The how and why library

Front matter

Gopyiight iN°

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT.

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Foreword

REFERENCES: In the articles throughout this volume will be found frequent references to related titles for further read¬ ing or study. For example, the article on the “Good Luck Family” has this notation: “See Legume, Clover, Shamrock.” The articles thus referred to will either be found in the present volume, as indicated in the Table of Contents, or in “The New Student’s Reference Work,” a descriptive announcement of which appears in the back of this book. These references have been made owing to the wide distribution of the “ Student’s,” the ease with which reliable information can be secured in its pages and the fact that it has a place in the libraries of most of those who own “The How and Why Library.”

made for the right to use valuable illustrations and for suggestions in the preparation of “The How and Why Library” to publish¬ ers, educators, public officials and others. Among these we wish to specially mention The Scientific American of New York, the Technical World Magazine of Chicago, the Woman’s Magazine of New York, the Cleveland Leader, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Charles K. Reed, publisher of the Bird Guide; J. J. West, Chief Scout Executive, and E. H. Merritt, Secretary of the Editorial Board, Boy Scouts of America; L. O. Howard, Chief of the United States Department of Entomology, Washington, D. C.; A. F. Sherman, Acting Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island; the Chicago Art Institute; Professor John M. Coulter, head of the Department of Botany, University of Chi¬ cago; and C. H. Speers, General Passenger Agent of the Colorado Midland Railway.

Contents

STORIES OF HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY

The articles in this department deal, in their historic order, with the various peoples who constitute our “America,”—where they came from, and our indebt¬ edness to each for their contributions to our national life.

PAGE

Part I—Plants We Meet the Fairy Godmother —Story of Cell Life . 87

How the Yeast Plant Grows in a Loaf of Bread. 90

Sailor Plants and Robinson Cruesoes —Story of Sea Plants, Lichens, etc.. 93 Water Babies that Live on Land —Liverworts and Their Whips and Balls 96

Pigmy Plants and Their Wonderful Labors —Mosses . 99

How the Ferns Grew Bones and Babies —Learning to Stand Alone .101

Why Plants are Like Squirrels —How They Store Food ...108

Plants Have Visitors and Travel Abroad —How Wind, Insects and Birds

Carry Seeds . 1

How Plants are Promoted —Work of Bees and Mr. Burbank .115

Part II—Animals The Little Animal that Walks with Its Stomach and Eats with Its

Feet —The Amoeba ..

Water Babies that Live in a Village —Sponges .122

PAGE

A Sea Flower that Eats and Moves— The Sea-Anemone .125

The Web of Life: Mother Nature at Her Loom.128

The Star Fish and Sea Urchins that Play with Live Dolls.131

A Long Speech by a Little Worm— Lessons the Earthworm Teaches .134

The Earthworm Puts on Armor— Curious Anatomy of the Crawfish .137

How the Worm in Armor Counts by Twos and Threes.141

Mr. Crawfish and His Table Manners....144

The Crawfish, the Spider and the Fly— An Interesting Comparison .147

Why the Crawfish Crawled Into a Shell— The Oyster .151

The Oyster Learns to Swim— The Fish .153

The Oyster-Fish that Climbed on Shore— The Frog .156

Birds of the Water and Birds of the Air — Curious Resemblances . 159

Water Babies and Other Babies that Drink Milk — The Vertebrates... .162

NATURE STUDY

“Nature Study”, in the modern school, emphasizes, first of all, the things which the child can investigate most readily—birds, insects, flowers and trees. The following articles take him through the entire year and deal with the most important features of familiar plants, trees and insects and all the common varie¬ ties of birds. The child’s interest in nature is spontaneous, and through no other medium can his observation and reasoning powers be so easily developed.

Part I. Flowers

I. A Wild Garden and Its Tenants.167

II. Little Lion-tooth (Dandelion) and Its Cousins.171

III. A Good Luck Family— Clover .175

IV. The Bonny Briar Bush— The Wild Rose Family .179

Part II. Trees (A Year in the Forest)

I. Spring; “Rockaby Babies”.184

II. Summer; “In the Tree Tops”.189

III. Autumn; “When the Wind Blows”.193

IV. Winter; “The Cradles Will Rock”. 197

Part III. Insects

I. Mrs. Musca Domestica Calls— The Fly Tells Its Story .201

II. Mrs. Garden Spider “At Home”.205

III. Gulliver Man and His Lilliputian Enemies— Destructive Insects . . .209

IV. Pigmy Friends That Fly and Hop and Creep.213

Part IV. Birds

I. Bird Songs and Colors.*18

II. Bird Nests and Babies .22o

III. Little Friends in Feathers.231

WILD ANIMALS YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW Related to those subjects on which he specializes in Nature Study are the animals of the “Zoo”, the traveling menagerie and the “Wild Animals Near Home.” This interest, properly encouraged and developed, is a source of neverfailing delight and mental growth.

