumerable mothers' clubs give the subject a place in the curriculum of the club work1 at stated times discussing1 reading1 consulting all available authorities which may be of help4 ,some of these mothers live in poor homes in neighborhoods where their children are exposed to all sorts of evil communications and temptations4 ,others have sheltered homes1 from which the children go out among refined associates from whom there may be little danger of learning that which is evil4 ,yet others live in moderate circumstances1 where the home influences may be good1 but where the children are liable to mingle with a heterogeneous society in their school and perhaps in their social life4 ,moreover1 in all these homes there are children of different natures1--some with temperaments which make it easy for them to imbibe harmful information1 while others as naturally resent such information4 ,nor is the child of rich parents living in a costly home necessarily the child least likely to make mistakes4 ,the facts quickly refute any such idea4 ,it is the child most carefully trained at home1 with the most inspiring counsel and the wisest guidance in all directions1 who has the best chance for successful living1 the child whose parents not only secure the best outside assistance where such is necessary1 but who themselves take a vital and continuous interest in his education4 ,such parents1 where the help of nurses and teachers is necessary in the home1 see to it that these helpers are wholesome1 high-minded companions for the growing minds put under their charge4 ,the poorest child is the child of wealthy parents1 who is turned over to hirelings1 chosen more for their accent of a foreign tongue than for their knowledge of child life and of the laws which govern the growing mind and body4 ,such children not infrequently become as depraved as the most neglected and exposed child of the slums1 later poisoning the minds or shocking the sensibilities of children in the schools they attend4 ,one of the difficulties every mother has to encounter is the presence of undesirable companions in the school4 ,the argument that a child coming from a sheltered home will not be influenced by such companions is only in part true4 ,he may not be influenced1 or1 again1 he may4 ,among older children1 if the wrongdoer be dazzling in manner1 looks1 social position1 or even in power to lavish money1 he will acquire a certain ascendency over many of his companions1 who1 if not safeguarded against his allurements by a clear knowledge of the facts of life1 may fall into his snares4 ,how1 then1 can all these various situations be dealt with8 ,how1 how much1 when1 and where shall the youth be safeguarded against influences1 misconceptions1 and mistakes which may mar his whole after-life8 ,these are the questions which in part this book endeavors to answer4 ,the answers come from the writer's experience of many years' work with mothers interested in this subject1 especially from the testimony and the questions of thousands of such mothers in all walks of life who possessed children of all temperaments4 ,the book is not meant to be either exhaustive or arbitrary4 ,it is written with the single desire of helping the mother who may be groping her way in this matter1 its aim being twofold1--to indicate methods of procedure among which the mother may find one adapted to her special needs and circumstances1 or at least from which she may get hints which she can herself follow in her own way1 and to indicate sources of information4 ,one trivial difficulty has presented itself in preparing the succeeding chapters1 and that is the lack in the ,english language of a pronoun including both genders4 ,the ,english impersonal pronoun1 being masculine in form1 is liable to create the impression that he or his exclusive of she or her is the subject of discourse4 ,this is not so4 ,generally the masculine pronoun is used impersonally in this discussion1 and the discerning reader can easily decide from the context where this is not the case4 ,as a help to the busy mother in selecting books for herself and her children1 a list is given at the end of the book4 ,this list is by no means exhaustive4 ,there are many other and doubtless equally good books4 ,the books given are reliable1 are prettily illustrated1 are now in print1 and are easily obtainable at any book-store4 ,if they are not in stock the book-seller will be glad to send for them4 ,further1 to aid in selecting and ordering1 the retail price is added4 ,a small circulating library of well chosen books adds greatly to the usefulness of a mother's club1 and such a library can be collected at small cost4 ,where the club is composed of heterogeneous members it is advisable that the president1 or some member chosen for the purpose1 should lead the discussion1 which should be on some one topic selected and made known beforehand4 ,this leader should not only guide the discussion1 but be ready to explain the books and make the subject clear to those tired and overworked mothers who have had fewer educational advantages but who are in need of such knowledge as will enable them to guide their children4 ,a mother unconnected with a club1 and unable to afford all the books she wants1 can find many of those here recommended in the village or city library2 and where this is not the case the library is generally willing to make such purchases as its patrons request4 ,,ii ,,who ,,is ,,to ,,tell ,,the ,,story1 ,,and ,,when ,,is ,,it ,,to ,,be ,,told8 ,every thoughtful guardian of a child is sooner or later confronted with three questions in connection with this subject1-- ,who is to tell the story to the child8 ,when should it be told8 ,how should it be told8 ,who shall tell the story8 ,the best teachers in this subject are undoubtedly the child's parents4 ,since the mother generally spends more time with him and is more accustomed to instruct him in manners and morals it naturally belongs to her to give him his first instruction here1 and it is an opportunity which no mother understanding its value can afford to miss4 ,nothing draws a child so close to his mother as the knowledge1 rightly conveyed1 of how truly he is a part of her4 ,almost without exception the young boy learning the truth from the lips of his mother has a new feeling of reverence and love for her4 ,countless are the testimonies of mothers as to the result of telling this fact4 ,one illustration will answer as an example of hundreds of similar ones4 ,a certain little boy listened open-eyed to the story2 then1 the blood mounting to his cheeks1 he threw himself into his mother's arms1 exclaiming1 ,oh1 mamma1 that is why ,i love you so6 ,moreover1 if the right kind of confidence is established between mother and child1 the child will come to his mother with his questions and difficulties instead of trying to satisfy his curiosity elsewhere4 ,the question is often asked1 ,will not close companionship and sympathy between mother and child in a general way produce the same result1 causing the child to confide in the mother in case of needing information1 without any previous talks on the subject8 ,of course the closer the relationship between the two the more easily will the child confide everything2 yet with very many children1 if this one subject is avoided 7and particularly is this true as the child grows older71 it will not be introduced by the child1 no matter how much he may desire the knowledge1 or how intimate in other ways may be his talks with his mother4 ,the judicious mother can get a hold upon her son through this subject that nothing else gives2 she can keep him closer to her1 and oftentimes can guide him safely over difficult places4 ,what is true of the son is of course true of the daughter4 ,the little girl will respond as readily as her brother to confidences of this kind1 and will find them as helpful4 ,she very often escapes much that her brother in his freer life meets1 yet undoubtedly in the great majority of cases the instruction is as vitally necessary to her as to him4 ,while the earliest teachings seem to fall most naturally to the mother1 the father should also share the responsibility and the privilege1 talking with frank confidence upon the subject whenever occasion offers4 ,the question is often asked1 ,is it not better for the father to talk to the boys1 the mother to the girls8 ,there no doubt are cases where this might be wise1 but the mother1 understanding the close relationship between her son and herself that may come through such talks1--a relationship continuing and increasing in value as the years go on1--would feel that she could not afford to lose anything so precious to both her boy and herself4 ,while the establishment of this relationship might be difficult or even impossible later1 it is easily begun in childhood and as easily continued4 ,moreover1 many boys are specially helped by talking with their mother4 ,they often feel in her a quicker sympathy and a more perfect understanding of their needs2 and as their instinctive desire is to understand life from her point of view as well1 they often feel something in her which is lacking in the father4 ,on the other hand1 the boy who is talked to exclusively by the mother1 particularly when he begins to develop into manhood may say1 or think1 ,oh1 you cannot understand2 you never were a man4 ,the father's voice here is needed1 but if that is impossible there is abundant written testimony and advice from well-known men to youth on this subject which can be put into the boy's hands4 ,while the child's best teachers of these intimate truths are undoubtedly his parents1 it may happen for various reasons that this is impossible4 ,the child may have grown to an age where the timid parent1 who has not hitherto realized the necessity1 cannot approach him4 ,or there may be other reasons4 ,in such cases the duty may devolve upon some one else capable of fulfilling it4 ,such a one may be1 should be1 the minister4 ,it ought to be a part of the recognized duty of every minister of a congregation to see that such of his young men as desire it are instructed in the facts necessary to their well-being in this direction4 ,it is not enough to tell them to live pure lives2 they must be helped to understand their own organizations and everything pertaining to this side of life that they need or want to know4 ,there should be similar help obtainable by the young women of the congregation from some competent woman approved by the minister4 ,purity is an integral part of the religion of the new civilization1 and purity and everything helping to it should be as conscientiously and thoroughly taught in the churches as are any other religious truths4 ,in the church the young man1 the young woman1 should be able to find corroboration of the sex-truths taught him by his parents2 and those young people not so fortunate as to receive instruction at home should be able to drink from their religious teachers deep draughts from this spring of salvation4 ,the family physician ought also to be a refuge of help for the young2 and here the woman doctor1 that blessing of these later days1 can do a work of reformation and salvation4 ,no one has more power to sow seeds of wisdom in the homes of the people1 helping the mother to understand and desire the careful instruction of her children1 and where the mother requests it1 being ready to give the needed help to the young people themselves4 ,again1 the teacher or some friend may be requested by the parent to come to the help of the needy child4 ,but whoever gives this information1 it is needless to say1 should himself be pure in heart1 of high moral principles1 with a firm belief in the value and possibility of purity1 and with sufficient knowledge of the subject in all its aspects to be a wise instructor1 giving not only physiological information where that is desirable1 but working specially for ethical and spiritual elevation4 ,physiological facts alone may not have the slightest effect upon the manner of living2 there should be first and deeply implanted a spiritual desire for purity1 when the knowledge of such facts may be a valuable help4 ,the question is very often asked1 ,should this subject be taught in schools8 ,to a certain extent it is taught4 ,every botany class teaches its rudiments2 and in the higher grades1 where biology is taught1 the pupil comes to a clear understanding of the main facts4 ,school botany1 however1 merely glimpses at the truth1 and biological classes are few and far between4 ,so1 as far as the majority of children are concerned1 the schools can hardly be said to touch the subject4 ,whether it would be well for the schools to deal with it is a very difficult question1 so much depending upon the way the work is done4 ,it might be possible to introduce it helpfully in connection with a well graded system of nature-study1 but since such does not exist in most schools1 and since there is very great danger in speaking in public on this subject before children1 no matter how well the speaking may be done1 it is undoubtedly better not to approach it directly in the schools1--at least in grades below the high school4 ,like religious training1 this belongs peculiarly to the home and the parent4 ,although she cannot give general instruction1 the teacher of children can help by being watchful of her flock1 alert to detect signs of wrong doing1 ready to help by private counsel1 and--when parents consent--to give information to any needy child4 ,in dealing with this subject the teacher needs to be as wise as the serpent and as harmless as the dove1 not only for her own sake but for the sake of those she wishes to help4 ,when to tell the story4 ,it is an axiom of education that the foundations of knowledge should be laid in childhood4 ,from all time it has been observed that what is learned in the earlier years remains most persistently through life4 ,hence we begin to inculcate moral truths at an early age4 ,ideas of truthfulness and honesty1 for instance1 are graven so deeply on the young mind that they can never afterwards be erased4 ,just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined1 said our forefathers1 and it is true4 ,first impressions are the most lasting1 is another true adage4 ,this being so1 we should see to it that the first impression the child gets on the subject in question is the one we wish him to keep4 ,many a life has been lamed and saddened because of the first terrible and ineradicable impressions it received upon this all-important subject4 ,many a high-minded man and woman have gone through life tormented by images of the first unworthy thoughts4 ,no matter how good the after-knowledge may be1 it is almost impossible to erase from the tablets of memory that old first impression4 ,of course it would be absurd to tell a young child most of the facts1 just as it would be absurd to try to teach him the whole arithmetic in one school term4 ,he could not understand1 and1 particularly in the case of the former subject1 he would be harmed instead of helped4 ,just how and when to unfold the matter to his comprehension will be carefully considered as these pages progress4 ,here let it suffice to say that with the young child we may begin by building carefully block by block the foundation we want to use later2 with the older one we must needs work faster1 seeking to anticipate or counteract any unfortunate information from outside sources4 ,thus the age of the child and his surroundings will to an extent determine the time or times of telling the facts4 ,,iii ,,how ,,to ,,tell ,,the ,,story ,this is the most difficult question to answer1 and one that requires time4 ,indeed1 one might say it cannot be answered excepting in a general way1 and that any effort to tell the truth sacredly is better than not to tell it at all4 ,where the children are still young the task is comparatively simple when once begun4 ,it develops naturally1 with time for thought on the part of the teller2 and the steps are easy and convincing4 ,one of the questions most frequently asked is this3 ,does not talking about these things fix the child's mind unduly upon them8 ,as a matter of experience it is just the other way4 ,the child who has always known the facts is not curious4 ,why should he be8 ,there is nothing to be curious about4 ,it is all as much a matter of course to him as the rising of the sun4 ,and he is safeguarded against a certain pruriency that comes from wrongly stimulated and vilely fed curiosity4 ,instead of causing the child to think more about the subject1 the tendency of good teaching is to prevent his thinking of it4 ,another question frequently asked is1 ,does not talking on this subject arouse curiosity in children who otherwise would not be curious8 ,the answer is that it does not arouse harmful curiosity4 ,the right kind of curiosity on any subject is of course good4 ,indeed without the desire to question and investigate everything about him man would be yet a savage living in a hole in the ground1 and the starting-point of all the child's after-knowledge is curiosity4 ,there are two kinds of curiosity1 a good kind and a bad kind4 ,the good kind is interested in finding out things for the sake of understanding them2 the bad kind serves a bad end1--in connection with this subject it leads to investigations which produce wrong thoughts and feelings1 and is gratified for the sake of producing those thoughts and feelings4 ,the same subject may give rise to either kind of curiosity1 according as it is presented4 ,to-day we take every pains to stimulate the curiosity of our children4 ,we teach them to observe carefully the flowers1 the insects1 the animals1--everything about them4 ,we cannot expect them to exercise their stimulated minds on all other subjects and turn blind eyes upon this one which is obviously so important and so interesting4 ,no1 the more they learn to look and ask about other things the more they will look and wish to ask about this4 ,that children differ in curiosity is very true4 ,some children seem to have very little curiosity about anything4 ,yet such children are sent to school with as much care as are the children eager to know4 ,a child might show no interest in books1 might find the reading lesson irksome2 but the mother would know he was learning to read for the use that reading would be to him later1 not for the sake of the things in the reading-book4 ,it is the same here1 the child learns the facts for the sake of his future4 ,there are good reasons which will appear later why every child should have the right information on this subject whether he seeks it or not4 ,if he is indifferent1 one can be sure the proper kind of information will not hurt him2 if he is eager1 one can be sure he ought to be carefully and thoroughly instructed4 ,as a rule the most active and eager children and those with the quickest minds are the ones most curious to understand the origin of life1 though there are exceptions4 ,it is not legitimately gratified curiosity that harms1 but suppressed curiosity1 which in this subject is almost sure to result in the acquisition of wrong and often of perverting information4 ,the surest way to arouse curiosity is to try to conceal something4 ,the only thing1 then1 is to be ready to gratify honest curiosity by helpful information4 ,nor is it safe to defer too long4 ,what the mother wants her child to know in a certain way she should tell him herself1 before he has a chance to hear it elsewhere4 ,the moment he leaves her presence1 the moment he starts alone to school1 he may receive information which she would give the world to prevent his receiving4 ,not that her telling will necessarily keep him from hearing what others say1 but to have his mind preoccupied will tend to prevent the wrong ideas from taking firm root4 99 99 99 99 99 ,another question very often asked is1 ,will teaching this subject not encourage children to talk about it with other children8 ,on the contrary1 the tendency is to prevent talk4 ,the children of a family equally instructed will not find it worth talking about4 ,they know what they want to know1 and understand that the only person who can really tell them anything more is their mother1 or whoever takes her place in this4 ,if they do talk of it in the spirit in which they have been taught1 such talk can do no harm1 excepting in the presence of children not equally well instructed4 ,to meet this danger the mother can take certain precautions4 ,having won the confidence of her child1 she can generally trust him to keep these matters confidential with her4 ,she can explain that children do not always know the truth about these things1 and sometimes do not know about them at all4 ,that some mothers do not tell their children1 but that she wants her child to understand everything just as it is1 and to feel that she can trust him not to talk on these matters excepting when alone with her4 ,of course there will be instances where this does not succeed1 and the children eager and pure will speak in the presence of the neighbors' children and make trouble4 ,then the question is1 ,which is better1 to run that risk and take the consequences1 or to run the risk of allowing the child to remain ignorant8 ,if the child could really remain ignorant1 there might be room for argument against enlightening him1 but there is great danger that he will be enlightened in a very unenlightened manner1 and possibly by those same neighbors' children who are truly ignorant1 though they may not be ignorant in just the way their fond parents believe them to be4 ,many people still confound ignorance with innocence1 though these are by no means related4 ,the most ignorant person in the world might be the least innocent1 and the most innocent might very well be the most enlightened4 ,it not infrequently happens that the very children whose mothers are most opposed to enlightenment on this subject are dangerous companions for good children4 ,to guard against unprofitable or otherwise harmful teaching1 the mother should instruct the child not to listen to talk on this subject and not to join in it1 and at the same time tell him that in case he does hear anything that troubles him he should come to her and she will talk it over and explain1 so that he may know what is right and what wrong4 ,she should promise to tell him the truth about whatever he may want to know4 ,having made this promise she must keep it4 ,there is nothing more dangerous than to put a child off with evasive answers4 ,he immediately jumps to the conclusion that there is some reason why his mother is afraid or ashamed to explain things to him1 and if he has heard evil rumors it is quite natural for him to suspect that what he has heard is the truth and the whole truth1 else why should his mother not help him8 ,he soon feels ashamed to ask her questions which she refuses to answer1 and he ceases to confide in her4 ,there is nothing easier than to win and keep the confidence of a child1 and often there is nothing more difficult than to regain it when once it is lost1 particularly in this direction4 ,it is a loss the mother can by no means afford to sustain4 ,mothers sometimes object that their young sons bring them the most shocking or absurd stories which they have heard in school or elsewhere4 ,the mother who gives one moment's serious thought to such a situation will be forced to the conclusion that for her to hear such tales is nothing compared to the child's hearing them1 and that his coming to his mother is proof of his own innocence4 ,it is surely her first duty1 no matter how difficult or unsavory the task1 to sift out the wrong from the right1 to show the child wherein the story is absurd1 wicked1 and harmful4 ,at such a crisis the mother should be very careful not to show any offence because the child has brought her the story4 ,she may condemn the story as severely as she likes1 but she must be careful that the child does not feel himself included in the condemnation4 ,she must also be careful in denying the story not to deny the germ of truth which it will contain1 or the child may conclude that she is talking against the facts1 and is