But why collect the rocks and minerals? First because this is the way to know them. Both mineral and rocks require careful examination in order to see all those fine points by which they are distinguished. It is often necessary to compare one with another to get in mind the differences of form, color, streak, though with increasing familiarity these characteristics are recognized at first sight. It is the repeated examination which makes a rock tell the story of the country from which it came. Our first attempts to read the story give us only the most general facts. Nature’s book, written in the rocks, has to be read closely, often between the lines. Until we are used to the characters in which the words are written, we read slowly. When they look at Nature’s book, always open, most people do not read; for they do not know their letters. Every mineral is a letter, every rock a word, and we learn to read as we learn the minerals and rocks, and every time we go over them we get more facts coming out. The place where a rock or mineral occurs is of course the relation between them, and is involved in reading the story. No one today is a perfect reader. We are all learning to see more in the rocks day by day. So it is important to have the rocks and minerals where they can be handled and repeatedly examined, where we can turn to them in our leisure moments. Don’t stop when you have learned the name of a mineral or rock. You need more. See what it means. Secondly, minerals have beauties of form, color, and structure, and they do not fade. They will be as perfect in ten years as when found. We are all naturally crows, and love to gather the objects which interest us. It is not a bad habit, and only needs directing. Cultivate it. Have a hobby, and minerals and rocks are a good one; for they are like treasures in Heaven which “neither moth nor rust doth corrupt.” Not only will they give you pleasure, but they will be a constructive education, training the eye to see, and the mind to think straight. No one ever regretted the time and effort spent in collecting either minerals or rocks. Collecting