I. Big Brother Bear. 237

II. Pet Pussy and King Lion.243

III. Here Come the Elephants.248

IV. The Animal Acrobat and Clown— The Monkey .254

V. The Ship of the Desert— The Camel .260

VI. Kangaroo and ’Possum, too.265

VII- The Graceful Camelopard— The Giraffe .269

VIII. Mr. Nose Horn and Mr. River Horse — Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus 273

IX. Wild Animals Near Home— Squirrels, Rabbits and Other Shy Neigh¬ bors .. .278

PICTURE VISITS TO THE GREAT INDUSTRIES Every child has an instinctive interest in the great industries and how the wheels “go round." Familiarity with these processes is one of the most prac¬ tical phases of Geography teaching in our schools, and the co-operation of the home, if supplied with appropriate material, is easy and desirable. Nine typical industries of special interest to children are graphically presented in this de¬ partment.

I. Big Business from Little Seeds— Wheat and Flour Milling

PAGE

II. The Wonderful Gift of Good King Cotton— Culture and Manufac¬ ture .289

III. The Little Iron Pig that Goes to Market— Ore Fields to Steel Mill. 294

IV. Art in Making Mud Pies— The Pottery Industry .299

V. When a Tree is Lumber— Lumbering and Woodworking Industries. .304

VI. Just to Light a Fire— How Matches are Made .309.

VII. A Look Through a Window— Glassmaking .313

VIII. The Bread of Nogi, Wung Foo and Manuelo— Rice Growing .318

IX. Brownie Tick Tock and the Stars — Watch and Clock Manufacture .323

GOOD HEALTH AND OUR SOLDIERS OF PEACE The articles in the two departments following are intended to interest and instruct the child with regard to his own good health, and the family health (domestic sanitation), and to create a spirit of appreciative helpfulness toward those departments of city life which protect us from disease, fire and crime.

GOOD HEALTH

I. Your Own Health.330

II. The Family Health.335

SOLDIERS OF PEACE

I. Fighters for Everybody's Health.339

II. Fire Fighters.344

III. Fighters for Law and Order.349

THE HOW AND WHY OF COMMON THINGS The questions asked every day by children are now recognized as offering a unique opportunity for parent and teacher. They are the child’s own sponta¬ neous expression of his desire to know. He is hungry. Feed him. In this department are answered in a very entertaining style nearly 100 typical questions. The properties of Heat, Light, Sound, Electricity and other natural forces are explained, and the foundation laid for the study of Physiology, Acoustics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics and other sciences in the higher grades.