either ignorant or trying to conceal the truth4 ,many a mother has said in despair1 ,my boy of nine knows more about these things than ,i know myself4 ,it would be a great mistake to let the boy hear such a confession1 as his very best safeguard is his confidence in the knowledge of his mother1 or whoever assumes the duty of instructing him in these matters4 ,,iv ,,telling ,,the ,,truth ,should the mother tell pleasant but totally false stories as to the origin of the child1--or should she tell the truth8 ,it is generally safer to tell the truth4 ,excepting with very young children the fiction is not long believed1 and a course of deception1 having been entered upon1 oftentimes proves a stumbling block in the way of later veracity4 ,it is so much easier to go on telling fairy-tales4 ,moreover1 the truth1 properly conveyed1 is far more beautiful than any fairy-tale4 ,the parent must not forget that the child's mind is a blank page upon which any picture may be drawn1 and that the child sees only what is presented to him4 ,the thousand problems1 the thousand troubles and fears1 and all the knowledge of evil that burden the mind of the adult are entirely absent from that of the child4 ,he sees only the one shining fact1 that he was once a part of his dear mother1 nourished and protected by her until he was ready to open his eyes on the big world4 ,the child has very little interest in details as a rule2 and how to meet the demand for them1 should it arise1 will be considered later4 ,if the mother tells the story of the stork bringing the newcomer to the home1 or of the doctor carrying him in his pocket1 or the apothecary selling him over the counter1 the child very soon learns that this is not true4 ,he gets an inkling of the truth1 understands that he has been deceived1 and according to his age1 his nature1 and what he has heard1 he will draw his conclusions as to why his mother did not tell him the truth4 ,mothers often ask whether there is any more reason for refraining from the stork fiction than from the ,santa ,claus one4 ,when ,santa ,claus is found out1 the whole thing is generally understood as a joke1 a pleasant sort of fairy tale4 ,there was nothing hidden behind the fiction4 ,in the other case1 if the child chances somewhere to hear the facts stated in a coarse manner1 he will be likely to feel instinctively that the new tale is the true one1 and will naturally conclude that the pretty fable was told to conceal a most unsavory truth4 ,his first impression of the real facts will in such a case be ugly and--in a deep sense--false4 ,it will hurt his sensibilities1 or arouse his lower nature1 according to his temperament4 ,the mother can guide herself by a rule which has exceptions but which in the main holds good3 ,the child able to ask a question is able to understand the answer4 ,this is by no means saying that all the facts should be stated at once4 ,that would be absurd4 ,the question asked should be answered as simply as possible1 the parent remembering that children's questions are usually more profound to the hearer than to the asker4 ,it is difficult for the adult not to read into the child's chance question all the profundity of his own years of experience1 and the mother who approaches this subject with dread is almost invariably astonished and relieved to find how easily the child is satisfied4 ,where the child asks by chance or design 7and it is a wise parent who can always decide which it is7 a question beyond his comprehension1 or one that the parent is not ready to answer1 he can be put off temporarily with the promise to explain another time4 ,the child may forget all about it4 ,if not1 then the promise must be kept2 and the very fact that the child remembers shows that he is thinking1 and therefore ought to be helped4 ,if the child asks questions which the mother feels sure he is not ready to have answered1 she can promise to tell him when he gets older1 explaining that he could not understand now4 ,in such cases1 however1 the mother should always manifest a willingness to tell him something2 she should talk with him enough to make him feel sure she will keep her promise4 ,he should never be allowed to forget that he can go to his mother as frankly as to his own heart1 with the certainty of finding sympathy and aid4 ,and she should not let him forget that he is not to seek information from outside sources1 such information being unreliable4 ,v ,,on ,,nature ,,study ,since the most beautiful and ideal way of presenting the facts of the renewal of life is through nature-study1 a few words as to the handling of this interesting topic may be helpful to some mothers4 ,in all nature-work with the child1 the subjects treated should be made interesting and beautiful4 ,this cannot be too strongly insisted upon4 ,the child has a right to the pleasure1 the elevation of sentiment1 the play of imagination which the contemplation of nature is able to give in such a peculiar degree4 ,he has a right to the romance of the flower1 cloud1 bird1 fish1 animal life1 plant life1 in all their ramifications4 ,it is a part of his soul-development4 ,consequently1 whatever is done for him should be done in such a way as not to hurt his sensibilities4 ,his pleasure in nature should be increased1 not lessened1 as a result of his study4 ,as his knowledge expands his interest should deepen4 ,this will almost never be the case where the first instruction is purely technical4 ,nothing1 for instance1 has deadened the interest of children in plant life so much as the study of botany4 ,this is because the school methods have been wrong1 the work being almost always approached from the wrong end4 ,it is because the learner's mind is dammed up by difficult and to him empty technical terms4 ,as a consequence1 the course of its flow in this direction is stopped1 and instead of a clear stream leaping joyfully through the woods and meadows finally to reach the great goal of the boundless ocean1 it resembles rather a motionless pond1 the surface of which is covered with lifeless and unlovely debris4 ,naturally the child seeks to escape from this uninteresting and dead pool by turning his mental energies in other directions1 and too often he loses interest forever1 and with it the pleasure and the vast profit that might have come to him from a different conception of the subject4 ,facts about the life of the plant should be abundantly presented1 and the facts as collected and told to-day are well-nigh inexhaustible as well as fascinating4 ,true stories of plant life can be1 and should be1 as interesting as any other stories4 ,technical terms should be used at first with great restraint1 and1 as a rule1 only where they are obviously convenient or of such universal application that they are a distinct help in developing a sense of the continuity of living things4 ,those that are used should be so skilfully introduced1 and their meaning so thoroughly digested1 that they do not seem like technical terms4 ,perhaps an illustration will make this point clearer4 ,a child who loves flowers goes to school2 he is given one of his favorites and told to pull it to pieces1 look at its different parts1 and label them with such words as petals1 sepals1 pistil1 stamens2 to these are presently added calyx1 corolla1 monopetalous1 polypetalous1 innate1 adnate1 indehiscent1 etc41 until the child's mind resembles a lumber room of senseless rubbish1 in which the flower is buried and lost4 ,to a sensitive child this process is exceedingly painful4 ,he often feels as though he were murdering some helpless thing he had loved1 and conceals his tears and his heartache for fear of being laughed at4 ,less sensitive children are soon wearied and disgusted1 and the love for nature which might have been aroused in them1 to the sweetening and steadying of their whole after-life1 receives a fatal check4 ,while the child's love for flowers1 and his sentiment concerning them1 should not be harmed by his plant work1 on the other hand a certain tendency to weak sentimentality wherever encountered should be restrained4 ,he should not be a mere receptacle for dry ashes nor yet a mush of sentimentality4 ,the wise leader will discover the broad middle course where love of the flower shall be deepened1 and1 as it were1 broadened1 by knowledge of its wonderful structure and functions4 ,these can be well understood without so much as one technical term1 though the skilful introduction of a few helpful words will not detract at all from the pleasure of the study1 and will be most convenient4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,anemone ,,or ,,wind-,,flower ,even the botanical names of the flowers themselves are of questionable value4 ,the main thing is to recognize the flower as we recognize any other friend1 and of course some name is necessary1 but that this name be technical is1 in most cases1 not even desirable4 ,wind-flower is quite as good as anemone1 better1 indeed1 as it expresses a certain feeling about the flower that anemone does not convey4 ,so1 too1 mayflower is more suggestive than trailing arbutus1 and that than ,epigaea repens4 ,thus at first let the children learn only the common names of the flowers1 at the same time that they discover all that is interesting about them4 ,later1 when their interest is sure1 the pretty name anemone will give an added charm4 ,they can be told that it comes from the ,greek word anemos1 meaning wind1 and that anemones grow in ,greece1 and all that part of the world1 and are gathered by the little children there4 ,if the children are of an age to be studying or reading the tales of mythology1 or the fascinating beginnings of ,greek and ,roman history1 they will be delighted to think that anemones were no doubt gathered by ,ulysses and ,hector and the other ,trojan heroes when they were children in that far-away land1 and that the grandson of ,a,eneas saw them in the ,campagna near the ,rome he founded1 as the ,italian children see them to-day4 ,thus through his botany the child can get a more vivid sense of the life of the past1 can have a link forged in that invaluable mental chain which links him1 mind1 body1 and soul1 to everything else in the universe1 and the consciousness of which is one of our most precious and helpful endowments in this life4 ,the universality of life and mind and soul1 the universality of the methods of their manifestations even1 the unity of life1--nothing by itself1 everything going out into and permeating everything else1--this great truth1 which ought to burst upon the young mind with controlling force at a critical period later1 should have its way prepared in childhood4 ,so far as technical terms are concerned1 the child will gladly take them--in small doses--when he understands the things they represent1--that is1 when the knowledge comes before the label2 and when he recognizes their convenience in grouping the different varieties and species so that their relations to themselves and to other plants can be kept in the mind with a minimum of exertion4 ,illustration3 ,,wild ,,rose ,,with ,,bees ,,gathering ,,honey ,the time comes when the analysis of the flower can be as interesting as any part of the work1 if it has been preceded by other information and if it is pursued intelligently and delightfully4 ,to illustrate again4 ,the wild rose looked at simply as a thing of beauty and perfume becomes yet more interesting to the child who watches the bee gather its golden pollen and its luscious nectar4 ,there is a bond of union now between the fragile flower and its winged guest that begets an altruism which later becomes normally the corner-stone of character4 ,when the graceful tribute of the bee to the flower is presently understood1 and the child learns that the seeds of the flower have to thank the bee for their life1 the mind expands yet more1 and glows at the thought of this relationship in which each of these charming creatures practically preserves the life of the other4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,seed1 ,,the ,,child ,,of ,,the ,,plant1 ,,is ,,at ,,the ,,heart ,,of ,,every ,,flower ,now1 too1 the thought that the seed1 the child of the plant1 is at the heart of every flower1 that it is for this nascent life1 this new venture into the great world1 that the blossom unfolds in beauty and sheds its perfume on the summer air1 yet more expands the joyous interest taken in the blossom4 ,the mind1 through a knowledge of these facts1 can leap out into wider spaces of feeling and imagination4 ,thus every truth the child learns about the rose in those first tender years ought to add to his poetic conception of it4 ,thus he should learn his rose until the time comes when its relation to certain other plants will be full of meaning and full of interest4 ,perhaps the child has studied the apple blossom1 the strawberry flower1 the peach blossom in this same delightful way4 ,with a very little help he will recognize the similarity of all three to the rose4 ,he will be delighted to know that these are as truly related as they seem to be1 that they are indeed cousins in one charming family4 ,how they came to be so different will be a natural question1 the answer to which will involve the latest and most valuable scientific discoveries4 ,indeed1 in studying nature we should begin with the latest discoveries of science1 which are biological and vital1 and end with man's earlier efforts toward knowledge1--that is1 with classification and nomenclature4 ,when the child knows his plants he may be interested in their relationships and willing to do the necessary drudgery toward establishing them4 ,if not1 it doesn't matter1 he has the really vital part of the subject1 the part that will best help him toward understanding all life1 his own included4 ,it is to foster a high sentiment toward the life of the plant that the numerous so-called unscientific botanies which crowd the book-stores to-day are so valuable1 and the numbers that are sold testify to the interest this side of the subject awakens4 ,what technical botany has anything like the sale of these less technical books8 ,so far as the real development of the world at large is concerned they are of inestimably more use than the technical works1 though of course those were the stern ,puritan parents who have given rise to this flock of lovely non-puritanical children1 and without which they of course could not have existed4 ,the technical botanies indeed have their use to-day1 and it can be confidently expected that they will be more used than ever before1 because of the large numbers who have had their interest quickened and a desire to know more awakened4 ,those who would have found botany interesting in spite of the old methods will pursue it yet more eagerly under the new4 ,many who would have turned away from it entirely will continue their study into the technical works1 while great numbers who have no leaning toward technical study and would have had nothing to do with botany under the old methods1 under the new will assimilate the best truths the study of this subject is able to give1 and so far from finding a wild rose less fragrant or less beautiful because of their close scrutiny of it1 they will find it infinitely more so1--infinitely more rich in affording poetical thoughts1 comparisons1 and images4 ,what is true of plant life is equally true of animal life4 ,the first attention should be directed toward the animal itself1 its life and habits1 technical information coming afterwards4 ,,vi ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,seed ,in dealing with the special subject of this book too much stress cannot be laid upon the value of associating the phenomena of the renewal of life with all other vital phenomena1 instead of divorcing it from them4 ,two reasons why the subject of reproduction has such undue prominence in the minds of many people are1 first1 the manner in which it has been made conspicuous through concealment2 and second1 the fact that when spoken of at all1 it has been treated as a unique phenomenon unrelated to anything else4 ,these are not the only reasons1 but they are strong ones1 and their existence is quite unnecessary4 ,education1 therefore1 should remove both of these stumbling-blocks4 ,the first one is easily removed1 though the value of its removal depends entirely upon the manner in which that removal is accomplished4 ,the second is also easily removed1 the only difficulty being how to do it in the most helpful manner4 ,the problem1 then1 for the instructor to solve is1 how fully to acquaint the child with the phenomena of the reproductive life without making the subject unduly prominent4 ,this can well be done by interesting him in all the phenomena of living things1 and allowing the reproductive function to take its place1 not as something alone and different from everything else1 but as one in a series of vital phenomena1 all equally important and all interesting2 not as something peculiar to human life or to the higher animals1 but belonging equally to every living thing1 whether animal or plant1 and manifesting itself in the same way everywhere4 ,nor is this as difficult as at first glance it may seem4 ,indeed it is not difficult at all if one can begin with the young child1 building little by little the foundation upon which later to erect a noble superstructure4 ,it is a beautiful fact that the plant world offers illustrations of all the underlying phenomena of the reproductive life1 and that through the flowers the little one can get his first introduction to the great subject4 ,not that he will at first understand the connection between the flower life and the human life1 but the facts in the flower having been clearly perceived1 there is nothing easier or more beautiful than to expand the idea when the time comes1 until it embraces all life4 ,but what about those children who are no longer in their infancy8 ,how are they to be taught8 ,in practically the same way1 with some modification of method4 ,since the aim here is to present the subject from the beginning1 the first succeeding chapters will deal with it as applied to the young child4 ,following this1 methods for use with older children will be discussed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,objects to be accomplished with the younger children in the study of the plant4 7#a7 ,to make them feel that the plants are living things with activities like other living things4 7#b7 ,to convey a clear idea of the true relation of seed to plant4 ,this can be amplified later to cover the reproductive phenomena of human life4 7#c7 ,to give them a foundation for understanding the relation of father to child1 when the time comes to explain that4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some children naturally think of the plant as alive2 they endow it with thought1 feeling1 and emotion2 talk to it1 consult it1 caress it4 ,others do not4 ,in both cases it is of value to the child to know the deeper truths concerning the life of the plant4 ,in the one case it will steady sentimentality and guard against later loss of interest1 in the other it will stimulate imagination and foster a high type of sentiment4 ,an easy and effective way to begin the study of the plant is to watch it as it sprouts from the seed4 ,since a large seed1 easy to see and simple in structure1 is best1 an ordinary bean answers the purpose admirably1 particularly as the bean has the convenient habit of rising up above the ground when it sprouts1 the development of the embryo proceeding in full view4 ,any of the common varieties will answer the purpose1 though of course the larger the bean the more easily it can be observed4 ,a child of three or four will be interested in watching a seed grow4 ,the first season he may get only one idea1 the seed grows into a plant4 ,the next season the experiment may be repeated with as much of the story of the plant added as the little one can understand4 ,thus ,spring after ,spring the child plants his seeds and watches them grow1 constantly adding to his store of knowledge about them1 until the story of the plant and its seed is as familiar to him as any fairy-tale1 and has gone into his consciousness to stay there forever4 ,let us examine the bean1 then1 and see what can be learned from it1 the information thus obtained to be shared with the child as fast as his age and his power of understanding permit4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bean1 ,,sprouting1 ,,to ,,show ,,the ,,two ,,seed-,,leaves ,,and ,,the ,,embryo ,first let us examine the dry bean4 ,it is hard1 so hard that we can scarcely bite it4 ,put it to soak in tepid water1 leaving it over night4 ,next day look at the changes that have taken place in it4 ,the first thing we notice is that it has swollen until it is twice as large as it was1 being now soaked full of water4 ,it is also softer than it was4 ,its outer skin during the process of soaking has loosened1 being no longer firmly attached to the body of the bean4 ,this skin1 being unable to stretch1 soon splits open by the swelling of the bean inside4 ,we can easily slip it entirely off4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bean--,,embryo-,,leaves1 ,,seed-,,leaves1 ,,and ,,root ,having done this let us take a good look at the bean that is now out of its skin4 ,we see that it is composed of two thick parts which are joined together at only one end4 ,these two thick parts which make the bulk of the bean are called seed-leaves 7cotyledons74 ,just at the point where they seem to be joined together there is a tiny flat white object4 ,looking closely at this we discover it to be a plant consisting of two minute leaves and a little blunt tip4 ,as a matter of fact1 the two seed-leaves are not attached directly to each other1 but each is attached to this tiny plant1 or embryo1 as it is called4 ,the word embryo is a valuable one to use later1 and its precise meaning can easily be fixed by always calling the young plant tucked away in the seed the embryo4 ,the difficulty of learning new words does not lie in their length1 but in not knowing what they mean4 ,a child who has been to the circus has no trouble in remembering the word elephant1 and the child who frequently hears the word embryo spoken in connection with the plant concealed between the cotyledons quickly and unconsciously learns it4 ,place some of the soaked beans on damp cotton1 and plant others in a pot of earth1 or1 if it is ,summer1 in the garden4 ,those sprouted in the house in the ,winter must be kept warm4 ,in a short time the little white embryo tucked away in the bean begins to grow4 ,we say the bean sprouts4 ,as the embryo develops1 its little blunt tip grows down into the ground and gives off roots4 ,at the same time its two tiny white leaves grow large and green1 coming out from the seed-leaves 7cotyledons7 into the air and sunshine4 ,as the stem lengthens the seed-leaves are lifted up above the ground along with the embryo4 ,the bean thus seems to come out of the ground1 and children are very apt to want to cover it up4 ,but it has not really unplanted itself4 ,the lower part of the stem and the roots hold it firmly in the earth4 ,the bean on the damp cotton grows as well at first as that planted in the earth1 but it cannot get food enough to continue growth unless it can thrust its roots into the earth4 ,what enables it to grow at all on the cotton1 since that does not supply food1 but only holds the moisture1 without which the bean could not sprout8 ,there must be food somewhere1 and it is found packed away in the thick seed-leaves1 which contain a great deal of starch and a little of some other things4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bean--,,embryo-,,leaves1 ,,compound ,,leaves1 ,,and ,,beginning ,,of ,,stem ,the young plant1 under the influence of warmth and moisture1 is able to draw out the nourishment from the seed-leaves4 ,if we examine the seed-leaves after the seed has sprouted we shall find them less hard and firm2 they have given part of their substance to the embryo4 ,they have also turned greenish in color1 while1 as we know1 the leaves of the embryo1 which at first were so white and tiny1 have also turned green and grown larger4 ,between the two embryo-leaves there is a little growing tip4 ,the young plant now no longer depends upon the seed-leaves for its food4 ,down in the earth the roots are taking in nourishment1 and up in the air the little green leaves are also busy supplying food to the growing plant4 ,the little growing tip lengthens into a stem from which a leaf is seen unfolding4 ,this new leaf is not shaped like the embryo-leaves nor like the seed-leaves4 ,it has three leaflets4 ,the stem continues to lengthen1 and soon another compound leaf appears4 ,thus the stem lengthens and leaves keep coming1 the little growing tip at the end of the stem always pushing upward4 ,very soon the stem becomes too long and slender to stand upright4 ,then it does a strange thing4 ,it circles about as though in search of something4 ,it moves very slowly1 but if you notice which way it is pointing in the morning1 and again at noon1 and again at night1 you will see that it has changed its position4 ,why does it do this8 ,it wishes to twine about a support1 and will continue circling about until it finds one4 ,if there is none1 the slender stem1 unable to stand upright as it lengthens1 will in time bend to one side or even lie on the ground2 but the end still continues to circle about1 and when at last it touches a stick or the stem of another plant or anything else about which it can twine1 it continues its circling motion about the new support1 and the vine as it lengthens finally becomes twined about it4 ,how does the food which the plant takes from the earth and the air find its way to the different parts of the plant to nourish them8 ,the plant food is in a liquid form called sap1 which runs through channels in the roots and stems and leaves1 and is thus carried to all parts of the plant4 ,to a certain extent it is like the blood of animals1 which finds its way all through the body and supplies food to the tissues4 ,the plant is alive2 it eats1 it breathes2 sometimes it even moves4 ,it breathes the same air that we do1 only it takes it in through tiny pores in the leaves4 ,eating and breathing1 the plant continues to grow1 leaf after leaf unfolding4 ,at last1 in the axil of one of the leaves there comes a little bud that does not unfold into a leaf but into a flower4 ,the appearance of this first blossom on the plant the child has himself raised from the seed will be watched with eagerness1 and its advent can be made a subject of general pleasure and notice in the home4 ,the child's pleasure in his flower will be greatly increased if he finds that others are also watching and enjoying it4 ,here1 too1 is a chance to develop a certain respect or reverence for the beautiful and fragile flower4 ,it is not to be picked4 ,we are to leave this flower and see what becomes of it4 ,if we pick it1 it will soon wither and die4 ,if we leave it where it is1 it will continue to grow1 and something very interesting will happen4 ,after a few days the pretty white or red flower-leaves or petals will fall off2 but any disappointment which the child may feel at the falling of the petals can be quickly changed into interest about what remains1 for not all the flower fell4 ,the centre of it is still there4 ,it is a little green pod4 ,it is so delicate that by holding it against the light one can easily see the little seedlets1 or ovules1 inside4 ,ovule is a good word to learn1 and the easiest way is to use it at once1 always referring to this little seedlet in the young flower-pod as the ovule4 ,the word ovule means little egg2 later1 a word almost identical will be used for the eggs of animals4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bean--,,the ,,seedlets1 ,,or ,,ovules1 ,,in ,,the ,,young ,,pods ,thus by a use of carefully chosen1 well-understood terms the child has from the very beginning a dawning sense of the oneness of all life4 ,he can be told that ovule means little egg1 and that the seed of the plant is the egg of the plant1 which hatches--sprouts--into the plant we see4 ,it is better not to break the tender little pod to show the ovules1 even if there are plenty of flowers4 ,look at the pod against the light and see the ovules dimly outlined4 ,each ovule is attached to the pod by a little stem which can also be seen with the light shining through the pod4 ,the stem the child can look for when the peas are being shelled for dinner1 or when lima beans are being shelled4 ,if the pea or bean pod is opened carefully1 the whole row of seeds will be seen attached to the pod1 each by its exceedingly short stem4 ,the ovary is a part of the plant in which grow the ovules4 ,the perfect and clear understanding of just what the ovary is will be very helpful later1 and the word ovary will be found extremely useful4 ,the interest should not be concentrated on the ovary to the exclusion of other flower parts4 ,the bright petals should have their share of attention4 ,they form a nest1 or home1 or covering1 to enfold or wrap about the delicate seed-pod4 ,the thought that they are fragrant and beautiful because of the young life they cherish1 and that they never appear excepting where there are young seeds to be cared for1 and that every flower has the little pod or seed-cradle at its centre1 can be made to cast a lovely glow over this side of the flower-life1 which will later reflect more or less strongly upon all life4 ,when the child discovers that the ovules are attached to the ovary by little stems1 this very important question can be answered1--,how are the ovules nourished8 ,they must have food1 or they cannot develop into seeds4 ,the sap1 which is the food of the plant1 runs through the little stems that hold the ovules to the ovary1 and thus1 entering the ovules1 nourishes them4 ,the ovule has no embryo4 ,it is a very simple little seedlet indeed4 ,but after a while its little embryo begins to form and its seed-leaves to develop4 ,when the ovule has developed in this way we call it a seed4 ,it remains attached to the ovary1 receiving nourishment from the sap until it is quite ripe4 ,as the seed forms in its little pod1 its thick sturdy seed-leaves become larger and fuller4 ,the sap constantly stores up in them plenty of good food4 ,thus the parent plant provides for the seed1 so that when it goes out into the world alone it may not perish until it has learned to care for itself4 ,the food in the seed-leaves is the bank account which starts the young plant in life4 ,when the seed is fully formed1 its seed-leaves full of food1 its embryo perfect1 then we say it is ripe4 ,it no longer needs to draw nourishment from the sap of the parent-plant4 ,it is able to start in the world on its own account4 ,when the seed ripens1 its little stem withers away1 so that the seed lies loose in the pod4 ,in the case of the bean-pod1 when the seed becomes free the pod opens1 and the seed or bean1 as we call it1 falls out4 ,if we look at a ripe bean or pea or any seed we shall find upon one edge of it the scar where the little stem was attached4 ,the scar is the umbilicus or navel of the seed4 ,the seed does not become free from its attachment to the pod until it is able to live alone4 ,as long as it continues to grow it remains attached and receives the sap4 ,as soon as it has its growth and no longer needs the sap it separates from the pod4 ,this separation is easy and natural4 ,there is no tearing apart1 no mutilation4 ,it is exactly like the falling of the leaves in the ,autumn4 ,it is1 in short1 the birth of the seed or infant plant4 ,some mothers talk of the mother-plant and the seed-babies from the beginning4 ,they show how the little seeds are fed and protected1 how they are literally a part of the mother-plant4 ,other mothers prefer to tell only the botanical story1 leaving all application to animal life for later consideration4 ,in either case the essential points are a clear understanding of the growth of the ovule in the ovary1 the manner in which it is nourished and protected1 and its final separation from the ovary to enter into the outer world as an individual provided with everything necessary to its needs4 ,some mothers use the words sprout and hatch interchangeably1 speaking sometimes of the hatching of the seeds1 in order to make more vivid the realization of the similarity of processes in the plant and the bird4 ,they also speak of the birth of the seed4 ,clearly to understand the relation of the seed to the mother-plant is to understand accurately and scientifically the relation of every living creature to its mother4 ,the child who enjoys planting the bean one season will want to plant it the next1 for there is nothing children more delight in than planting things and watching them grow4 ,this interest can be encouraged in any home1 for where there is no available yard a few flower-pots of earth1 or a box of it1 will afford opportunity for a good deal of pleasure and instruction4 ,the child can be encouraged to collect seeds that are formed like the bean1 and plant them too4 ,he will quickly discover that a peanut is made essentially like a bean1 and he will be interested to plant some raw peanuts4 ,the pea1 too1 he will soon add to his list4 ,as the season advances he will discover the cucumber1 melon1 and squash seeds1 and1 with a little help1 the apple1 pear1 and quince seeds1 as well as those of the cherry1 plum1 and peach4 ,the latter have very hard outer coats1 but are formed in all essentials like the bean4 ,indeed he can have a very long list by the end of ,summer4 ,but he cannot make these green seeds grow4 ,that is1 many of them will not sprout until they have lain a certain length of time4 ,so even where they are ripe and fall from their pods1 he had better keep them until toward ,spring before planting1 even in the house4 ,illustration3 ,,morning-,,glory ,,seed1 ,,showing ,,seed-,,leaves ,,and ,,embryo ,if he takes pleasure in examining his seeds1 he will find in each one the tiny embryo tucked in between the seed-leaves2 in the apple seed the young apple-tree1 in the pumpkin seed the young pumpkin vine4 ,even the vegetables being prepared for his dinner can be interesting to him4 ,as the peas are shelled he can see the pretty green seeds attached to the side of the pod4 ,he can find the embryo even in the unripe seed1 but he knows there would be no use in planting these green peas1 for they are not yet fit to live apart from the mother-plant4 ,if they were torn away and planted in the ground they would perish4 ,not all seeds have the food for the embryo stored up in the seed-leaves4 ,if a morning-glory seed be soaked1 it will swell up and soften1 and the hard outer skin will burst4 ,inside will be found a tiny embryo with two thin1 papery seed-leaves that contain no nourishment to speak of4 ,but packed about the embryo is a rich food-substance which1 though hard in the dry seed1 becomes soft and gelatinous upon soaking1 looking indeed not unlike the white of the egg1 and having the same use2 for it forms the first food of the embryo1 which absorbs it4 ,the embryo thus begins its growth1 which continues until the roots and first leaves are sufficiently developed to supply nourishment4 ,illustration3 ,,four ,o',,clock ,,seed1 ,,showing ,,seed-,,leaves ,,and ,,embryo ,after the child has studied his beans1 let him then study the morning-glory and four-o'clock seeds1 which store the food separately from the embryo instead of in its seed-leaves4 ,in every seed there is food enough stored up to give the embryo its first start in life4 ,during the ,summer the child can be helped to pass many pleasant hours looking at seed-pods and finding as many kinds as possible4 ,he can discover how the ovaries are placed in the flower and wrapped about by the bright petals1 being covered while yet in the bud by the green calyx4 ,he can look at the different forms of ovaries and discover how some1 like the bean1 have only one compartment or cell1 while others1 like the apple-core1 have five1 and yet others1 like the poppy pod1 have many4 ,if he is interested1 he can quickly and unconsciously learn many of the more common botanical terms used in describing plants1 so that when he comes to study technical botany he will find it shorn of most of its terrors4 ,illustration3 ,,different ,,kinds ,,of ,,ovaries--,,bean1 ,,apple-,,core1 ,,poppy ,,pod ,certain botanical terms are valuable both now and later2 used simply1 just as we talk of table1 chair1 bed-post1 garden-walk1 etc41 they are1 as has been said1 learned unconsciously4 ,illustration3 ,,flower--,,ovary1 ,,style1 ,,stigma1 ,,stamens1 ,,anthers1 ,,petals1 ,,sepals ,in teaching the later facts of the reproductive life1 it is a great help for the child to know the names and uses of certain parts of the flower2 in many flowers1 as for instance the lily1 the parts can be seen without pulling the flower to pieces4 ,in the centre is the ovary1 as the child already knows4 ,let him notice the long stalk on top of it and learn to call this the style4 ,on top of the style is a knob--the stigma4 ,ovary1 style1 and stigma together make the pistil4 ,surrounding the pistil are six stamens1 each having a slender stem or filament and terminating in a little box2 this box is called the anther and is filled with flower-dust or pollen4 ,around these is a circle of bright petals4 ,in many flowers1 outside the petals is a circle of green sepals1 which in some plants fall off or turn down when the bud opens4 ,,the ,,flower ,sepals--usually green and affording protection to the bud4 ,petals--usually large and bright4 ,stamens-- filament 7stem of anther7 anther 7containing pollen7 ovary 7seed-pod7 ,pistil-- style 7stem of stigma not always present7 stigma 7knob at top of style or ovary7 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,young ,,bean-,,pod ,,from ,,the ,,flower ,the care of the mother for her offspring1 that impulse of nature found everywhere in nature's children1 is beautifully illustrated in the flowers4 ,when first the petals fall1 leaving the tiny green pod1 it stands up on its stalk1 but in a few days it will be found hanging down4 ,why should this be8 ,for one thing1 as the pod turns down it gets out of the way of the other buds that one by one are preparing to blossom1 for beans generally grow in clusters1 one blossoming after another4 ,thus all the flowers have plenty of room and air and sunshine1 and a lesson in unselfishness and thoughtfulness for others may be learned4 ,moreover1 the hanging pod is better protected against accidents than the upright one4 ,it is less noticeable and less likely to be knocked or broken off4 ,the mother-plant takes every precaution possible for the welfare of the seed-children1 even sending them far from home for their benefit4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,shedding ,,of ,,young ,,sweet-,,peas ,,from ,,the ,,pod ,every one has noticed how the sweet-pea pods are curled up when the seeds are shed4 ,this curling takes place just at the moment when the pod opens to allow the seeds to escape4 ,this sudden twisting of the pod flings the seeds sometimes long distances4 ,if the seed were to fall close to the mother-plant it would find the soil impoverished in certain ways1 the mother-plant having absorbed the food materials from it4 ,if the seed can be hurled out of reach of the absorbing roots of the mother-plant1 it may have a better chance2 even if it should fall where other things are growing1 it may find the peculiar food it wants sufficiently abundant1 for not all plants absorb just the same things from the soil4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,shedding ,,of ,,various ,,kinds ,,of ,,seeds ,looking at the dried bean and pea-pods in the fall of the year1 we shall find nearly all of them twisted4 ,and looking over the other plants of the fields and hedges1 we see how much trouble has been taken to enable the seeds to go out in the world and find new growing-places4 ,some seeds are snapped out1 as the touch-me-nots and witch-hazels2 some are supplied with flat wing-like surfaces to be borne by the wind1 as the maple-keys and elm seeds2 some have bristles or down upon which to float in the air1 as the lilies1 dandelions1 and lettuces2 some have hooks by which to attach themselves to the coats of passing animals2 and others have yet other devices for getting to pastures new4 ,the whole subject of how seeds travel about the world is very interesting1 and collecting these wanderers and watching their habits will afford a rich summer's entertainment4 ,thus the child learns a thousand interesting things about the plant life1--among them1 but not in any way prominent1 the phenomena which are connected with the reproduction of the plant4 ,this work can all be done before the child is eight years old1 and in many cases it can be done much earlier1 at least so far as inculcating the most essential truths is concerned4 ,many details will slip away in time1 but if the work is thoroughly done the great primal truths of living things will stay1 and as the child's life unfolds1 they will illuminate it in certain directions4 ,according to the age and opportunities of the child his information about the plant can be enlarged4 ,the plant's method of breathing can be explained to one who knows something about the composition of the air1 and of the use which the human body makes of the oxygen4 ,the child who can understand it will be greatly interested to know that the plant uses the oxygen of the air1 and returns carbon dioxide to it as a waste1 essentially as his own body does4 ,he should also know that the plant breathes very little in comparison to the animal1 consequently it does not greatly affect the air1 taking out but little oxygen and returning to it but little carbon dioxide4 ,the plant's method of taking nourishment from air and soil is also very interesting4 ,it is only the green parts of the plant that can take food from the air4 ,the plant can become and remain green only under the influence of sunlight4 ,so finally the plant owes its life to the power of the sun1 just as in one way or another we all do4 ,plants in a dark place soon lose their green color1 grow pale and sickly1 and finally die4 ,all green leaves and the young green twigs are able to take food from the air4 ,the food they thus take is carbon dioxide1 the very thing both plants and animals breathe out as a waste1 and whose presence in large quantities makes air unfit to breathe4 ,but the plant must have the carbon dioxide and can get it only from the air1 so it is constantly withdrawing this harmful substance from the air and converting it into plant tissue4 ,it consumes only part of the carbon dioxide1 however1 for the oxygen that is tied up in the carbon dioxide is set free and given back to the air1 only the carbon being retained4 ,so the plant is continually taking in the destructive carbon dioxide and giving out the wholesome oxygen1 thus keeping the air pure and fit for us to breathe4 ,in short1 the plant eats with its roots and with its leaves4 ,with its roots it eats certain things it finds in the earth1 and with its leaves and other green parts it eats the suffocating gas we breathe into the air4 ,this important function of the plant1 in supplying the oxygen we need and in destroying the harmful carbon dioxide1 can be illustrated in many graphic ways4 ,we depend upon the plants for our very existence in this respect3 they stand between us and destruction from excessive accumulations of carbon dioxide4 ,on the other hand1 the carbon dioxide is so important to the plant that it could not exist without it4 ,all the carbon it gets is obtained from this source4 ,wood is largely carbon2 a charred stick which retains its full size and shape is almost pure carbon4 ,thus the breath of our bodies is converted by the plant into the wood from which we construct our houses1 furniture1 etc4 ,in a certain sense the chair we sit upon is made of the breath of our bodies4 ,besides these debts to the plant1 we finally owe to it the food we consume1 which comes from the plant1 even meat being but vegetable matter one step removed4 ,the plant changes the chemicals which the animal cannot use in their crude form1 into plant substances which animals can use4 ,thus the vegetable and animal kingdoms are mutually dependent upon each other4 ,neither could exist1 at least in its present condition1 without the other4 ,not only will such facts as these be interesting to most children1 they will deepen the dawning consciousness of the fundamental unity of all forms of life1 which it should be the province of nature-study to develop4 ,it may not be out of place here to say a few words about the picking of flowers4 ,children instinctively want to pick them4 ,they wish to possess1 touch1 caress these lovely objects4 ,if left unguided1 this tendency shortly degenerates in many children into a desire to pick every flower in sight4 ,a walk taken by such children through the fields can be traced by the wild flowers that strew the way4 ,great handfuls are gathered1 and then1 becoming burdensome1 are thrown down4 ,the child who lovingly watches his flowers grow and blossom will be less likely to destroy in this wanton manner4 ,here1 too1 is a good opportunity to teach him to be thoughtful and generous to others4 ,if he carelessly tears up and throws away the flowers1 those who come after him will not have them to enjoy2 it is far better to look at the flowers and admire them in their own homes and leave them there4 ,a little crowd of hepaticas at the root of a tree in the woods is one of the most charming sights of spring4 ,let the child who finds such a treasure call the rest1 that they too may enjoy the pretty picture2 let the children get down and put their faces against the flowers if they want to smell them1 and then go away leaving the beauty undisturbed4 ,their adult comrade at such a time by exclaiming appreciatively over the sweetness of the little scene1 the bright flowers against the dark tree1 the green moss growing over the rock at one side1 can often open young eyes to a harmony of beauty which will cause the whole composition to be recalled later with pure pleasure2 a far deeper and higher pleasure this little picture lingering in the memory than any number of flowers torn from their places soon to wilt in the hands of the vandals whose only thought is how to get the most in the shortest time4 ,should children never gather flowers1 then8 ,of course they should4 ,but they should learn to exercise restraint1 and as they grow older1 judgment4 ,they can easily be persuaded to gather only a few flowers4 ,a few are almost always more beautiful than a great mass1 and there is no exception to this whatever where the delicate spring flowers are concerned4 ,let the child carefully gather a few to take home to mother1 father1 sister1 aunt1 some dear one who has not shared the walk4 ,these flowers should not be neglected1 but at once put in water1 placed where they can be seen and enjoyed1 and the water should be changed every day as long as they last4 ,in this way the flower gives real pleasure to a number of people1 and the child learns several lessons valuable to the formation of his character4 ,as the child grows older1 he can be taught not only self-control against gathering useless quantities of flowers1 but also to exercise judgment in regard to those he does pick4 ,for instance1 seeing a flaming bush against a superb background of green foliage1 shall he disturb the poise of the picture for the sake of taking some of the flowers8 ,better is it to look about for similar flowers less beautifully placed4 ,instead of culling from the little hepatica company at the tree root1 let him search for more hidden or less beautifully grouped flowers4 ,the isolated flowers will be just as pretty after they are picked as are those in the fortunately placed groups2 for he will soon learn that with the flower he cannot take its surroundings excepting in the memory4 ,in this way he will be able to carry away a beautiful mind-picture such as would not remain if he had destroyed it2 he will become more observant of the flowers as pictures1 cultivate his taste1 in short1 and also learn to enjoy beauty without destroying it4 ,wanton destruction of flowers should never be countenanced1 no matter how abundant the flowers may be4 ,self-restraint is not inculcated for the sake of saving the flowers so much as for the influence it will have upon the development of the child1 although there are parts of the country where one would like to see it exercised for the sake of the flowers themselves4 ,the child who learns to respect flowers will never be one of that discreditable company who by sheer vandalism are constantly driving the wild flowers farther into the back country1 finally exterminating whole species4 ,in many parts of ,new ,england1 banks which were carpeted with arbutus a generation ago are now devoid of a single root4 ,spring may come and ,spring may go1 but no may-flowers will ever again shine from those banks to delight the eye of the woodland wanderer4 ,all the generations to come must be deprived of the pleasure of these delightful flowers1 the earliest visitants of spring--to what end8 ,did the pleasure they gave to those who took them compensate in the least degree for their loss to the world8 ,truly not4 ,in all the open places near cities1 where flowers would delight the greatest number of eyes and hearts1 there are no flowers1 and this because those who went first had no respect for the flowers themselves or for the rights of those who came after4 ,not only should the child learn to exercise judgment in gathering flowers1 but he should also learn how to gather them properly4 ,if the arbutus had not been carelessly torn up by the roots and trampled on1 it would have yielded its whole tribute of blossoms year after year without disappearing4 ,if the arbutus-gatherers1 knowing the nature of the treasure they were gathering1 had gone armed with scissors and had clipped the blossoming ends without other injury to the plant1 at the same time taking care not to trample it1 the banks would still have been clad in beauty4 ,,vii ,,the ,,fertilization ,,of ,,the ,,flower ,as a preparation for this work1 let the children notice the flower-dust or pollen that shakes out of the flowers or is seen clinging to the anthers4 ,illustration3 ,,bee--,,showing ,,pollen-,,basket ,the child presently discovers where the pollen comes from4 ,it is hidden in the anthers4 ,he can hunt in all the flowers to find these little pollen-boxes1 some of which1 as in the goldenrods1 are so small that he will have hard work to find them1 even though they shed such clouds of pollen4 ,he can notice the different kinds of stamens1 see how some have long stems or filaments1 others short ones1 others again none at all4 ,the filament is of no other use than to hold up the anther4 ,the anther with its pollen is the important thing2 so there may be useful stamens with no filaments1 but never useful stamens with no anthers4 ,the amount of pollen in the flowers is always astonishing and interesting4 ,why should there be so much8 ,that the bee gathers honey from the blossoms is one of the earliest things the child learns4 ,just whereabouts in the flower-cup1 and just how the bee finds this honey1 how it carries it home1 where and how and why it stores it in the hive1 is one of the most fascinating of stories1 as good as a fairy tale4 ,in connection with this comes very naturally the story of the bees and the pollen4 ,the child will be delighted to learn that the bees collect pollen as well as honey2 that the honey bees and bumble-bees have baskets on their legs on purpose to carry it home2 that they knead it up with honey and make it into what is known as bee-bread4 ,we seldom see bee-bread these days1 as patent hives furnish all the honey found in city stores and no bee-bread is sold4 ,in remote country places1 however1 where the honey is removed en masse from the hive1 there will be plenty of bee-bread to give piquancy to the children's bread and honey4 ,moreover1 where bees are kept1 the bee-keeper can usually be persuaded to take out a little bee-bread for the children to see and taste2 for it is always present no matter what the kind of hive used1 though it is not always easily obtainable1 for where their household arrangements permit1 the bees generally prefer to store it in the lower chambers away from the honey4 ,thus the flower supplies large quantities of food for the bees and for us1 and long ago1 before ,america was discovered and before cane-sugar came into use1 the people depended upon honey for their sweetening4 ,when the children have found how general is the presence of pollen in the flowers1 where it comes from1 and how it is gathered by the bees1 they can learn that the pollen is valuable to the plant itself4 ,it is indeed one of the most necessary parts of the flower1 for without it the ovules could not develop4 ,the effect of the pollen upon the seeds can be prettily illustrated by a simple experiment4 ,take two or three little pots of geraniums whose buds are just ready to open4 ,be sure to have single geraniums1 and to stand them where they will not be disturbed and where the wind will not blow upon them4 ,shortly after the flower opens1 the anthers will be seen crowded in its throat and covered with pollen4 ,after a few days the pollen will have dried up1 and the style1 tipped with a five-rayed star-like stigma1 will push up above the anthers4 ,mark pot ,no4 #a as untouched4 ,from pot ,no4 #b carefully take a little pollen on the end of a small clean paint-brush or tooth-pick and touch with it the five-rayed1 star-like stigma of the flowers in pot ,no4 #c4 ,be careful not to let any of it touch the stigmas of the flowers in pot ,no4 #b1 the pot from whose flowers the pollen is taken4 ,leave the flower-pots undisturbed and watch results4 ,when the flowers finally drop their petals1 in pots ,no4 #a and ,no4 #b there will be no seed-pods remaining1 everything will drop1 including the little flower-stalks and the main stalk supporting the whole cluster of flowers4 ,in short1 no trace of flowers will be left4 ,so far as seed-forming is concerned1 the flowers might as well never have blossomed4 ,very different will be the result in the flowers of pot ,no4 #c4 ,these received the pollen on the stigma1 and in some way this pollen affected the ovules so that they began to develop4 ,we say the flower was fertilized by the pollen1 and fertilized is a valuable word to learn at once4 ,when the petals of the fertilized flowers fall1 all does not fall4 ,there remains the ovary with the long style and the star-like stigma4 ,the ovary continues to grow1 as do the seeds within it4 ,since the geranium is a house-plant1 raised under unnatural conditions1 not all the fertilized flowers will succeed4 ,some may fall at once1 like the unfertilized ones4 ,but out of the whole bunch of fertilized flowers some will be almost sure to start the development enough to show that in some way the fertilized flowers were able to produce seeds1 while the others will in no case make any attempt at seed-forming4 ,even though none of the seeds come to perfection1 the fact that they start at all will demonstrate the effect of the pollen4 ,the geranium is a good plant to use in illustrating this point1 because it is so constructed that it cannot fertilize its own flowers4 ,what the child thus far learns is simply that the pollen is in some way necessary to the development of the ovule4 ,if the experiment with the geraniums is not practicable1 the child can be told that the pollen is necessary to the development of the seed1 that it falls upon the stigma and nourishes the little ovules down in the ovary1 and that no seed can form without the aid of the pollen4 ,all the seeds we plant in the flower gardens or in the vegetable gardens1 and all the grain we sow in the fields1 are produced by the help of pollen4 ,all the peas and beans and other seeds we eat owe their existence in part to the pollen1 and without it they could not develop4 ,some parents teach their children at once that the pistil is the mother-part of the plant1 caring for the young seeds1 the stamens the father part1 providing for them1 and that the stamens and pistil growing in the same flower are brothers and sisters4 ,other parents prefer to use only botanical terms1 leaving the extension of the thought to later consideration or to the child's own logic1 for children often reason out all the facts--in a very general way1 of course--from only this botanical study4 ,but we are not yet done with the pollen4 ,it not only assists the ovule to develop1 but it impresses upon it its own characteristics4 ,in other words1 the seed inherits from the pollen as well as from the ovule4 ,inheritance is a very wonderful thing4 ,it is that power which causes the offspring to resemble its parents4 ,in some wonderful way the tiny ovule1 the tiny pollen grain1 remember everything about the plant they came from and are able to transmit this memory to the developing offspring1 so that it may become like its parents4 ,again1 the child under eight can understand the principal facts of fertilization4 ,the older child can add to his stock of facts1 and one of the things he will be likely to want to know is how the little pollen grain up on the stigma can influence the ovule down in the ovary4 ,we know how the ovule is formed4 ,we know that it grows from the inside of the ovary4 ,if we were able to examine the development of the pollen grain inside the anther from its very beginning1 we should find the same thing true of it4 ,the anther is a little box like the ovary1 and the pollen grain grows from the inside of it1 being at first a part of it and nourished by the same sap4 ,when it became ripe it fell free into the anther cavity4 ,we then have a little box full of ripe pollen grains4#a ,the pollen grain is like the ovule in structure1 only much smaller4 ,it is so tiny and the anther so small that we cannot watch its development as we can that of the ovule4 ,but botanists have taken great pains to examine the pollen and to watch its development under the microscope1 so that from them we know the truth4 ,if we examine the young ovule we find it apparently nothing but a little sac full of a semi-liquid substance4 ,this semi-liquid substance1 or at least a part of it1 is alive and is very important4 ,it is protoplasm1 which is the only living substance2 all the living parts of plants and animals are made from protoplasm4 ,illustration3 ,,pollen ,,grains 7,,magnified71 ,,and ,,stigma ,the pollen grain is also a little sac containing protoplasm4 ,thus we have these two little sacs of living substance1 each growing in a similar manner1 one to the inside of an ovary1 the other to the inside of an anther4 ,naturally1 it is the living substance in these little sacs that is important4 ,it is the living substance of the ovule that unites with the living substance of the pollen grain to become a seed2 or1 to say the same thing another way1 it is the living substance of the pollen grain that unites with that of the ovule to become a seed2 or yet again1 it is the union of these two living substances that enables the seed to develop4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pollen ,,tube ,,passing ,,through ,,the ,,style ,,to ,,the ,,ovary ,to understand how the pollen substance finds its way to the ovule substance let us examine the pollen grain a little more carefully4 ,pollen grains are of many shapes1 though usually they are globe-shaped1 or football-shaped4 ,tiny as they are1 the outer skin is often marked with grooves and ridges in a very ornamental manner4 ,they have two skins1 an outer hard one1 a softer inner one4 ,the outer skin is not equally thick and hard all over4 ,it has little glazed spots sometimes1 like little glazed windows4 ,now1 when the pistil is ripe the stigma is sticky4 ,when the pollen grain falls upon this sticky stigma its inside wall swells up1 just as the bean does when we soak it4 ,but the outside wall cannot swell1 consequently the inner wall finally breaks through at one of the weak spots in the outer wall4 ,then the inner wall absorbing moisture and nutriment from the stigma actually grows1 becoming a tube1 which finds its way down through the style4 ,the living substance of the pollen grain runs into the tip of this tube1 and so is carried with it down through the style4 ,the tube is nourished by the juices of the style as it goes along1 and finally it gets to the ovary and the ovule4 ,every ovule has a tiny opening1 or micropyle as it is called1 and it is now easy to guess what that is for4 ,the pollen tube pushes straight toward the micropyle1 enters into the ovule through the micropyle1 and then the living substance it has carried all this distance in its tip breaks through its delicate wall and mingles with the living substance of the ovule4 ,when this has happened1 the ovule begins to grow and to develop into a seed4 ,illustration3 ,,entrance ,,of ,,pollen-,,tube ,,through ,,the ,,micropyle ,,to ,,the ,,ovule ,we see that the whole pollen grain could not possibly force its way down to the ovule4 ,it cannot move of itself1 for one thing1 and if it could it is too large to pass between the tissues of the style4 ,so it simply sends down the long tube1 which grows fast1 pushing along through the style1 whose tissues are rather loose1 and carrying with it the only valuable part of the pollen grain1 its living protoplasm4 ,no ovule can possibly grow into a grain without this tiny bit of pollen4 ,in explaining this union of the two protoplasms1 the child's mind can be turned upon the wonderful mystery--one of the great mysteries of the universe--of how this tiny atom can influence the whole future plant4 ,there is ample opportunity here to elevate his mind and spirit to a high plane1 and1 by talking of the wonders of inheritance1 to give many a hint for future reflection4 ,without this law of inheritance the world would be chaos4 ,imagine the seed of a rose sometimes developing into an oak tree1 the egg of a bird into a bee or a trout4 ,imagine eggs developing haphazard into anything4 ,there would be no use in living4 ,nothing could be depended upon4 ,but there is no danger that any such thing will happen3 the law of inheritance is unyielding4 ,from a rose seed must come a rose bush1--and this is good4 ,but on the other hand1 from the seed of a weak1 poor plant will grow another weak1 poor plant4 ,whatever the parent is1 good or bad1 that must the offspring be4 ,but sometimes the offspring inherits only the best in the parents1 and so is better than they4 ,thus in gathering his seeds1 the child will select only the largest and best and take them from only the best plants to put in his garden the next year1 at the same time planting beautiful truths in the garden of his soul4 ,not the least of these truths is a profound sense of the immutability of law4 ,through his nature-work the child can learn as nowhere else the stern1 unbreakable decrees of law1 and the respect and reverence due to it from every intelligent being4 ,another important and far-reaching fact that the child can learn from his garden is1 that his plants are good or poor according to the care he takes of them4 ,they must have the right kind of food 7soil71 the right amount of water1 the right temperature and surroundings1--some loving the open sunshine1 others needing to be partly protected from it4 ,in short1 according as its environment is suited to its needs1 and as its inheritance is good or bad1 will the plant be strong and handsome or otherwise4 ,another truth to be learned from the flowers is the value of cross-fertilization4 ,this was demonstrated by the great ,darwin1 who fertilized a number of flowers with their own pollen1 and an equal number with the pollen from the blossoms of another plant of the same kind4 ,when the seeds were ripe he gathered them1 carefully keeping those of the self-fertilized flowers separate from the others4 ,the next season he planted both sets of seeds under exactly the same conditions1 that is1 they had the same soil and moisture1 the same sun and air1 and the same care4 ,the plants that grew from these two sets of seeds were very different1 those from the self-fertilized seeds being smaller and weaker in every way than those from the seeds fertilized with pollen from another plant1 or cross-fertilized1 as we say1 thus proving that it is not best for the plant to be self-fertilized4 ,someway1 it needs the stimulus from less closely related pollen in order to grow vigorously and perfectly4 ,while the cross-fertilization of the same order of plants is so desirable1 it is not possible for the pollen of one order to fertilize the ovules of another order4 ,there must be a certain degree of similarity between flowers able to fertilize each other4 ,the pollen of an apple blossom might1 for instance1 rest upon the stigma of a lily1 but the pollen could not penetrate to the lily ovule4 ,it would have no effect upon the lily4 ,that the seed inherits equally from the ovule and the pollen grain is a truth that should be impressed in many ways4 ,it is very wonderful that anything so small as a pollen grain1 often as small as the tiniest speck of dust1 should be able to transmit to the young seed the peculiarities of the plant from which it came4 ,that it does this1 the child himself can prove in a most interesting way4 ,he can plant some white petunia seeds in one side of his garden1 and some red ones in the other4 ,the seeds should come from a reliable florist's in order to be sure of results4 ,when the petunias ripen their seeds1 those from the white flowers should be gathered and carefully labelled1 and then those of the red flowers1 care being taken not to mix the two colors4 ,the next summer1 plant the seeds as before4 ,when the flowers blossom1 those in the white bed will no longer be white1--some may be1 but others will be red1 and still others red and white4 ,the same will be true of the flowers in the red bed4 ,what has happened8 ,the bees going from flower to flower have carried the pollen from one bed to the other1 and some of it1 rubbing off on the stigmas as the bees searched for honey1 fertilized the flowers4 ,thus some of the ovules of the white flowers received an impression of red from the pollen of the red flowers1 and grew into red flowering plants4 ,in others where the impression of red was less strong1 the result was the production of red-and-white spotted flowers4 ,by fertilizing white flowers with pollen from red ones we can almost always get seeds that will develop into plants bearing flowers that are not white4 ,what is true of color is true of other characteristics of the plant1 such1 for instance1 as size and shape of leaves1 habit of growth1 size1 shape1 and quality of fruit1 etc4 ,thus by careful cross-fertilization1 we are able to produce not only beautiful and new blossoms1 but also many delicious new fruits4 ,most of our cultivated fruits have been produced in this way4 ,for instance1 if two species of wild strawberries were found1 one1 large and beautiful but sour or tasteless1 the other1 small but delicious1 the two could be bred together until finally a perfect berry1 large and well-flavored1 would result4 ,illustration3 ,,flowers ,,needing ,,cross-,,fertilization1 ,,some ,,with ,,ovary ,,but ,,no ,,stamens1 ,,others ,,with ,,stamens ,,but ,,no ,,ovary ,when the children are interested in their gardens they can try to make a new flower1 using for the first experiments one that comes up from the seed1 blossoms1 and matures its seeds the same year1 and also readily changes its color as a result of cross-fertilization4 ,such are the petunia and the sweet-pea4 ,the prettiest new flower produced can be marked and its seeds saved for future use1 and the flower can have a name of its own4 ,florists often name their choice new flowers from some beautiful woman1 and it would be a pretty tribute on the part of the child to name his favorite new petunia or sweet-pea after his mother4 ,of course this work will necessarily be very crude and the results uncertain1 since the successful production of new plants is a science in itself2 but enough can be done to interest the young experimenter thoroughly and enable him to learn many valuable lessons4 ,in these early1 childish experiments1 an interest in gardening may be awakened1 which will last through life1 the man1 the woman1 finding rest1 relaxation1 exercise1 and pleasure in going from the trying daily work to the garden a while every day4 ,even a plot of ground a few feet square can afford great opportunity for experiment and beauty4 ,cross-fertilization among the plants does not1 of course1 depend upon man as an agent4 ,since cross-fertilization is so valuable1 it is not surprising to find many devices in the plant world for securing it4 ,honey and color1 which attract winged messengers1 are among the most universal helps to cross-fertilization4 ,in many cases1 the structure of the flower is such that it cannot fertilize itself4 ,in the geranium1 the stamen and the pistil in the same flower mature at different times4 ,in some species1 as among the lilies1 the style is so long that the pollen could not fall upon it without artificial aid4 ,some flowers are so constructed that they can be fertilized by certain kinds of insects and by no others2 among these are the orchids and our clovers and milk-weeds4 ,again1 some flowers have an ovary but no stamens1 while a neighbor has stamens but no ovary1 making self-fertilization absolutely impossible4 ,indeed there is nothing more fascinating in the study of botany than the methods by which the flowers secure cross-fertilization1 nearly all of our common garden-flowers affording illustrations4 ,here too1 is a field where the young botanist can do really valuable work1 for while much is known and has been written on the subject1 much remains unknown4 ,there are many books that give valuable and delightful information about cross-fertilization4 ,the method of fertilization of the flowers satisfactorily accounts for the great amount of pollen produced4 ,being blown by the wind or carried by insects1 much of it is wasted1 consequently there must be ample allowance made for this waste4 ,so the flowers produce thousands of pollen grains which they can never use themselves4 ,,viii ,,what ,,can ,,be ,,learned ,,from ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,fish ,whatever is universal is good4 ,whatever is universal is true4 ,whatever is universal is beautiful4 ,nothing disperses1 so to speak1 the fogs enveloping the thought of sex like the realization of its universality4 ,the air clears when we know that every living thing is bound by the same laws1 even the flowers in our gardens4 ,we have an interesting testimony as to the helpfulness of this thought from one of the great educators of youth1 ,froebel4 ,speaking of his own childhood when he became conscious of what his father1 who was a minister1 was constantly meeting in his parish work1 he says3 ,matrimonial and family relations were often the subject of his admonitory and corrective conversation and remonstrances4 ,the way in which my father spoke of this1 made me consider the subject as one of the most pressing and difficult for man1 and in my youth and innocence1 ,i felt deep grief and pain that man alone among created things should pay the penalty of such a sexual difference that made it hard for him to do right4444 ,just then my oldest brother1 who lived away from home1 came back for a time1 and when ,i told him my delight in the purple threads of the hazel buds1 he made me notice a similar sexual difference among flowers4 ,now my mind was satisfied4 ,i learned that what had troubled me was a widespread arrangement throughout nature to which even the quiet1 beautiful growths of flowers were subject4 ,henceforth human and natural life1 soul and flower existence1 were inseparable in my eyes1 and my hazel blossoms ,i see still1 like angels that opened to me the great temple of nature4444 ,henceforth it seemed as if ,i had the clue of ,ariadne1 which would lead me through all the wrong and devious ways of life2 and a life of more than thirty years with nature1 often1 it is true1 falling back and clouded