"THIS WONDERFUL WORLD."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

"THIS WONDERFUL WORLD."

Tke earth, with its store of wonders untold, Almighty, Thy power hath founded! of old; Hath 'stabljsh'd it fast by a changeless decree, And.round :it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea. I wonder how many of you, as you "have sung that verse from a very beautiful hymn of praise, have thought of the vast " store of wonders" that- this most wonderful world of ours contains? So many of us think, only of what we call " getting on in the world," of pleasure-taking, of the grind of little daily duties that we close our eyes and our hearts to the marvels and beauties of Nature all around us, and after a while we lose the power cf seeing them. That is why every child should learn to observe, and think upon; the wonders of the world we live in, for if we do not learn these things as children we have but little time or opportunity for learning them when childhood days are over, and the cares of life are laid upon our shoulders. _ , I like to think that every boy and girl who reads this page week by week finds in it some tiny truth about this wonderful world of ours. It may be i"ust a childish description of a lovely sunrise or sunset that interests you, a little letter telling of some happy adventuring in the bush or by the sea, perhaps a story from one of our grown-up friends telling us something of the wonders of birds or animals or plants, but in this page you will always find some tiny little sparkling jewel of thought that will lead you straight to that vast Aladdin's Cave of beauty, wherein all tho treasures are the wonderful, beautiful jewels of The se°treasinves°are for your taking. The great Creator of the world has fashioned its marvellous beauties for the eyes and hearts of old and young. You need nob search for them, for they are around you every hour of the day and night. Look up at the slcxes some starry nigrjt and behold the silvery xmsl 01 the Milky Way—what is it but a starry stairway composed of millions upon millions of worlds? Look upon the shining ocean and think of the marvels and wonders it contains, the vast whales and fighting fish that men come from the ends of the earth to capture, the infinitely small things tha* creep upon the bottom of the sea and float upon tho waves, the beautiful sea flowers and mosses and ferns fringing the rock-pools where you paddled so happily in your Itaag Then think of the wonders of insect, bird and animal life all around us, the skill and diligence of the bumble spider who spins herweb from branch to branch, the vast journeyings of biids who flv thousands of miles over the trackless ocean to greet the Spring in a far northern land, ahink, too, of the joy of companionship which man shares with his"little brethren, tho animals; their intelligence, and the faithfulness with which they serve mankind. In our Nature Pago to-dav you will find many reminders of the. wonders and beauties of the. world in which we live, lome, it will be the best page we have vet brought out, because it tolls me of the interest which you are taking in the wonderful works of Nature, that you are se_eing things for yourselves, and filling the store-house of mernorv with thoughts that will last when other childish memories shall have passed away. I hope every boy and girl wiL therefore read every line of our pago to-day, and that when you have finished you will feel you have been given a glimpse into a store-house of wonders older than lime itseii, more beautiful and fascinating than any fairy story ever told.