What are Tears For.353

Doggie Knows with His Nose.354

What is Smoke.354

What is Color Blindness.355

Why the Needle in the Compass Points North.357

How the Moon Causes Tides in the Sea.357

Sound Waves and the Telephone.359

The Gas We Burn.360

Birds and Balloons, Kites and Airships.361

Why Rain Falls in Drops.362

How to Find Your Way by the Stars.363

How the Days Were Named.364

How the Months Were Named.364

What are Dog Days.365

Why an Apple Falls to the Ground.366

What is an Eclipse.367

What Makes the Hum of a Bee.368

Why Onions Make You Cry.369

Why We Count by Tens.369

Why Does Iron Rust.370

Why Does the Heat Make Water Boil...371

Why an Iron Ship Does Not Sink.371

Why We Have Two Eyes.372

Alva and His Electric Lamp.372

What Keeps a Moving Car on the Track.374

What Sours Milk.374

Children, Birds and Teakettles.375

Water and a Duck's Back.375

Why Frozen Water Bursts Pipes.376

Why We are Tanned by the Sun.376

Why and How We Sleep.377

The Ages of Animals.378

PAGE

How Bears Live All Winter Without Eating.379

What Makes the Sky Look Blue.379

Why the Sky is Many Colored at Sunset.380

Sound Waves and the Phonograph.380

How Does Soap Make Things Clean.381

What is the Horizon.381

Why the Edges of Coins are Milled.382

How Trains Run Around Curves.382

Sources and Kinds of Oil.383

What Keeps a Bicycle Upright..383

Is There a Man in the Moon.383

Why Birds Moult.384

Why People Become Seasick.384

How a Photograph is Taken.385

Don't Put Boiling Water in a Cold Glass.386

Why Salt Causes Thirst .38b

How Steam Makes a Locomotive Go.386

What Makes an Automobile Go.387

Why Washington's Eyes Follow Us.388

What Rings the Door Bell.388

What Makes the Music in a Pipe Organ.389

What Makes a Mirage.389

Day and Night.390

Where Today is Tomorrow —The International Date Line .391

How the Spectrum Explains the Sun.392

A World of Wonders in a Soap Bubble.394

Why the Water of the Ocean is Salt.395

What is “Horse Power”.396

How Quickly Do Things Fall.396

Are the Stars Inhabited.397

Why Lightning Rods Protect Houses.398

Why a Dog Turns Around Before Lying Down.398

How Does Cloth, Paper or a Sponge Soak Up and Hold Water.399

Why Some People are Left-handed.399

Why a Popgun Pops. 400

Why is a Cat Able to See in the Dark.400

Live Silver—What Is It.401

Thumb Print Autographs.402

Fairy Prince Echo.402

Why the Earth is Round.403

Thunder and Lightning —What Causes Them .403

HOW AND WHY OF ETIQUETTE

Dr. Eliot says the subject matter of this section is one of the most important parts of education. “Manners” and knowledge of certain social forms are no less valuable in “getting on” in one’s life work. Lack of such information and training frequently explains why some succeed while others of equal or greater natural ability, fail. Self control, grace of bearing, ease of expression, the habit of drawing out the best in others—these things the world rightly regards as the real tests of education. Yet proper and sensible guidance is difficult to find.

The Principles of Good Manners.404

On the Street .414

For a Girl Traveling Alone.417

Politeness in Business Life.420

Good Form . 430

Dinner Parties and Luncheons.447

Good Form in Correspondence.450

STORIES IN GEOGRAPHY

CHILDREN OF OUR OWN AND OTHER LANDS

Editors’ Note to Mother and Teacher. —The study of descriptive and political Geography is introduced into the very first year of school, through travel stories. The first interest that little children show in other people and lands, is in the way other children live, particularly those of primitive peoples like the Indians and Esquimos, and people whose ways of living are radically different from their own. Geography teaching now takes advantage of this curiosity, on the part of the children, to introduce them to the general study. In this way they get a knowledge of the physical appearance, manners and customs, climate, products and trans¬ portation of other peoples and countries, in addition to some history and physiography. The supplementary reading with the geographical aspect, supplied to the lower grades, is very wide and comprehensive. To cover all that is supplied, requires the purchase of a great number of little supple¬ mentary readers, each at a cost of from thirty to fifty cents.

This geographical department covers the most essential and attractive features of any one dozen supplementary readers, and has, besides, a unity of plan that none of the readers possess. The plan is to present primitive America, when it was inhabited only by the red child, then to bring the other children in, over the sea, in the chronological order of the coloniza¬ tion and settlement of the United States. The order followed here is the Indian, the English Puritan, the French, the Dutch and the Negro. The Esquimo peoples were visited very early by the New England whalers, and the Spanish colonists by trading vessels that went to Havana.

When once the sea-board was peopled, came the period of the hunter in Kentucky. There the experience of Daniel Boone is taken as typical. This paved the way for the pioneer of the Lincoln period. During this time there were large migrations of German and Irish peoples. The dis¬ covery of gold carries the settlement of the United States to the Pacific coast. The subsequent development of California, as it is today, follows.

Once having reached the Pacific coast, curiosity is led to take the world-round journey, to visit the children of the yellow and brown races, and the children of the Desert and the Alps. The world journey is logically completed by the return to the New York City of today, and a description of Castle Garden, where more than a million people of foreign lands are still entering America every year. This last feature is not to be found in any child’s reader on the market.

The object, in these nineteen sketches, has been to present typical pictures of such facts as children are curious about, that will furnish a