. Days in the open. ability of making it possible forthe child to know something about the world inwhich he lives. Book-learning, essential as it is,is not enough if we would fit the child to live thelarger and more joyous life. When we havestudied literature and art and philosophy andscience, when we have become familiar with thegreat cities with their bewildering sights and dis-tracting sounds, the finest things remain to be dis-covered, and these discoveries must be made as westand open-eyed in the presence of Gods work-manship. Hills and streams, woods and flowers, bees andbirds and butter
. Days in the open. ability of making it possible forthe child to know something about the world inwhich he lives. Book-learning, essential as it is,is not enough if we would fit the child to live thelarger and more joyous life. When we havestudied literature and art and philosophy andscience, when we have become familiar with thegreat cities with their bewildering sights and dis-tracting sounds, the finest things remain to be dis-covered, and these discoveries must be made as westand open-eyed in the presence of Gods work-manship. Hills and streams, woods and flowers, bees andbirds and butterflies, the flora and fauna of thisearth where we have our home for a little time,should, somehow, be brought into the life of thechild. The boy who grows up into manhood with-out being privileged to know the world of natureby personal contact has been robbed. He may beintelligent in many things and a useful member ofsociety, but he has missed out of life some of itsdeepest satisfactions and purest joys. Indeed, such. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR BOYIIOOD ? BOY LIFE IN THE OPEN 229 an one is not symmetrically educated, and is quitelikely to be put to shame as the years pass. Astory is told of a young woman, able to order herbreakfast in six different languages, who, spend-ing some days in the home of a farmer, made mostmortifying mistakes concerning the common thingsof country life. When, coming down to breakfastone morning she discovered a plate of honey on thetable, she felt that the time had come for a displayof her knowledge and for the discomfiture of thosewho had laughed at her mistakes, and exclaimed, Ah! I see that you keep a bee. Take the witness box! Yes, I am speakingto you, middle-aged man, city-dweller, slave to bus-iness, familiar with paved streets and great build-ings, the honk of automobile horns and the lovesongs of vagrant cats. Were you born in the country? Yes. Have you forgotten your boyhood? Forgotten it! Sometimes I can think of noth-ing else, and always somet
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Keywords: ., bookauthorrh, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectfishing
