that its mother has the sweetest smile of any woman living; that
her eyes are loving, her kiss is sweet, and that when she looks
grave, then something is wrong which must be put right. And it
is in this way that those who wish to enjoy the fairy-land of
science must love nature.

It is well to know that when a piece of potassium is thrown on
water the change which takes place is expressed by the formula K +
H2O = KHO + H. But it is better still to have a mental picture of
the tiny atoms clasping each other, and mingling so as to make a
new substance, and to feel how wonderful are the many changing
forms of nature. It is useful to be able to classify a flower and
to know that the buttercup belongs to the Family Ranunculaceae,
with petals free and definite, stamens hypogynous and indefinite,
pistil apocarpous. But it is far sweeter to learn about the life
of the little plant, to understand why its peculiar flower is
useful to it, and how it feeds itself, and makes its seed. No one
can love dry facts; we must clothe them with real meaning and love
the truths they tell, if we wish to enjoy science.

Let us take an example to show this. I have here a branch of
white coral, a beautiful, delicate piece of nature's work. We
will begin by copying a description of it from one of those
class-books which suppose children to learn words like parrots,
and to repeat them with just as little understanding.

"Coral is formed by an animal belonging to the kingdom of
Radiates, sub-kingdom Polypes. The soft body of the animal is
attached to a support, the mouth opening upwards in a row of
tentacles. The coral is secreted in the body of the polyp out of