for great intervals1 has taught me to know this1 especially the plant and tree world1 as a mirror--,i might say1 an emblem--of man's life in its highest spiritual relations2 so that ,i look upon it as one of the greatest and deepest conceptions of human life and spirit when in holy ,scripture the comparison of good and evil is drawn from a tree4 ,nature1 as a whole1--even the realms of crystals and stones1--teaches us to discriminate good from evil2 but1 for me1 not so powerfully1 quietly1 clearly1 and openly as the plant and flower kingdom4 ,the stronger this feeling of the universality of sex1 the more dispersive1 as it were1 is the thought of the subject4 ,it would be difficult to connect personal and impure thoughts or feelings with a star whose distance in space was realized2 and so with all other thoughts1 the more they can be elevated into wide1 general regions1 the less disturbing they will be likely to become4 ,all the facts of sex-life can be learned in the flower1 and the associations thus indelibly impressed cannot fail to leave at least a trace of fragrance and loveliness on even an obtuse nature4 ,no matter what the later experiences or mistakes may be1 the whole conception of this side of life cannot sink so low as might be the case if there were not this flower-sweet background4 ,and that is worth something4 ,it is not difficult to pass at once from the flower life to human life1 and there are cases where this may be advisable4 ,when1 however1 the beginning-work has been done with young children1 and when we consider all the stress laid upon nature-work these days in school and out1 and all the books written and all the stories told of living creatures of all kinds1 it is helpful and easy to linger in the delightful and impersonal realm of the lower life yet longer1 with this distinct advantage1 that the feeling of universality1 which is very different from the thought of it1 will be strengthened4 ,for several reasons1 the step from plant life to animal life can well be taken by means of the fish1 particularly with little children4 ,there is nothing prettier than living fishes in water4 ,the fascination they have for all conditions and ages is shown by the crowds always seen at exhibitions of live fish in aquaria4 ,the child can have his little aquarium at home1 which may consist of a glass globe plentifully supplied with some pretty water weed and a goldfish or two4 ,fishes do not like the bright light all around them1 and should be provided with some sort of refuge1 like the water weed1 or if the tank is large enough1 with stones piled up to make a cave4 ,for the same reason1 the globe should not be set in the window or on the middle of a small table1 but should be placed where at least one side of it may be shadowed by something4 ,pebbles should be put in the bottom of the tank and not too many fishes crowded together4 ,they need room to move freely1 and also plenty of fresh water for breathing4 ,at the bird-stores small aquaria can usually be bought and fitted out with the proper amount of water plants to balance the breathing of the fishes4 ,for the impurity breathed out by the fish is the same as that breathed out by all creatures1 the carbon dioxide which it discharges into the water being just what the water plant needs to grow on4 ,also the water plant returns pure oxygen to the water1 which is just what the fish needs to breathe4 ,this story of the interdependence of the two1 and the possibility of so balancing the plant and animal life in the tank that it is never necessary to change the water1 can be made very interesting1 and1 needless to say1 very illuminating4 ,the fish cannot live out of the water1 and yet it breathes air4 ,there is always air in the water unless it has been artificially removed as by boiling1 and this little bit of air is enough for the fish1 which is cold-blooded and does not need so much fuel to keep its vital forces burning4 ,but this little it must have1 and it will suffer for the want of it1 just as we suffer in a very close1 unventilated room2 and if the supply should become too small1 the fish will die1 just as we should die in a room where no fresh air could enter4 ,so the fish must have the water changed unless there is enough plant life in its tank to keep the air pure4 ,when suffering for air1 the fish shows signs of distress1 which should never be ignored4 ,if it keeps close to the surface of the water with its mouth up and frequently swallows the outside air1 that is a sign it needs fresh water4 ,if it does not have it after a while it will die1 as it cannot live on air undiluted by water4 ,fishes need very little feeding1 particularly if there are water plants in the tank2 they find food from them4 ,the best way is to follow the directions of the man who sells you the fishes4 ,if too much food is given them it quickly fouls the aquarium1 and then the water must be changed and everything cleaned up4 ,in changing the water1 care should be taken to have that which is put in about the same temperature as that taken out4 ,a sudden application of too cold water is not good for the fishes4 ,the children should take care of their pets themselves and see that they do not suffer4 ,the motions of the fish are what make it so attractive4 ,how does it swim8 ,not with its fins to any extent4 ,the whole back part of the body1 including the tail1 is moved from side to side as the fish swims4 ,it moves its tail as a paddle is used at the stern of a boat1 and so the fish paddles himself along4 ,the fins are used more as balancers4 ,they keep the fish upright in the water4 ,as soon as it stops using them1 it turns over on one side4 ,the fish opens and shuts its mouth constantly2 it appears to be swallowing water4 ,and so it is1 so far as its mouth is concerned1 but the water it takes in does not go down into the stomach4 ,it is not really swallowed1 but passes out at the gills1 which are also constantly opening and shutting4 ,the gills are red inside and are covered with a fine network of blood vessels4 ,the air in the water moves against these delicate blood vessels1 which are able to take what they need--the oxygen--from it4 ,thus the fish uses gills instead of lungs for breathing4 ,sometimes1 fishes pick up pebbles in their mouths and drop them again4 ,some fishes1 but not goldfishes1 make noises4 ,the adaptation of the fish to its surroundings is interesting4 ,not only is its form the very best for moving quickly through the water1 but its covering is peculiarly appropriate1 many fishes having a hard1 protecting coat of shining scales4 ,these scales1 besides being beautiful and useful1 are interesting in another way1 for we know that they are only modified hairs1 growing from the skin as hairs grow but having their form and size developed in special ways to serve their purpose4 ,scales and feathers are only another form of hairs4 ,many interesting stories of fishes can be told or read to the children1 and among other things they can learn about the swim-bladder1 the large1 strong air-sac1 which can be compressed or distended at pleasure1 making the fish lighter or heavier and enabling it to rise to the surface of the water or sink to the bottom4 ,in ,nova ,scotia1 where many codfishes are caught1 the swim-bladders are called sounds1 and are cooked as a delicacy4 ,in the spring of the year we eat the roe of fish1 which is nothing more nor less than fish eggs4 ,wherever shad are used1 the children will be familiar with the shad roe2 and in the ,south mullet roes are universally used4 ,the people there dry them in the sun1 and the children particularly are very fond of them4 ,the ,russian caviare is the eggs of a species of fish1 and is considered a great delicacy by some people4 ,where do these eggs come from8 ,the fish market or the kitchen on fish day will answer the question4 ,the child who is privileged to pass part of the summer at the seashore where fishermen ply their trade will have ample opportunity to know1 as will the child who goes fishing in any brook or pond and is allowed 7as he always should be7 to clean and cook the fish he has caught4 ,also the smelts1 which are cooked whole1 only the intestines being removed through a hole near the gills1 will answer the question4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ovary ,,of ,a ,,fish ,the eggs of the fish are contained in a sort of double pouch or sac1 shaped something like an old-fashioned silk purse4 ,these sacs open into the intestine near its exit4 ,they are the ovaries of the fish4 ,from the inside of each ovary the tiny eggs1 or ova1 grow1 just as the ovules grow in the plant ovary or seed-pod4 ,at first they are a part of the ovary2 later they grow larger and fall loose1 until the ovary is filled with them4 ,the ovary is always inside the fish4 ,it is there when the fish is born1 and even then there are the tiniest hints of ova in it4 ,but the ova do not grow large until the fish is mature2 they wait until the fish has developed its strength1 its bone1 and muscle4 ,then in the springtime they grow rapidly4 ,they grow until they are ripe1 when they lie free in the ovary2 and others grow and are freed in the same way until the ovary1 which has also enlarged to accommodate them1 is quite full4 ,the female fish is larger than the male1 and looks plump and rounded at this season4 ,in course of time the eggs thus developed will be shed--or born--whether they are fertilized or not4 ,but1 if they are not fertilized1 no further growth will take place in them1 and they will soon perish4 ,the child1 knowing about the fertilization of flowers1 can easily be led to see that the fish ova1 like the flower ovules1 cannot develop without pollen4 ,the anthers containing the pollen are found in the male fish1 and look like the ovaries1 only they are not so large and their contents are not so firm4 ,they seem filled with a formless substance instead of with little globular eggs4 ,under the microscope this formless substance is seen to be made of a semi-fluid material in which are held millions of pollen grains6 ,only we no longer call them pollen grains4 ,we may call them fertilizing cells if we please1 though there are several names for them4 ,but they are essentially the same as pollen4 ,they grow1 in the same way1 from the inside of the anther 7which may now be called the testicle7 and become free when ripe4 ,the pollen grains cannot move of themselves2 the fertilizing cells can4 ,each fertilizing cell is like an ovum1 excepting that it is not so spherical and is lengthened into a sort of lash by which it can propel itself through the water4 ,when the ova are laid by one fish1 the other swims over them and the fertilizing fluid is expelled into the water just as the eggs were4 ,there is no union whatever between the parents for the purpose of fertilization4 ,as soon as a fertilizing cell comes in contact with an ovum it seeks to enter into its substance1 and as soon as this has happened1 the two cells thus united begin to develop into a very tiny fish4 ,as soon as the change begins1 we have the embryo of the fish1 which thus corresponds to the embryo of the seed4 ,there is one great difference between the ovary of the plant and that of the fish4 ,when the plant ovary is ripe1 its seeds are shed1 and then the ovary itself falls off4 ,the plant ovary thus bears only one set of seeds4 ,in the fish1 the ovary always remains in the fish1 and after the eggs are shed1 it shrinks up to a very small size1 and remains so until it again develops and becomes distended with more eggs the following season4 ,the same is true of the fish's testicles4 ,when the time comes1 the fertilizing material is expelled4 ,after this the sac shrinks up to small size until the following season4 ,when the embryo has grown to its perfect form1 the egg-shell is broken and out swims the young fish4 ,when it leaves the shell we say it hatches1 just as we say the plant embryo sprouts when it leaves the egg-shell or seed-shell4 ,like the pollen of the flower1 the fertilizing cells of the fish cannot act upon any ova but those of its own species4 ,the young fish1 like the young plant1 inherits characteristics from both parents4 ,from its father it may acquire a certain shape1 certain markings1 a certain disposition4 ,since the father's part in the creation of his offspring is less obvious and apparently less intimate than that of the mother1 the child can be helped to put a certain value on the thought of fatherhood which later will strengthen the bond of union between himself and his own father1 deepening his love for his father and his confidence in him4 ,that the boy love his father is as necessary to his welfare as that he love his mother1 and the mother should1 in all the early years in which the sex instruction may fall most heavily on her1 impress upon the young heart the beauty and glory of paternity4 ,the sacrifice of the father who gives all his strength and time1 scarce allowing himself a moment of relaxation or absence from business that he may provide for the needs of the family1 is as great as the sacrifice of the mother who devotes her time and strength to caring for the home and the children4 ,the tendency in teaching young people is to lay all the stress on motherhood and mother love1 which is a manifest injustice to the human father1 who deserves not only the natural love of his children1 but the deeper1 more consecrated love which comes from a pure and perfect knowledge of fatherhood4 ,perhaps nothing will help a young man at the most critical age of his life so much as his love and faith in his father4 ,and perhaps nothing will tend to lift the whole subject of paternity in the popular mind to the plane where it belongs1 as will this love and knowledge1 when it is bred in the child from his early years4 ,many difficulties in handling this subject that become insuperable might never even exist if the knowledge of fatherhood1 if love and respect for it and for the father as the giver of life1 were bred into the boy at an early age4 ,moreover a certain shyness1 which often makes it more difficult for fathers to talk to their sons on these matters than for the mothers to do so1 would not have existed if they themselves as children and youth had been educated to a complete knowledge of the sex-life by one or both parents4 ,the cause of this shyness is in many cases ignorance of how to present the facts1 and a misconception of the difficulties of speaking to a pure-minded child about them4 ,nothing surprises the parent more than the way difficulties vanish when once the course of instruction to the youth has been entered upon4 ,in the lower life the father seldom cares for his offspring2 and this is true among the fishes1 where neither parent as a rule assumes any other responsibility than properly disposing of and fertilizing the eggs4 ,where1 however1 any care is taken1 it not infrequently devolves upon the father instead of the mother4 ,this is true of the fresh-water black bass and of the stickleback1 where the father protects the eggs until they are hatched1 and protects and cares for the young fish4 ,in the case of the stickleback1 the father even makes a nest to contain the eggs4 ,thus far1 the process of the renewal of life is1 so to speak1 impersonal4 ,the eggs are laid by one fish and fertilized by the other1 this being necessary to the development of the young4 ,the parents are endowed with an instinct which informs them when the time is at hand2 and the male fish guided by this instinct applies the fertilizing material where it is needed1--that is1 over the surface of the fresh-laid eggs4 ,the number of eggs laid by fishes should be noticed1 as it is a fact which will be useful later4 ,several millions of eggs have been counted in the ovaries of one fish4 ,the number of fertilizing cells in one testicle would be incalculable4 ,fish eggs and young fishes are liable to many fatalities2 they are destroyed in immense numbers4 ,consequently1 if the race is to survive1 there must be an almost inexhaustible supply4 ,fishes kept in confinement will not as a rule multiply4 ,nothing is so sensitive as the reproductive system4 ,lacking certain stimuli which it finds in its natural surroundings1 it will not become active4 ,the goldfish in the globe will1 if a female1 have the ovary containing undeveloped ova1 the male will have the testicles containing the fertilizing cells1 but these will not mature4 ,it is as though the whole system of the fish missed the freedom of space1 the changes of season1 the variety of substances at the bottom of the water1--all that goes to make home for it1 and so languished in body as well as spirits4 ,the child who1 in connection with a multitude of other interesting facts concerning fish life1 learns those concerning its multiplication1 will look upon them as perfectly natural and matter-of-fact4 ,but1 some one objects1 will not the child at this point guess the whole truth8 ,suppose he does8 ,is not that just what we want him to do8 ,is it not a sign that he has a good reasoning mind8 ,he may arrive at the right general conclusion1 but he has a conception that is very general1 vague1 not at all personal1 and entirely lacking in any material for malodorous thoughts and feelings4 ,by constantly turning his thoughts to the wonders and truths of heredity and to the marvel of the development of living things from such insignificant yet momentous beginnings1 and by telling him interesting facts of animals and plants along these lines1 his thought can be kept general and on a high plane4 ,where details are demanded1 the parent ought to be thankful that these are presented to him for elucidation instead of to some incapable outsider1 and he can meet the demand according to circumstances1--all of which will be discussed more fully presently4 ,if the parent keeps ever in mind the fact that the child must know some time1 and ought to gain a high conception of the subject before being exposed to degrading influences1 if he asks himself in all honesty1 ,unless ,i answer this1 who will8 and how8 he will be helped to do what in his own heart he knows to be his duty4 ,moreover1 there is a great gain to many a child in learning the main facts at an age where they do not appeal powerfully to his imagination nor move his senses4 ,later1 when any reference to the subject may have this effect1 and when there is enough to understand and meet without going back to the rudiments1 it will be much less difficult to give the needed aid with this background1 which causes the child to feel that he has always known4 ,to have always known a thing robs it of any great special interest4 ,we pay no attention to the sun that shines upon us1 but if this were a phenomenon of very rare occurrence we should be thrilled by it and aroused to curiosity and special observation and interest4 ,the child's knowledge of the sexuality of nature should be as much a matter of fact as any other knowledge1 and the mystery of it should be presented to him as a sublime and beautiful mystery1 creating an impression he cannot wholly escape from when he finds himself caught in the vortex of his own adulthood4 ,,ix ,,amphibious ,,life ,to the parents who desire to lead the child's mind through a long sequence of thought from the lower to the higher life1 the amphibian affords an easy step in this ascending scale4 ,and among amphibians that familiar and picturesque harbinger of spring1 the frog1 and his cousin the friendly toad1 are the best adapted4 ,children are always interested in frogs because they jump so well4 ,this suggests a starting-point for making their closer acquaintance4 ,why do they jump so well8 ,it is because of their long hind legs4 ,a little watching of either frog or toad will show exactly how the legs are used and wherein they differ from1 and also resemble1 the child's own legs4 ,the little hands of the frog and toad1 their way of sitting1 leaning on their short arms1 their eagerness to snap up a tempting fly1 the queer tongue fastened the other way round from ours1 and its lightning-like speed which is a result of this same position in the mouth1--a hundred interesting things can be learned about the toads and frogs4 ,toads are very easily tamed1 and make most amusing as well as useful pets if there is a garden to be protected from marauding insects4 ,they generally have a hole or corner to which they come home regularly at night1 and with a little patience can be so tamed that they will take food1 of living insect or even of scraps of meat1 from the child's hand4 ,their power to gormandize seems unlimited1 and the number of insects they can swallow without protest is almost incredible4 ,they will keep a small garden quite free from slugs and other pests4 ,they have no bad habits1 do not bark at night1 or chase cats1 or bite1 or steal1 or insist upon coming into the house1 or scratch up the flower-beds4 ,some accuse them of causing warts1 but this is not true4 ,when handled1 they sometimes give forth an acrid liquid from the skin1 which stings the mouths of tormenting dogs and smears meddling fingers4 ,but this1 though unpleasant1 does no harm4 ,many people have handled toads freely and never had a wart2 many others who have never touched a toad have had many warts4 ,the toad may be ugly to look at1 but that is not his fault4 ,to many1 he is more comical than ugly1 and no creature has more beautiful eyes than this same homely toad4 ,he is one of the most useful of animals1 and should never be killed or ill treated4 ,the frog is less familiar to us than the toad1 living as he does in the water or in wet places4 ,boys often take delight in killing him1 having theories of the terrible influence he exercises in the affairs of man4 ,he is as harmless as the toad and of value in keeping down insect pests1 since these are also his food4 ,in the spring of the year1 the frogs and toads will be heard chirping1 the frog in particular sometimes filling the night with his din4 ,the earliest of these voices comes from the smaller green frogs1 or peepers1 as they are often called because of the peeping noise they make4 ,the deep bass croak comes from the large bull-frog1 so named from his size and not from his sex1 for there are female bull-frogs4 ,when the frogs begin to peep1 the children will enjoy making an excursion in quest of frogs' eggs4 ,these will be found in any pond where the voice of the frog is heard1 and can be taken with a long-handled dipper or by wading1--the latter practice to be cautiously indulged in northern latitudes at this time of year1 as the water may yet be very cold4 ,the eggs are gray1 spherical1 about as large as sweet-pea seeds1 and have a black spot on one side4 ,they are found embedded many together in a colorless jelly-like substance4 ,the egg-mass should be handled carefully and put whole into a jar or pail of water and thus carried home4 ,it should not stand with the sun shining directly on it1 and when the water is changed1 every other day1 that which is used should be of about the same temperature as that removed4 ,water drawn cold from the pipes will sometimes kill the eggs4 ,if all goes well1 in a few days the eggs will hatch4 ,out of them will hatch1 not frogs1 but tadpoles1 or pollywogs1 as they are also called4 ,everyone likes to watch a tadpole--certainly every child does4 ,as soon as the eggs hatch1 the surrounding jelly substance may be thrown away1 merely as a matter of convenience4 ,its use is to protect the eggs and to afford the first food for the tadpole4 ,if left too long in the water1 it becomes broken up1 discolored and unpleasant4 ,the tadpoles should have fresh water every day or two1 care again being exercised not to use it too cold1 and they must be fed4 ,they will eat almost anything1 crumbs of crackers or bread1 and bits of raw meat or fish being very acceptable4 ,if they are well fed on meat or fish1 they will grow faster and change earlier into frogs4 ,indeed1 by underfeeding tadpoles a person can keep them a whole year from undergoing the changes they would have normally undergone in a few weeks4 ,the large bull-frog tadpoles naturally take two years to develop1 though a very nutritious diet