This is the reason why so many complain that science is dry and uninteresting.  They forget that though it is necessary to learn accurately, for so only we can arrive at truth, it is equally necessary to love knowledge and make it lovely to those who learn, and to do this we must get at the spirit which lies under the facts.  What child which loves its mother’s face is content to know only that she has brown eyes, a straight nose, a small mouth, and hair arranged in such and such a manner?  No, it knows that its mother has the sweetest smile of any woman living; that her eyes are loving, her kiss is sweet, and that when she looks grave, then something is wrong which must be put right.  And it is in this way that those who wish to enjoy the fairy-land of science must love nature.

It is well to know that when a piece of potassium is thrown on water the change which takes place is expressed by the formula K + H2O = Kho + H. But it is better still to have a mental picture of the tiny atoms clasping each other, and mingling so as to make a new substance, and to feel how wonderful are the many changing forms of nature.  It is useful to be able to classify a flower and to know that the buttercup belongs to the Family Ranunculaceae, with petals free and definite, stamens hypogynous and indefinite, pistil apocarpous.  But it is far sweeter to learn about the life of the little plant, to understand why its peculiar flower is useful to it, and how it feeds itself, and makes its seed.  No one can love dry facts; we must clothe them with real meaning and love the truths they tell, if we wish to enjoy science.

Let us take an example to show this.  I have here a branch of white coral, a beautiful, delicate piece of nature’s work.  We will begin by copying a description of it from one of those class-books which suppose children to learn words like parrots, and to repeat them with just as little understanding.

“Coral is formed by an animal belonging to the kingdom of Radiates, sub-kingdom Polypes.  The soft body of the animal is attached to a support, the mouth opening upwards in a row of tentacles.  The coral is secreted in the body of the polyp out of the carbonate of lime in the sea.  Thus the coral animalcule rears its polypidom or rocky structure in warm latitudes, and constructs reefs or barriers round islands.  It is limited in rage of depth from 25 to 30 fathoms.  Chemically considered, coral is carbonate of like; physiologically, it is the skeleton of an animal; geographically, it is characteristic of warm latitudes, especially of the Pacific Ocean.”  This description is correct, and even fairly complete, if you know enough of the subject to understand it.  But tell me, does it lead you to love my piece of coral?  Have you any picture in your mind of the coral animal, its home, or its manner of working?