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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20520, 22 March 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS: I think you will agreo our Nature Page to-day is real success! I want? you all to read it, and not only to read it, but to study it, and to store in your receptive yoiing minds the- interesting facts and beautiful thoughts it contains. One of the greatest pleasures I have iu conducting our pages is the knowledge and proof that girls and boys of the present day are being trained to take so keen an interest in the wonderful things of nature. This is constantly reflected in letters and essays I receive from members of our Circles, and I am proud to think that these Nature Pages of ours are helping our boys and girls to an even keener appreciation of the beauties of the wonderful world all around them. If you can only learn to become interested in. nature while you are young, if you can learn, to find enjoyment in the simple joys of forest and field and seashore, in the beauty of sunset and trees and flowers, if you learn to love nature now, your life, in ye<s'S to come, no matter how dull and tinged with sorrow, will hold a joy and interest that nothing can take from you. We in this world are bound to como in contact with much that is ugly, and the worst ugliness is not that which offends tho eye, but that which assails the mind and soul. And the best of all ■ways to shut out this ugliness is to set your mind and thoughts on beauty, the beauty of nature,, of art and poetry,- remembering always tho words of the great Koman, Paul, " Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things/are lovely, think on these things." So when you read our page to-day,-your thoughts will bo carried to the beauty of sunset and of flowers, trees and ferns' and other wonders stored up in the great treasure house of Nature for the joy of all mankind. Love to you all from . / .Your Friend, ' A WALK IN "WELLINGTON. T)ear Miss Morton,—My way to school lies through the Botanical Gardens, a very pretty and interesting way. I nearly always stop near the tiand rotunda to admire a beautiful copper beech. A comer rockery is always gay with flowers. Several weeks ago the''cherry trees were thick -with pink flowers, but now they look stiff and cold.in their sombre green. The laburnums, which overhang the path, are just over, but I always feasted my eye 3 on them as I walked atons. .A beautiful mauve rhododendron, which covers a side path like a roof, is just bursting into bloom, and will soon be a mass of colour. Further along, the path leads through some beautiful native bush, where I see _ numerous trees—kawakawas, xewarewas, wineberries, matipos, fuchsias, the sweetly scented rangiora, and a puta-pUta-weta. A creek winds through the bush, with here and there a rustic bridge. Very soon I come to the Glen Road gates. After walking a-short distance I begin my climb—one hunderd and forty-seven uninteresting steps; but when I get to the top there is n. view worth seeing. I rather like coming through the gardens, because there is always something new to see. Perhaps some more foxgloves are out, tHe creek is flooded, or there are some seeds on the kowhais. It is quite a pleasant walk, and only takes about fifteen minutes.—Your loving penfriend. Primrose Self, 74, Glenmore St., Wellington (age 11). THE THUNDERSTORM. "What a, delightful morning it was! We were all very pleased indeed to wake and find that our long-decided picnic day had turned out so beautiful. But. oh! There waa one very bad sign. The wind was blowing. from the east. Mother tried to persuade us -not to go, as the wind blowing from the east was a bad sign. But persuasions were all 'in vain. We could not be convinced that such a beautiful blue skv would turn to a dull, rainy one. At eight o'clock we started off on a journey of three miles to a beautiful bush. Before we had gone two miles a dark, black rain cloud began ,to spring lip from the east. As we had been looking forward to this picnic for three weeks, we would not go back. When we reached the bush the whole sky had changed from blue to a dark-greyish colour, fo we hurriedly sought the place in which we had decided to have our lunch. While we were looking for the spring, where - ve were going to get our water for tea. we heard in the distance long, shrieking peals of thunder. As time went on the thunder came closer, and blinding flashes of lightning were to be seen every minute. Suddenly the rain began to pour down. This lasted !or a long while, without hardly a break. The rain then ceased for about lmlf-Rn-hour, and onco again long, echoing peals of thunder Emote our ears. It did not rain *o heavily after that, hut when it censed we gathered together our belongings and started on our way home.—Your loviiT* penmend. Hazel Waite. Wakcte Road, Tc Kuiti tage J3), |