may possibly hasten them4 ,illustration3 ,,tadpoles ,,at ,,different ,,stages ,,of ,,growth ,the tadpole has very small eyes1 a very small mouth1 and tiny gill openings like a fish4 ,indeed1 so far as its life at this stage is concerned1 to all intents and purposes it is a fish4 ,it cannot live out of the water1 it breathes by gills1 it swims by its tail1 but it has no fins4 ,it wiggles about the jar or tank in a very lively way1 and ought to have water weeds or stones to hide under1 and pebbles or gravel in the bottom of the receptacle4 ,the ordinary tadpole1 if well fed1 astonishes and delights his young keepers in a few days by putting forth a pair of tiny hind legs1 which generally trail behind him when he swims1 though he often kicks with them1 perhaps for exercise4 ,he grows larger and his legs longer1 and one day a row of fingers may be seen peeping out of his gill slit1 as though out of an armhole1 and then he will thrust out a forearm1 then another from the other gill slit4 ,after this1 changes are rapid1 and his keepers should put a stone or some firm object in the water1 reaching above the surface1 so that he can climb up into the air2 for now his lungs are rapidly forming1 and soon he can no longer breathe by gills4 ,at this stage1 his tail begins to disappear4 ,it does not fall off1 as some think1 but its substance is absorbed into his body until no tail is left4 ,finally1 his head changes its shape1 his baby mouth is replaced by a wide frog mouth1 his eyes stand out with projecting lids1 his ear-plates showing back of them1 and we have a full-grown frog4 ,to the child who understands the origin of the fish eggs a few questions which he can easily answer himself will be enough to call attention to the important differences1 and also to deepen the impression of the unity of life as expressed in flower1 fish1 and frog4 ,the ova of the frog develop in an ovary exactly as do the ova of a fish2 they develop in the same way and at the maturity of the animal4 ,the fertilizing cells develop like those of the fish4 ,in both cases1 the reproductive elements are laid1 shed1 or born1 when the time comes4 ,before the eggs of the frogs and toads are laid they have no albuminous covering4 ,the moisture that envelops them swells up into the jelly-like mass upon coming in contact with water4 ,there are important differences between the frog and the fish4 ,the frog is a more complex animal and1 so to speak1 more difficult to create1 and it lays fewer eggs4 ,since there are fewer eggs they must be more carefully fertilized2 that is1 the fertilizing material must be sure to come in contact with all of them4 ,consequently at the moment when the eggs are finding their way into the water they are fertilized2 not within the female body1 but just as they are leaving it4 ,the child accustomed to notice what he sees will observe the paired frogs in the pond4 ,he can be told that they take this position just before the eggs are laid so that every egg will surely be fertilized4 ,in the amphibious animals the relation of the two parents is closer than in the fishes1 but yet there is no union between them1 that appearing only when it is necessary4 ,the stern law of necessity governing every step of the reproductive function may be made very impressive to the young mind2 also the reign of law throughout life4 ,to explain frankly1 simply1 and scientifically such phenomena as that of the paired frogs will tend to rob them of dangerous interest4 ,not to speak of them will not prevent the child's seeing them1 and his imagination may foster much less wholesome thoughts4 ,there are frogs and toads that care for their young1 but parental affection in this form of life is rare4 ,the eggs are laid in a favorable spot1 and then left4 ,toads as well as frogs lay their eggs in the water4 ,the instinct of the toad leads it to seek the water at the egg-laying season1 as its tadpole1 like that of the frog1 can live only in the water4 ,at other seasons of the year the toad does not enter the water4 ,frogs' eggs are laid in compact masses1 while toads' eggs are laid in strings or ropes2 and in this way they can be recognized1 though after they have once hatched the tadpoles of both are so much alike that they cannot be told apart4 ,sometimes the children will be disappointed because the tadpole does not change into a frog nor yet into a toad4 ,it gets its four legs but does not lose its tail2 it never loses its tail4 ,in short1 it is not a frog or a toad1 but a salamander or water-lizard1 which lays eggs similar to those of the frog1 and whose young upon first hatching look very much like young tadpoles4 ,if eggs are found in a pond where frogs are not heard or seen1 they will almost always turn out to be the eggs of a salamander4 ,x ,,the ,,bird ,from the flower to the bird is a step easily taken if the parent prefers to omit the intermediate steps1 or1 after the story of the bird has been told1 the stories of fish and frog can follow as occasion offers1 instead of preceding it4 ,the bird is peculiarly valuable in teaching the origin of life to the child1 since in it we have such highly developed home and family instincts1 the father bearing his share of the burden1 illustrations of which are rare in the lower forms of life4 ,as everywhere else1 the best starting-point is with the life and interests of the bird itself1 and for this caged birds are far better than the free ones1 even though they may be only the sparrows and pigeons of the city streets4 ,the flight of birds is that which particularly interests children as well as every one else4 ,birds will soon learn to come to a place where they are fed regularly2 and the style of flight1 depending upon the size and shape of the wing as well as the shape of the bird's body1 is a very interesting study4 ,many a country child knows the common birds by their flight even when the bird is too far away and moving too fast to be distinctly seen4 ,what he generally does not think of is why the bird has this peculiar flight1 and to have his attention called to it may increase his interest in watching the living bird4 ,whatever increases the boy's interest in the live bird tends to decrease his desire to make it a dead bird2 and the numerous good bird-books1 as well as the substitution in so many cases of the camera for the gun1 has tended to preserve the lives of the birds and to create a sentiment in favor of their preservation4 ,if the young child is taught to watch the birds and care for them1 he will not often1 when older1 thirst to take their lives4 ,while the flight of the bird may engage the first interest of the child1 its manner of eating and drinking is worth attention1 and the nature of its food is of the greatest importance4 ,the shape of the bird's beak will decide1 at least in a general way1 the kind of food it eats2 and a little study of birds will convince any one that all birds are useful to the agriculturist1 either as destroyers of noxious insects or of weed seeds4 ,while some birds swallow the seeds whole and pass them again unharmed1 thus spreading the plant1 others crack the seed coat and eat the contents1 which of course destroys the seed4 ,even where the birds are the means of sowing seeds they do more good than harm2 for the seeds thus sown are not often harmful1 and those same birds destroy a vast number of noxious insects4 ,even owls and hawks1 by destroying mice in the farmer's fields1 do him a service that much more than compensates for the loss of an occasional chicken4 ,while the birds are of inestimable value to the farmer and to any one who has a garden1 their influence on our lives in another direction is also very great1 as difficult to estimate perhaps1 as that of flowers4 ,who can doubt that these little brothers of the air are one of the most civilizing and elevating factors in man's daily life8 ,their song1 their flight1 their thousand and one charming or entertaining habits1 their strong expression of personality1 their poetical and mysterious comings and goings1 appeal powerfully to the higher imagination4 ,the migration of birds is alone enough to fill the mind with enchanting dreams4 ,to know that every night in late summer and in autumn there is a stream of birds moving high in the air along the line of the sea-coast and of the great valleys is enough to awaken fancy4 ,this winged procession moving along its aerial highway is made of the small and timid birds that dare not fly by day for fear of hawks and other enemies2 they may be as high as three miles above the surface of the earth1 their height being estimated by watching them through the telescope as they cross the surface of the moon4 ,imagine looking through the telescope at the face of the full moon some night and seeing an endless procession of little birds speeding across its shining face6 ,the amazing power of birds to see and hear1 and1 most interesting of all1 their nest-building habits are calculated to arouse the wonder and admiration of every observer4 ,what child would not watch with intense interest the bringing of the straws or other materials1 and the deft weaving of them into the home which is presently to receive the precious eggs8 ,even the city sparrow may here be a boon to the mother4 ,sufficiently encouraged1 it will accommodatingly build almost anywhere4 ,the child who knows the story of fish life and frog life will need little telling here1 and that is one argument in favor of taking all the gradual steps from flower to bird4 ,by this time the main ideas are firmly lodged1 the child will readily draw his own conclusions as to the rest2 but there are one or two facts connected with the origin of the bird which are of great value in fixing the idea of necessity which is at the foundation of all reproductive phenomena4 ,everything is as it is because it is necessary that it should be so4 ,in the frog the higher development made necessary greater economy in the production of the egg and the fertilizing cell1 and this economy of material necessitated the more certain fertilization of the egg4 ,in the bird a great step upwards has been taken4 ,here we have something much more complex in every way4 ,the frog was cold-blooded1 comparatively sluggish1 and comparatively simple in structure4 ,the bird is warm-blooded1 intensely active1 and very much more complex both in bodily structure and in mind development4 ,here the reproductive activity is yet more economically conducted1 and instead of thirty or more eggs1 the bird produces often not more than six in a season1 and even a smaller number if it is single-brooded1 some eagles1 for instance1 rearing only two young in a season4 ,naturally these few eggs must be very carefully protected4 ,since they are not laid in the yielding medium of water1 they cannot have so soft a covering as the eggs of the fish or frog1 but are enclosed in a hard shell4 ,this shell must of course be formed before the egg is laid1 and the egg must be fertilized before the hard shell encloses it and thus makes forever impossible the entrance of the fertilizing cell4 ,the ovaries of the bird are in the small of the back close to the backbone1 and there is a tube called the oviduct or egg-duct1 leading from the ovary down to the lower end of the intestine1 which it enters4 ,there is no separate opening for the oviduct into the outer world4 ,there are two ovaries1 with their oviducts1 in the young bird1 but these are so small that it is very difficult indeed to find them4 ,as the bird approaches maturity1 one ovary and its oviduct enlarge1 and the ova1 which develop from the inside of the ovary just as the ovule develops inside the flower ovary1 also become large4 ,although the bird is born with two ovaries1 but one1 usually1 develops1 generally the one on the left side4 ,when the bird comes to maturity1 there is born in it a yearning for home and offspring4 ,as the eggs develop1 the bird turns to the nest and to the mate who is to share with her all this beautiful life4 ,when the mate has been chosen1 both prepare the nest to receive the eggs1 which will soon be ready4 ,it is during this period that the fertilizing fluid is placed in the lower end of the egg-duct1 whence the fertilizing cells1 by their power of motion1 quickly make their way to the egg1 which has just begun its journey down the oviduct and is as yet without a shell4 ,the shell-less egg is well known to most country children1 as hens often lay one2 and this will always happen where there is not lime enough in the food of the poultry4 ,after the egg is fertilized it continues its slow journey down the oviduct1 which enlarges to accommodate it4 ,at first the egg consists of the yolk alone4 ,this grows to its full size before it leaves the ovary4 ,the yolk in short is the egg4 ,but there is not enough food material in it for the development of the bird1 so as it passes down the egg-duct it becomes coated by the so-called white of the egg1 which is a substance secreted from the lining of the egg-duct and is not alive1 as is a certain part of the yolk4 ,it is merely stored-up food like that in the morning-glory seed1 for this egg is the seed of the bird4 ,at the lower end of the egg-duct there is secreted a limy liquid which covers the shell-less egg and hardens1 making the shell4 ,so finally the fertilized egg has its shell and is ready to be laid4 ,when this time comes1 the bird seeks her nest1 and the egg is laid or born1 and lies warm and living1 like a jewel in the nest4 ,it is hardly necessary to add that the fertilizing cells in the male bird have an origin similar to that of the ova4 ,the testicles and their ducts are too small to be easily seen in the young bird and in the winter-time1 but can be seen during reproductive activity4 ,the male bird can usually be told from the female by differences in color and plumage1 but where this is not the case the two sexes cannot be told apart without actually killing and dissecting the birds1 so very simple are the generative organs4 ,the ripening of the reproductive elements in the bird occurs in the spring of the year1 and is always with a few exceptions accompanied by the instinct of nest-making4 ,the birds instinctively and joyfully prepare the home for their young at this time1 both parents joining to make the pretty structure4 ,with the child the higher emotions which always accompany reproductive activity in the bird life should be kept ever prominent1--the affection between the parents1 their care and love for each other1 the care and love for the helpless young1 their happiness in this duty as shown in their song and bright colors4 ,unlike the fish and the frog1 the bird cannot develop unless the egg is kept warm1 and after it hatches the young bird cannot take care of itself for several weeks4 ,it must be carefully nurtured1 and finally even taught how to fly and find its food4 ,the maternal hen can be a treasure to the mother seeking to impress the lesson of love and care2 the only defect is the indifference of the father1 which is in marked contrast to the interest shown by other birds1 though there are many proofs that the cock is not without parental love1 as where young chicks have been abandoned he has been known to rear them4 ,the love of both the birds for their helpless young1 and their devotion to each other1 can be impressed on the young mind in many a picture of beauty4 ,many birds pair for life1 returning to the same nest year after year4 ,nor should the instruction fail to impress upon the young mind the advance of love and tenderness on the parent for the offspring as we ascend the scale of life4 ,the flowers1 the fishes1 the frogs1 entrust their offspring to the care of ,mother ,nature2 the birds cannot do this4 ,the mother and the father of the helpless little creatures take deep joy in sacrificing their own freedom and strength and time to this loving duty4 ,a bird will even lose its life for its young1 trying to drive off an enemy2 and every one knows how dangerous it is to approach the nest of any large bird1 eagles and even cranes sometimes killing men and boys who try to rob them of their young4 ,the plumage of birds is a pretty subject of study4 ,the wonderful way in which feathers are adapted to their use1 in keeping the bird warm without greatly increasing its weight or impeding its flight1 may be made very interesting2 also their beauty both of structure and color1 and the fact that at maturity the plumage often undergoes remarkable changes4 ,young birds are colored like the mother4 ,the brilliant male of the ,baltimore oriole gets his bright dress at maturity1 but until that time he is as soberly clad as his quiet little mother4 ,the inheritance of the young bird from its father should be enlarged upon4 ,at the beginning1 though the male birds resemble the mother in appearance1 at maturity they wake up to the characteristics of their father4 ,then the brilliant colors begin to play over their feathers--his colors4 ,then the song trembles from their throats--his song2 and the beautiful creatures might sing as their wonderful wings flash through the air1 ,all this loveliness ,i owe to my father3 it is from him ,i received this glorious heritage of beauty and song4 ,the child can learn the terrible consequences to the birds of their feathers being taken as ornaments by human beings4 ,the children can be told that the plumage is most beautiful at the mating and nesting season1 and that thousands of birds1 both male and female1 are slain then1 that the eggs and young birds consequently die1 and that some species have been almost if not quite exterminated in this cruel way4 ,the ,audubon societies are organized for the purpose of instructing young people about the birds and getting their cooperation in opposing this needless slaughter4 ,some of these organizations are extremely interesting in their field and lecture work on birds2 every neighborhood could have its ,audubon society1 to the great pleasure and profit of the members as well as to the profit of the birds4 ,where the mother desires to pass directly from the flower to the bird1 this can be well done by comparing the two1 so far as their generative processes are concerned1 at every step4 ,she can remind the little one of how the flower seed is treasured in the ovary until it is able to go out into the big world1 and can then tell him that the wonderful seed of the bird1 which we call the egg1 is treasured in the same way2 this to be followed by the story of the care needed by the bird's egg after it is born1--how it cannot be left to shift for itself1 but must be watched over and kept warm by its loving little parents until it is fit to leave the shell1 how it then breaks its prison and comes forth so weak and helpless to be yet further loved and cared for and taught by its faithful parents4 ,the question is often asked1 should not the story of motherhood precede that of fatherhood in all this early teaching8 ,up to a certain point it may be well1 and the story of the life and development of the egg can be told to young children1 with the father-bird merely an aesthetic factor1 so to speak4 ,his care of the young1 and protection of the mother-bird can be dilated upon without going any farther4 ,this is a course1 however1 which it will not be wise to follow too long1 particularly with boys1 whose interest will be greater when they know that the father too has a vital interest in the life of his offspring4 ,moreover1 there is a certain spiritual value in connecting the equal need and responsibility of both parents in the creation of their offspring4 ,the child then knows that he has the whole truth1 and half truths are never quite safe4 ,if the child knows the story of flower1 fish1 and frog life1 he will draw his own conclusions about the birds1 and it will be wiser frankly to tell him this part of the story4 ,if he knows nothing of the earlier work1 and the mother begins with the young birds in the nest1 according to his age and surroundings he should be told more or less1 the mother always remembering that if she defers too long somebody may anticipate her with the kind of information she particularly desires to avoid4 ,another question often asked concerning the bird is1 ,would the egg be laid if it were not fertilized8 ,it might be or it might not4 ,in all forms of life the sensitive reproductive system responds with peculiar readiness to its environment4 ,in birds if it does not receive the stimulus that comes from mating1 the ova may not develop at all1 but remain small and attached to the ovary4 ,or1 a few may be completed and laid1 as is often seen in the case of caged female canaries4 ,but these eggs of course could never hatch4 ,they are perfect so far as the ovum is concerned1 but lacking fertilization they cannot continue their development4 ,another question often asked1 and of peculiar meaning1 is1 ,if the reproductive system be not exercised1 will it not perish for lack of exercise8 ,the latest word of science on this subject is that it will not1 either in the bird or elsewhere4 ,in a healthy organism it can safely remain inoperative with the certainty of becoming active at a later period if then it receive the normal stimulus4 ,the lessons to be learned from the birds are many4 ,from them can be answered all questions1 for now we have passed that most difficult of all points1 the relation of father to child in the animal world1 and everything else can be explained through the knowledge already gained4 ,the well-taught child will recognize the justice and necessity for the existing processes of life4 ,he will realize their deep meaning1 their far-reaching influence1 and their tremendous importance in preserving upon the earth the multitudes of living forms that inhabit it4 ,the flower and the bird are the two most important helps in imparting the facts concerning the renewal of life throughout nature4 ,,xi ,,the ,,mammal ,the mother who has conducted the child through the various life forms up to the mammal will not be likely to wish to stop there4 ,having gone thus far1 it will be easy to continue and reveal to the child the wonderful life that yet remains4 ,the question is often asked1 whether country children are not much more likely to learn these truths naturally and without instruction than city children4 ,the answer is that they are more likely to learn the facts1 but knowing the facts is by no means understanding the subject2 and whether knowledge of the facts is good or bad for the child depends entirely upon the impression it makes upon him4 ,undoubtedly the country child is in a better position to receive instruction1 but whether this instruction tends to refine his feelings and elevate his heart depends altogether upon how it is given4 ,probably the average country boy has no more spiritual conception of the matter than the average city boy1 though he may have a more wholesome and1 so to speak1 utilitarian thought of it4 ,his interest at least reaches out to results1 for the successful multiplication of the stock on the farm may be a matter of vital importance to him4 ,the extension of knowledge from the bird to the mammal may be made through the medium of the family pets4 ,fido1 puss1 the pet rabbits1 or squirrels may serve to elucidate the subject4 ,indeed1 at this stage the well-instructed child himself will be ready to give all the essential facts1 and will feel free to ask questions concerning the facts he does not understand4 ,if he has traced the continuity of the egg from the flower to the bird it will not be difficult for him to realize that even the higher animal has its origin in the same way4 ,the mother can very reverently explain to him that the cat too has ovaries2 that from these develop ova which are few in number and need very special care4 ,they cannot be laid in a nest like the bird's egg4 ,they are very tiny1 no larger than the head of a small pin1 and they have no hard shell4 ,it is their destiny to remain in the oviduct and develop4 ,that is1 instead of being born like the bird's egg and then being hatched1 these eggs first develop and afterwards are born4 ,but if not fertilized they would not continue to develop4 ,the cat has two ovaries1 