The boy deals only with the husk and
misses the kernel. When he can spell and define, the work has only just
begun, and not until the teacher has contrived to have him emotionalize
the ocean will he enter into the heart of its greatness, and power, and
utility in promoting life, and so come to experience a feeling of respect
for it. When it has won his respect he can read Victor Hugo's matchless
description of the sea with understanding, measurable appreciation, and,
certainly, a thrill of delight.
It is rare fun for children, and even for grown-ups, to locate the
constellations, planets, and stars. Of course, the North Star is
everybody's favorite because it is so steady, so reliable, so dependable.
We know just where to find it, and it never disappoints us. Two boys who
once were crossing from New York to Naples found great delight in a star
in the Southern sky that retained its relative position throughout the
journey. At the conclusion of dinner in the evening the boys were wont to
repair to the deck to find their star and receive its greetings. In their
passage through the Mediterranean they became curious, wondering how it
came about that the star failed to change its relative position in their
journey of three thousand miles. When they realized that their star is the
apex of a triangle whose base is three thousand miles but whose other legs
are so long that the base is infinitesimally short by comparison, their
amazement knew no bounds and for the first time in their lives they gained
a profound respect for space.
Pages:
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92