which develop at maturity and ripen the ova1 and these pass into the oviducts1 which are tubes like the oviducts of the bird4 ,here the egg remains a certain length of time1 and then if it is not fertilized it is passed away2 but if it is fertilized a marvellous change takes place in this tiny cell3 it remains within the oviduct and is there supplied with nourishment by blood-vessels essentially as the flower seed is supplied with food from the sap4 ,generally three or five of these ova develop at the same time1 some in one oviduct1 some in the other4 ,when these tiny eggs have developed into kittens strong enough and perfect enough to make entrance into the world safe1 they are born just as the egg is born4 ,unlike the oviduct of the bird1 which opens into the intestine1 these ducts unite just before the end1 and have separate openings of their own4 ,as soon as the young are born the mother begins to care for them4 ,for several weeks they depend upon the milk she secretes for their food1 and upon her constant care and loving watchfulness for their life4 ,the thought of parental love and care should be much more strongly emphasized at every step than the mere physical facts1 though it is necessary that they too be clearly comprehended4 ,the sacrifice of the parent for the child is one of the most universal and unselfish facts of life1 and many stories illustrating it can be collected and told4 ,it is not necessary to tell them as obviously pointing a moral1 yet they should be told as dramatically and interestingly as possible1 that the child may get a strong impression of this great force4 ,among mammals it is true1 7but this need not be dwelt upon with the child17 that many males pay no attention to their offspring2 though some1 as the cattle1 defend the females and young if a herd is attacked by savage animals1 by putting them in the centre and themselves forming a circle about them4 ,it is the mother love and care1 however1 which are here most prominent2 but the child who knows the facts concerning paternity should not be allowed to forget the great factor of inheritance1 and that the offspring gets its characteristics from the father as well as from the mother4 ,there is only one more step to be taken in the modus operandi of reproduction1 and that is in the higher mammal1 where the ovum passes down through a slender oviduct into an enlarged chamber or womb1 where it remains a certain length of time1 finally if unfertilized1 to pass away unnoticed2 if fertilized1 to develop into a young animal which in time will be born helpless and dependent upon the love and care of the mother4 ,in some of the higher mammals1 as the sheep and the goat1 there are generally two ova developed in the womb at the same time2 that is1 twins are born4 ,in the larger ones1 as the horse and the cow1 but one ovum generally develops1 though the development of two is not uncommon4 ,as a result of these teachings1 which are not formal like school work1 but given as opportunity offers and in as interesting and outreaching a way as possible1 the child learns that all life develops in the same way4 ,that all life1 even human1 starts as a tiny ovum4 ,that these tiny ova are produced in every female by a special tissue called the ovary1 which develops at maturity when the eggs begin to ripen2 that if the ova are not fertilized they do not develop2 if they are fertilized they develop into an individual like the parent1 though having personal peculiarities of its own4 ,the fertilizing cells are produced in every male from a special tissue1 which greatly develops at maturity when the fertilizing cells are matured and are capable of uniting with the ovum to produce the new being4 ,along with these necessarily material facts the youth is firmly impressed with the high office of this great function1 his thoughts concerning it are honest and clear1 and he understands in a natural way the necessity for respecting it and guarding it for the good of those who are to follow4 ,the essential facts the child can well learn before his own maturity4 ,they seem to him matter-of-fact1 like any other phenomena of life4 ,he does not need to brood over an incomprehensible and veiled mystery1 and the whole subject cannot fail to have a broader significance1 a deeper1 wider meaning1 a purer influence than it could have if only the physiological facts relating to his own life came to his knowledge4 ,but should one wait for all these intermediate steps before telling the facts of human life8 ,that perhaps depends upon the temperament and circumstances of the parent and the needs of the child4 ,it does not matter much whether the steps are taken consecutively or not1 so long as the child gets a clear idea of the main facts and connects them in his mind with similar phenomena in all forms of life4 ,nor is a great store of knowledge on the part of the parent necessary4 ,each will tell in his own way such facts as he knows1 keeping only in mind that he is to impress the child with the wonder and beauty of reproduction as a means to an end1 and as a universal law working essentially alike in every living thing4 ,there is something deeper than mere knowing1 which the parent wishes to kindle1 like a sacred fire which can never be extinguished1 in the soul of his child4 ,that is1 a high reverence for the noble mystery of human life in its inception1 and a deep love for his parents and a profound faith in them1 such a love and reverence that any impulse to subvert the forces of his own life may be met with successful resistance4 ,the boy who hears from his mother's lips his first knowledge of his own origin1 who learns from her the full meaning of maternity1 its sacrifices and suffering and the great love that gladly endures all1 suffers all1 for the sake of the precious child who is to come to her arms1--for the young life1 his life1 that she is to guide and cherish1--can never enshrine a debased image of womanhood in his heart of hearts4 ,with some children--and some mothers--this might well be the child's first introduction to the subject4 ,afterwards he could be shown the flower and its seeds1 the fish and its eggs1 the egg of the bird1 and somewhat later introduced to the pollen of the flower as necessary to the completing of the wonderful transformation4 ,nor will it be difficult in these growing years to instil into the boy the best elements of chivalry which shall make him a champion for his mother's sex4 ,he ought to be trained to a certain respect and courtesy toward girls and women as he grows older1 by many devices in the home life which will suggest themselves to any mother4 ,a feeling of protection for motherhood can be fostered in the boy through his relations with the lower animals2 many a one has had the truth impressed upon him by his mother's admonition not to handle kitty roughly or chase her about too much1 as she is carrying under her heart the burden of new life4 ,keeping and caring for pets may be a great education to the growing boy4 ,it interests him in animal life1 gives him occupation at home2 and in breeding his pigeons1 rabbits1 or squirrels his interest in obtaining good specimens may be an open door to instruction of inestimable value far beyond pigeons and rabbits4 ,again1 the boy's pet may by some mothers be found an easy introduction to the story of the development of the new life1 the main stress being laid upon the care of the little mother1 who must be treated with special kindness and consideration1 and must be well fed4 ,some mothers encourage the children to save a little of their own milk and cream for pussy at this time1 thus conveying the impression that some sacrifice of their own comfort is due to the mother who is bearing this extra burden of life4 ,if the child is curious1 the mother can tell him so sacredly the principal physiological facts that he will go from her feeling as little inclination to speak carelessly of what he has heard as he would feel like shouting his prayers aloud in the street4 ,it will naturally occur to the mother to connect this whole subject closely with the religious thought of the child2 and where this is done simply and without theology1 but as an expression of the great divine love and foresight that passes like a golden thread through every form of living creature1 it may be exceedingly beautiful and exceedingly helpful4 ,it is now time to answer the question1 ,what is to be done with the older child who has received little or no preliminary instruction8 ,from eleven to fourteen the boy can be told the facts he needs to know with as much preparatory flower and animal studies as can be made interesting to him4 ,everything will depend upon his temperament and the kind of information he may have already received4 ,he may be interested2 the chances are he will not be1 or at least will pretend he is not4 ,in such a case he must be made to listen1 and some such preliminary as the following will generally attain the required result4 ,there are some things that every man must understand rightly4 ,i want to be sure you understand them1 so that you may know the true from the false1 the right from the wrong1 and will not show yourself ignorant before the world4 ,generally to be seriously called a man at this age1 or invited to enter the domain of the man1 will conquer1 and he will listen even though he may pretend not to4 ,it often happens that the boy entering the contrary age wants above all things to know1 and yet is ashamed to listen4 ,it is generally safer to talk to the boy at this time than to rely wholly upon books to be read by him4 ,give him the books by all means but talk them over with him1 supplementing them in any way that seems best4 ,it may be better for the father to talk to the hitherto uninstructed lad at this age1 but where this is not possible then the mother should see that the boy has the information he needs1 in the most outreaching form she can bestow it1 trying to make him realize the universality of the truth1 the fact that every living thing is subject to essentially the same sex laws4 ,it is best for him to feel that both parents understand and are interested in this side of his development1 and the mother1 even though the father gives the instruction1 may be able to show her son that she too knows and cares4 ,it will be much less difficult as a rule for the mother to talk to the girl at this age1 and of course there will be many children1 both boys and girls1 with whom no difficulty will be encountered4 ,with older children1 those perhaps from fourteen to eighteen1 yet other methods may need to be pursued4 ,many youths can be approached without difficulty1 and what they need to know can be explained directly to them4 ,whether this is so or not often depends quite as much on the parent as on the child4 ,where the mother feels that a direct appeal to the youth would be injudicious she can sometimes gain his interest by indirect methods4 ,if there are younger children she can introduce the subject by saying that she is anxious to have the children instructed properly in this subject1 and that she relies upon him to assist her in various ways1 and particularly by always understanding what she is doing1 and adding the weight of his influence as an older brother4 ,she can then consult him as to the best way of going to work1 explaining about the botany work and what she hopes to gain by using it1 all the time taking for granted that he knows everything4 ,if he is interested1 she can explain all to him in this way1 opening the door to certain other information she must be sure that he has4 ,of course she may be able to relegate all this instruction to the child's father1 but if for any reason this is not possible1 the boy must get his help either directly or indirectly from her2 and in any case if it is possible to associate him with her in the task of enlightening and helping his younger brothers it may give a certain definiteness of thought on the subject1 and1 what is of more importance1 a sense of responsibility in regard to it4 ,it will also help him to a realization of the universal nature of the manifestation of this side of life4 ,by occasional appeals to his sympathy and help as time goes on and getting him to read certain books in order to help her to decide whether they would help the others1 she may be able to do him an incalculable benefit4 ,even though he may argue against instruction1 that will give an opportunity to put in his way sources of knowledge1 and if he does not feel inclined to read the books recommended they can be left in his way where he can read them without being detected1 which he will be apt to do4 ,generally young people are eager for instruction1 though where they have been neglected and have formed false ideas and ideals they sometimes become perverse1 particularly toward members of their own family4 ,this may often be due to fear in one form or another1 and the wise parent will leave no means untried to give the youth somehow the help he needs4 ,many parents feel it wise to give the youth some good book on the subject suited to his age1 a book of his own which he can keep in his room to consult whenever he is puzzled or doubtful about his rule of conduct4 ,,xii ,,vigilance ,that the facts concerning the normal reproductive life throughout nature can be presented in such a way as to create a worthy image in the mind of the learner there can be no doubt4 ,the question naturally arises1 ,is this enough to insure morality and personal purity in the youth8 ,few knowing the tendency of the age would hesitate to say most emphatically that it is not enough4 ,the end in view being to prepare the young soul for the great battle of life1 to put upon it the armor of a knight which shall be borne untarnished1 the first instruction concerning the facts of the reproductive life may well be impersonal1 poetical1 beautiful1 filling the mind with sentiment1--not sentimentality1--so that the mental vision of this side of life shall be one worthy of the glorious mind of man4 ,to keep the mind of the child wisely impressed with the beauty1 the achievements1 of the great reproductive force in nature1 which is directly responsible for every living thing on the earth1 is to help immeasurably toward branding a high instead of a low ideal on his soul1--an ideal which he cannot lose when he reaches the great climax that transforms him into an adult capable of reproducing his kind1 and when whatever most powerfully influences him will become a determining factor in the administration of his whole after life4 ,side by side1 however1 with this illumination of nature's methods should go the most careful training and watchfulness in the care of the child's own person1--not that he need connect the two in the least4 ,later1 of course1 he will1 and should as time goes on1 have the most careful instruction concerning his own body and its functions4 ,there are a few simple observances that every human being should learn from childhood1 and learn so thoroughly and so fix as a matter of habit1 that he can never break away from them4 ,at first the parent attends to the child's wants1 later the child must care for himself2 and while he ought not to be burdened with too much thought of his body1 yet there are a few simple rules of hygiene which he should follow as a matter of habit1 and there is one subject upon which he should be most carefully instructed1--that is1 maintaining the sexual purity of his body4 ,he should be taught from the beginning to think of his body as the sacred temple of his soul1 which it is a sin against nature and against ,god to defile4 ,that the child's body be kept uncontaminated is one of the most priceless gifts his parents can bestow upon him2 the value of this was so keenly felt in antiquity that at a certain period of ,greek supremacy the laws were most stringent concerning it1 a youth sinning against himself being put to death4 ,there seems to be a growing need of watchfulness over children in this respect2 few who have not looked especially into the matter have any idea of the prevalence of harmful habits4 ,sex abuse has been called the disease of civilization2 and where it takes firm root1 it is exceedingly disastrous to the life of a nation1 not only destroying1 directly or indirectly1 individuals1 but so weakening the stock that the whole nation degenerates4 ,the root of the difficulty perhaps lies in the low ideal of this age on that subject4 ,where the ideal is low there can be no hope of a high result4 ,that the current theories which control the lives of the many in this direction are false is the conclusion of the best scientific work of the present times4 ,where these theories1 however1 have been bred into youth for generations1 they may to an extent be true simply as a result of this breeding4 ,darwin in his ,descent of ,man says3 ,it is worthy of remark that a belief constantly inculcated during the early years of life1 whilst the brain is impressible1 appears to acquire almost the nature of an instinct2 and the very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason4 ,for the parent1 then1 to inculcate this quasi instinct against sex abuse in any form is to give the child the best armor he could possibly have2 and if this could be done for generations1 the instinct would not need such careful fostering1 as it would be born more or less developed with the child4 ,every parent of a purely reared child is putting a stone in the foundation of prosperity for this wonderful new civilization1 which will go on evolving1 or die of decrepitude1 just as its central dynamic force1 the sex life of the people1 finally decides4 ,sex immorality is1 as every one knows1 one of the signs of the approaching death of a nation4 ,few young mothers realize the great need of watchfulness against the formation of bad habits in even young children4 ,and many make the mistake of supposing that with children instruction can take the place of watchfulness4 ,during the early years of a child's life careful watching as well as careful teaching1 is necessary4 ,nor does the social grade of the child bring immunity or the reverse4 ,the mother who says to herself1 ,oh1 my child would not1 does not understand the nature of the problem4 ,anybody's child may innocently fall into this error1 and every mother should equip herself with all the information necessary to guard against this most insidious of all foes and to meet it if it appears1 realizing that watchfulness is necessary almost from the hour of birth1--even children in the cradle frequently needing attention in this respect4 ,every young mother should know that among a certain class of people1 from whom her nurse will likely be drawn1 there are many who have theories most pernicious to the welfare of the child1 the nurse herself not infrequently1 through ignorance perhaps1 being guilty of initiating the babe into a course from which it will be most difficult for him ever to depart4 ,it is not safe to take for granted that any child does not need a certain amount of watchfulness4 ,the most highly organized1 most high strung sensitive natures are among those most in danger1 not only from forming unfortunate habits1 but from their results4 ,watchfulness during the early years of the child's life1 instruction in caring for himself1 plenty of outdoor exercise1 unstimulating food1 sufficient sleep1 the cold bath1 agreeable occupation1 abundant material for wholesome thought and imagination1 will in most cases bring the child safely to the first great milestone in his life journey1 the period of adolescence4 ,as the child grows older he should be warned against certain dangers which may beset him from other vicious or ignorant children2 and of course the child's temperament1 his heredity1 the weakness or strength of his desires in the direction of sense pleasures1 and the amount of will-power he possesses will guide the parent in the nature and amount of such instruction4 ,some mothers whose children have strong animal instincts are afraid to instruct them on that account4 ,such children are in peculiar need of watchfulness and knowledge1 and the right kind of instruction does not tend to waken the senses4 ,of course no child should be sent away to school without an impressive warning against certain habits all too prevalent among boys in boarding schools4 ,here it may be wise to let him know something of what he will be sure to see or hear1 that he may not be taken unawares1 puzzled and tempted by things which to him will seem not to have come within the experience of his parents if they said nothing to him about them4 ,the boy warned by his parents of the falsity of the strange doctrines he may hear preached by these unguided youths will not readily be deluded4 ,the pure but ignorant boy going for the first time into the new life of the school1 looking up to the older boys with that peculiar veneration the younger boy almost always feels for the older1 moved in his senses by what he hears and sees1 may speedily forget such home warnings as seem vague and pointless1 and he may yield himself to a course most disastrous to his future4 ,how can it fail to be the duty of every parent to protect the child against the chance of making these fatal mistakes through ignorance8 ,young people cannot be kept wholly out of reach of temptation1 nor would it be best for them if they could be4 ,far better is it so to strengthen the moral fibre that they can resist4 ,from time to time there appears in our best publications an appeal from some noted educator for the better instruction of youth at home1 and their almost universal plea is that the youth be told by the mother the facts needed to give him a reverence for womanhood4 ,,xiii ,,the ,,transformation ,the most difficult problems of the educator are found in connection with changes which take place in the child at the age of adolescence or puberty4 ,this age has never been so carefully and systematically studied as at the present time1 and it is proving an unsuspected key for solving many puzzling problems of racial evolution as well as of individual development4 ,personally it is a time of tremendous stress1--physical1 mental1 and moral2 the young person who escapes turmoil being the exception1 not the rule4 ,certain of the physical changes which occur are familiar to all1 but the deep meaning of these changes is less generally understood4 ,the parent who has wisely guided the child to this critical period has done much1 but it would be a mistake to suppose that all has now been done that can be done4 ,the habits of self-reliance1 self-control1 and right thinking formed through the years of childhood will indeed help now4 ,but there awakens for the first time a new force3 the child is1 in a literal as well as figurative sense1 being born anew4 ,at this new birth1 which is sometimes very difficult1 he enters into a hitherto unknown world of interests and feelings4 ,while the change from child to adult may proceed as a gradual and placid unfolding in some individuals1 in the great majority it advances with irregular and disturbing demonstrations4 ,this great change takes place in girls generally at from thirteen to fifteen1 and in boys a year or two later1 though it is not completed for a period of five or six years4 ,during this time the most profound alterations take place in nearly all parts of the body2 the mind undergoes a similar metamorphosis1 so that often the child so carefully watched from babyhood seems entirely superseded by a new being4 ,this is preeminently the age of romance4 ,it is the borderland where is fought the battle of individuality1 and it is probable that at this time is decided in a very deep way what is to be the trend of the whole after life4 ,there is at this period such susceptibility to impressions that there may be indelibly stamped mental images that are the exact opposite of those of childhood1 the childish memory remaining as a thing apart and by itself1--a curious separation and continuation of two lines of ideas1 which every one has perhaps experienced to some extent and on some subject4 ,it is probable that impressions received now are of more importance in determining conduct than at any other period1 or at least in determining it for a long period of years1 the period when the individual makes his strongest impression upon the world4 ,reversion to the faith or the ideals of childhood1 which so often occurs in old age1 is of slight importance to society as compared to the influence of the individual when at the zenith of his powers4 ,consequently1 it is of the utmost importance that the right thought and the high ideal be firmly implanted at this new birth4 ,undoubtedly the habits of childhood make impressions in the same direction more easily received1 and where self-indulgence and gratification of the senses have been prominent1 they will be sure to exert a tremendous power now1 and vice versa4 ,thus a clear understanding of this period is of the utmost importance to whoever undertakes the guidance of youth4 ,the central point about which everything now revolves is the coming to maturity of the sexual system4 ,it is as absurd as it is harmful to ignore the fact that this is primarily what the change means1 and that with the physical power to become a parent there normally appears1 either initially or with greatly increased force1 the sex appetite4 ,this is normally true of both boys and girls1 though the forces that have gone to make our present civilization have1 at least in many cases1 made the physiological sense cry subordinate in the girl1 and occasionally this is also true of the boy4 ,there is no period in the life of the human being when he so needs help in certain ways as now1 and no time when it is so difficult to help him1 as every youth now more than ever before affords an individual problem4 ,one of the difficulties attending this period is the tendency to unsymmetrical growth4 ,oftentimes the body shoots up with amazing rapidity1 this quick growth of bone and muscle drawing heavily on the whole system2 parents recognize the condition by saying the child has outgrown his strength4 ,he has often outgrown much more than this1 for his intellect may not have been able to keep pace1 and we not infrequently have the anomaly of an adult body with the mind of a child4 ,no one is more conscious of this incongruity than the subject himself1 whose anatomy seems to have run away with him4 ,this rapid growth is generally marked by excessive development of some parts over others1 so that the child becomes clumsy and awkward4 ,if the subject is a boy1 the sudden change in the size of his vocal chords often causes a distressing breaking of the voice which adds materially to the general sense of disharmony4 ,those who have not experienced this sudden and unsymmetrical development can have little idea of the trials of the young soul going through it1 a suffering so great that suicide is often seriously contemplated as the only solution4 ,and all this turmoil is kept within the heart of the sufferer4 ,to the outsider the boy1 the girl1 is merely cranky or contrary4 ,if not constantly nagged at and reproved for his awkwardness at home1 he is sure to have it ridiculed by his schoolmates1 particularly by those of the opposite sex4 ,he cannot help being round-shouldered and loose-jointed1 with protruding shoulder-blades and awkward motions2 and the pathos of it is1 he thinks he must always remain so1 an ugly failure and a laughing-stock to the community4 ,the effect this has upon him will depend upon his temperament4 ,very sensitive and fine natures often instinctively seek to cover the real trouble by exaggerating the defects in every way possible1--making believe they do it all on purpose1 and acting the clown and the ruffian1 giving way to the irritability natural to the condition with a sort of reckless despair which is sure to be misunderstood and censured by those he loves best4 ,when this stage is reached1 it is easy for him to imagine himself a social outcast1 a useless encumbrance that nobody loves1 a clumsy dolt that nobody likes to have about4 ,again he may become sullen1 morose1 resentful1 and suspicious toward all about him4 ,or1 a timid nature may become more timid1 shrinking1 weak of will1 and despondent concerning life in general2 or the subject may show an exaggerated egotism which seeks by sheer intrusion of self to force everything else aside4 ,in the course of a few years he grows out of these difficulties1 but the suffering he underwent may have made such an impression upon his excessively sensitive nerve centres that he never entirely recovers from it1 and may be controlled by it in ways he does not suspect all the rest of his life4 ,it is needless to say that a large part of this suffering could be averted by knowledge on the part of the parents and of other adults with whom the youth comes in contact1 as well as on the part of the youth himself4 ,what he most needs in his awkward age is sympathy1 patience1 firmness1 and instruction1 and his physical defects should never be ridiculed4 ,perhaps nothing is more helpful to youth at this stage than to have its vagaries treated seriously4 ,wonderful dreams of future glory and accomplishment1 remarkable theories of the universe1 astounding schemes for impossible inventions1 new ,utopias1 wild adventures1 and at times even questionable escapades are the natural and luxurious growth of the newly stimulated imagination4 ,they do no harm1 and are a safety valve which should be understood4 ,honest sympathy1 where sympathy is merited1 will give weight to warning and disapproval1 which would have no weight at all if the whole fabric of the imagination1 which is so real and so precious to the imaginer1 were condemned without discrimination4 ,these dreams of youth are often the real stuff out of which the fabric of life is later to be woven1 taking new forms it may be1 but getting their inception there4 ,some one has said that if the facts could be known1 the thought germs whence finally came the steam engine and the electric telegraph were probably conceived in the brain of an adolescent2 and we know that poets are born at that age4 ,many of the dreams of the youth may seem fantastic and ridiculous1 but if the adult can only remember that they are not so to the dreamer and that this is a phase through which he is passing1--a phase which in most cases will pass entirely1 leaving only1 so to speak1 a glow behind1--he will be more sympathetic and thus more helpful4 ,if he can also realize that these dreams of the youth are an expression on the highest plane of the creative instinct which is in a sense controlling his body1 mind1 and soul1 these vagaries1 far from being ridiculous1 will be recognized as worthy of the deepest respect4 ,now1 too1 the parent who has won the full confidence of the child through confidential talks on sex matters can without difficulty instruct him in the meaning and control of the new forces that are at work upon him4 ,the whole subject now changes4 ,it becomes personal1 and his thoughts are clouded by new problems and by the imperious demands of the body4 ,according to the nature1 inheritance1 and previous habits of the youth these demands assert themselves4 ,and now is the time of greatest danger from ignorance4 ,even though the boy has been well taught up to this age1 if he is cast adrift now on the turbulent sea of desire and allowed to gather information from the sources all too available1 there may occur a split between the thought of his childhood on this subject and the thought of his adulthood4 ,if he is not allowed to drift1 however1 but given a chart and compass1 the knowledge he has already of how to sail his ship will enable him to make straight for the right port1 which he will have a good chance of reaching1 no matter how stormy the seas he may have to traverse4 ,with the right knowledge now1 the idea and the ideal of his childhood may become the idea and the ideal of his manhood4 ,if the child's thought of the subject has been unworthy1 the danger of forever enshrining a wrong image in the soul of the adult is greater1 and the difficulty of placing there the right one is enhanced4 ,the outward signs of the girl's development are usually explained beforehand sufficiently to enable her properly to care for herself4 ,it is unnecessary to add that this should always be done1 as nothing is more unjust than to leave her in a state of ignorance where the natural expression of her maturity may fill her mind with fears which may affect her nervous system ever after1 even if they do not lead her to do acts which may permanently impair her reproductive vitality1 and injure her health in other ways4 ,all that she needs to know about the proper care of her person should be told her in the most considerate yet explicit manner1 as should whatever is told her upon any part of the subject4 ,it is a mistake to be vague now4 ,whatever is told concerning the reproductive processes should be said with the greatest clearness1 leaving no room for brooding and imagination4 ,and here1 too1 the wise parent will take into account the phenomenon of desire1 which1 so far from being abnormal in the girl1 is normal in the truest sense4 ,it may not play an important part in her life at this time1 and often it does not1 but again it may4 ,nor is the girl of whom this latter is true in any sense less fine or less worthy2 perhaps on the contrary she is the best product of her race4 ,nor should she be afraid or ashamed of her nature1 but only helped to understand and take care of herself and of her powers4 ,with the youth at this period the changes that fit him for his new place in the world are generally ignored4 ,he does not know what is normal and what abnormal in his physiological development1 and is often the victim of groundless fears that use up his strength or send him in despair to seek assistance from the most easily available sources of information1 those baleful writings and despicable quack practitioners everywhere soliciting and alarming youth1 and whose career forms one of the saddest commentaries on the state of our civilization4 ,the young man should know the truth about himself4 ,he should understand the vast range of the change that is taking place in him1 and that no two individuals necessarily develop just alike1 either physically or mentally2 and he should understand what are its normal phenomena1 and how without fear to recognize and control deviations from them4 ,many parents direct the boy to go at once to the family physician if he is troubled or puzzled in any way4 ,a few moments' talk with a wise doctor may save much useless worry4 ,the more nervous and sensitive the boy at this time the more likely he will be to suffer from imagined troubles1 and the greater his danger of falling into real ones4 ,while the youth must know the physiological and anatomical facts and must know in a general way the consequences of vice1 he will seldom be restrained or helped by the methods of the alarmist4 ,it is far better that his mind at this time dwell upon the normal and noble side of sex life than on its abnormal and ignoble side4 ,the value of diet1 cold water1 exercise1 and occupation should be understood by the young people themselves1 and also the tremendous value of thought in helping or hindering4 ,faith in one's power to win is the first requisite in any contest1 and fortunately science to-day is saying what the inner heart of man must always have told him was true1 that a chaste life is both possible and safe4 ,indeed the scientists of to-day declare it to be advantageous1 heightening the power of the individual in all directions1 and particularly at the growing age4 ,every parent has an ideal as to how he wishes his daughter to be treated by young men1 and how he wishes her to conduct herself toward them4 ,that this ideal be reached in the case of the daughter1 it is necessary that the son be trained to a chivalry and respect for all women1 which will make it impossible for him to take liberties with any woman4 ,a right knowledge of the real meaning and the responsibilities and duties of their lives at this time would be a better safeguard for most young people than any amount of chaperonage4 ,nor will such training in any way lessen the joy of life1 or the charms of courtship1 but on the contrary1 will enhance all that is most precious4 ,when the youth goes finally into the real battle of life1 into the world of business1 of competition1 and temptation1 he will need all his fortitude and all his knowledge to guide him aright in his personal life4 ,and then it is that he will begin to realize what his parents have really done for him1 and to appreciate their forethought and care4 ,then1 too1 he not infrequently expresses in the strongest terms his gratitude to the mother1 the father1 who have guided his course safely over the dangerous shoals4 ,the life battle of the youth who has been carefully instructed and preserved clean in mind and body is very different from that of him who has been weakened in will and perverted in mind from lack of such preservation2 he knows that purity is both possible and good1 and desires it above all things for his sons1 both for their happiness and for their material success in life4 ,habits of thought and action have an incalculable influence upon the body as well as upon the mind2 and here as everywhere else1 the ideal1 whether it be high or low1 will control the destiny of the man4 ,,list ,,of ,,books ,,helpful ,,in ,,studying ,,plant ,,and ,,animal ,,life ,,bibliography ,i ,,books ,,helpful ,,in ,,studying ,,plant ,,life ,andrews1 ,jane3 ,stories ,mother ,nature ,told ,her ,children #j4ej ,bailey1 ,l4 ,h43 ,plant ,breeding #j4ge ,bass1 ,florence3 ,plant ,life4 ,nature ,stories for ,young ,readers #j4be ,dana1 ,mrs4 ,william ,starr 7,frances ,t4 ,parsons73 ,how to ,know the ,wild ,flowers #b4jj ,going1 ,maud3 ,field1 ,forest1 and ,wayside ,flowers4 ,untechnical ,studies for ,unlearned ,lovers of ,nature #a4ej ,with the ,wild ,flowers1 from ,pussy ,willow to ,thistledown #a4jj ,with the ,trees #a4jj ,gray1 ,asa3 ,school and ,field ,book of ,botany #a4hj ,huntington1 ,annie ,oakes3 ,studies of ,trees in ,winter #b4ej ,keeler1 ,harriet ,l43 ,our ,native ,trees and ,how to ,identify them #b4jj ,laing1 ,mary ,e43 ,the ,life of a ,bean4 ,for little children #j4ae ,lounsberry1 ,alice3 ,a ,guide to the ,trees #a4ge ,lubbock1 ,sir ,john3 ,flowers1 ,fruits1 and ,leaves4 ,treats of fertilization of flowers1 seed dispersal1 leaves1 stinging hairs1 etc4 #j4ge ,morley1 ,margaret ,w43 ,seed ,babies4 ,for young children1 showing how plants come from seeds #j4be ,little ,wanderers4 ,for children1 on the methods of seed dispersal #j4cj ,flowers and ,their ,friends4 ,stories of plants and how they do their work of living #j4ej ,a ,few ,familiar ,flowers4 ,a book of methods for teaching beginning botany #j4ge ,newell1 ,jane ,h43 ,reader in ,botany4 ,part ,i4 ,from ,seed to ,leaf #j4fj ,part ,,ii4 ,from ,flower to ,fruit #j4fj ,parsons1 ,frances ,theodora 7,mrs4 ,w4 ,s4 ,dana73 ,according to ,season4 ,talks about the flowers in the order of their appearance in the woods and fields #a4ge ,rogers1 ,julia ,ellen3 ,the ,tree ,book4 ,north ,american trees1 uses1 and culture #c4jj ,roth1 ,filibert3 ,first ,book of ,forestry #a4be ,spear1 ,mary ,a43 ,leaves and ,flowers4 ,botany for young learners1 giving the principal botanical terms #j4be ,weed1 ,clarence ,m43 ,seed ,travellers4 ,on seed dispersal2 for older children #j4be ,,ii ,,books ,,helpful ,,in ,,studying ,,animal ,,life ,american ,humane ,education ,society3 ,publications1 and ,our ,dumb ,animals1 a magazine ,per year #j4ej ,bass1 ,florence3 ,animal ,life4 ,nature ,stories for ,young ,readers #j4ce ,bateman1 ,rev4 ,gregory ,c43 ,fresh ,water ,aquaria #a4dj ,burroughs1 ,john3 ,locusts and ,wild ,honey #a4be ,signs and ,seasons #a4be ,wake ,robin #a4be ,ways of ,nature #a4ej ,chapman1 ,frank ,m43 ,handbook of ,birds of ,eastern ,north ,america #c4jj ,comstock1 ,anna ,botsford3 ,ways of the ,six-,footed4 ,stories of ,insect ,life #j4dj ,comstock1 ,john ,henry3 ,insect ,life #a4ge ,dixon1 ,charles3 ,birds' ,nests #a4bj ,eddy1 ,sarah ,j43 ,friends and ,helpers #j4fj ,howard1 ,leland ,o43 ,the ,insect ,book #c4jj ,hulbert1 ,w4 ,d43 ,forest ,neighbors4 ,life ,stories of ,wild ,animals #a4ej ,jackson1 ,gabrielle ,e43 ,the ,adventures of ,tommy ,postoffice4 ,the ,true ,story of a ,cat #j4ge ,jackson1 ,helen ,hunt3 ,cat ,stories #b4jj ,job1 ,herbert ,k43 ,wild ,wings4 ,adventures of a ,camera ,hunter among the larger ,wild ,birds of ,north ,america over ,sea and ,land #c4jj ,jordan1 ,david ,starr 7,editor73 ,true ,tales of ,birds and ,beasts #j4dj ,keyser1 ,leander ,s43 ,birds of the ,rockies #a4ej ,long1 ,william ,j43 ,ways of the ,wood ,folk #j4ej ,wilderness ,ways #j4de ,secrets of the ,woods #j4ej ,wood ,folk at ,school #j4ej ,a ,little ,brother to the ,bear1 and ,other ,animal ,stories #a4ej ,mathews1 ,f4 ,schuyler3 ,field ,book of ,wild ,birds and ,their ,music #b4jj ,familiar ,life in ,field and ,forest4 ,the ,animals1 ,birds1 ,frogs1 and ,salamanders #a4ge ,miller1 ,mary ,rogers3 ,the ,brook ,book #a4ce ,morley1 ,margaret ,w43 ,butterflies and ,bees #j4fj ,the ,insect ,folk #j4de ,a ,song of ,life #a4be ,life and ,love #a4be ,the ,bee ,people #a4be ,the ,honey-,makers #a4be ,little ,mitchell4 ,the ,story of a ,squirrel #a4be ,our ,four-,footed ,friends4 ,a ,monthly ,magazine4 ,per year #j4ej ,patterson1 ,alice ,jean3 ,the ,spinner ,family4 ,about ,spiders #a4jj ,repplier1 ,agnes3 ,the ,fireside ,sphinx4 ,a ,book about ,cats for ,older ,readers #b4jj ,seton1 ,ernest ,thompson3 ,animal ,heroes #b4jj ,the ,biography of a ,grizzly #a4ej ,lives of the ,hunted #a4ge ,the ,trail of the ,sandhill ,stag #a4ej ,wild ,animals ,i ,have ,known #b4jj ,weed1 ,clarence ,m43 ,stories of ,insect ,life ,spring and ,summer4 ,first ,series #j4be ,autumn4 ,second ,series #j4cj ,wheelock1 ,irene ,grosvenor3 ,nestlings of ,forest and ,marsh #a4jj ,winslow1 ,helen ,m43 ,concerning ,cats4 ,stories of ,historical and ,other ,cats #a4ej ,wood1 ,rev4 ,theodore3 ,a ,natural ,history of ,birds1 ,fishes1 etc4 #a4be ,wright1 ,julia ,mc,nair3 ,seaside and ,wayside4 ,school reading books4 #d vols4 ,vol4 ,i4 #j4be ,vol4 ,,ii4 #j4ce ,vol4 ,,iii4 #j4de ,vol4 ,,iv4 #j4fj ,,iii ,,miscellaneous ,ellis1 ,havelock3 ,man and ,woman4 ,for those interested in the philosophical and scientific side of the subject4 ,in the ,contemporary ,science ,series #a4ej ,geddes and ,thompson3 ,the ,evolution of ,sex4 ,contemporary ,science ,series #a4ej ,hall1 ,g4 ,stanley3 ,adolescence4 ,two volumes #g4ej ,layard1 ,rev4 ,e4 ,b43 ,religion in ,boyhood4 ,chapter on ,how to ,form ,character4 ,this book has an ,introduction by the ,rev4 ,endicott ,peabody1 head master of ,groton ,school1 ,groton1 ,mass4 #j4ge ,lyttleton1 ,rev4 the ,hon4 ,e43 ,mothers and ,sons #a4jj ,training of the ,young in ,laws of ,sex #a4jj ,stall1 ,sylvanus1 ,d4,d43 ,what a ,young ,boy ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,what a ,young ,man ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,what a ,young ,husband ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,what a ,man of ,forty-five ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,wood-,allen1 ,dr4 ,mary3 ,what a ,young ,girl ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,what a ,young ,woman ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,what a ,young ,wife ,ought to ,know #a4jj ,almost a ,man #j4ej ,almost a ,woman #j4ej ,,by ,,miss ,,morley ,the ,bee ,people ,,illustrated ,,by ,,the ,,author ,price #a4be ,it is the story1 told in most fascinating style1 of the honey bee1 how it is born1 how it lives1 how it gathers honey1 and all about it1 not omitting its sting4 ,the bee is credited with powers of reasoning1 and the troubles of the queen bee in retaining her throne are set forth in a delightfully fairy-story-like way which will win every child that reads it4--,the ,times1 ,philadelphia4 ,probably no branch of natural history is more interesting than the bee people1 and when told by an appreciative student is doubly so4 ,miss ,morley carries out the human idea suggested in the title2 and the worker1 the drone1 the queen1 and all the inmates of a hive are given a life-like personality4 ,many illustrations aid in telling the story1 and many wonderful things concerning the habits of these little people are constantly revealed4--,the ,detroit ,news ,tribune4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,honey ,makers ,,illustrated ,,by ,,the ,,author ,price #a4be ,unlike ,miss ,morley's other works1 this book is intended for older readers4 ,the first part of the book is devoted to the scientific exposition of the bee's structure1 habits1 etc41 and it is surprising how much interest and humor the author has managed to infuse into the subject4 ,the second part performs an original and valuable service to literature4 ,to the bees more than to any other portion of the animal kingdom has attention been devoted by poets and thinkers seeking inspiration1 and from this wealth of allusion and anecdote ,miss ,morley has culled the choicest and most striking parts4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,song of ,life ,,illustrated ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,and ,,robert ,,forsyth ,price #a4be ,with simple1 beautiful phrases1 with pure and admiring words to describe the process of life1 and with scores of gracefully outlined forms of plant and bird and beast by a helpful artist1 has this song of life been sung and illustrated to delight and instruct in the happiest way many a wondering child concerning the mystery of life4--,the ,churchman1 ,new ,york4 ,the plan of the work is novel1 and the narrative is accurate and interesting to an unusual degree4 ,few writers on life's history give so much of it in a space so limited4--,the ,nation1 ,new ,york4 99 99 99 99 99 ,life and ,love ,,illustrated ,,by ,,the ,,author ,price #a4be ,margaret ,warner ,morley has written in ,life and ,love a book which should be placed in the hands of every young man and woman4 ,it is a fearless yet clean-minded study of the development of life and the relations thereof from the protoplasm to mankind4 ,the work is logical1 instructive1 impressive4 ,it should result in the innocence of knowledge1 which is better than the innocence of ignorance4 ,it is a pleasure to see a woman handling so delicate a topic so well4 ,miss ,morley deserves thanks for doing it so impeccably4 ,even a prude can find nothing to carp at in the valuable little volume4--,boston ,journal4 ,it is an agreeable and useful little volume1 explanatory of the mysteries of plant and animal life1--such a book as parents will do well to place in the hands of thoughtful1 or1 better still1 of thoughtless children4--,philadelphia ,press4 99 99 99 99 99 ,little ,mitchell ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,mountain ,,squirrel ,,illustrated ,,by ,,bruce ,,horsfall ,price #a4be ,miss ,morley's own words give the best idea of this most engaging little book3 ,baby ,mitchell was an ,august squirrel4 ,that is1 he was born in the month of ,august4 ,his pretty gray mother found a nice hole1 high up in the crotch of a tall chestnut tree1 for her babies' nest2 and ,i know that she lined it with soft fur plucked from her own loving little breast1--for that is the way the squirrel mothers do4 ,this chestnut tree grew on the side of a steep mountain1--none other than ,mount ,mitchell1 the highest mountain peak in all the eastern half of the ,united ,states4 ,it is in ,north ,carolina1 where there are a great many beautiful mountains1 but none of them more beautiful than ,mount ,mitchell1 with the great forest trees on its slopes4 ,a4 ,c4 ,mc,c,l,u,r,g ,,co41 ,,publishers ,,footnotes3 #a ,a great deal of confusion exists in many minds as to the origin of pollen and ovule4 ,there seems to be a general and almost ineradicable impression that fertilization has something to do in creating the ovule4 ,this is not so4 ,the ovule is a part of every ovary just as the pollen is a part of every anther4 ,each will be produced whether they ever come together or not2 only if they do not come together1 both perish1 while if they do1 development of the ovule continues4