10 THE ACORN Next day as he walked down the stairs with a Freshman, he whispered, "Say, if you ever expect to enter Heaven, you had better subscribe for the Acorn." MARION A. BELNAP. '05. GOD IN NATURE. The evidences of a preexistent and predisposing purpose in nature are too numerous and too distinct to be overlooked. With the progress of natural science these evidences are every day becoming more clear. The savage of the desert will tell you of the Great Spirit that guides him; the Brahman will show you his gods of wood and stone, each serving a purpose that of an ideal. Let us take a glimpse at the naturalist. He watches the waves gather and roll and break; watches the white sea foam as it speads over the golden sands and the pink sea shells; watches the blue sky, and listens to the music of the wind as it freshens the waves and ripples the surface of the sea. His feelings go forth, and dissipate themselves over the sunny landscape; and, as one poet has said, "He lives abroad and everywhere." The song of the bird, the murmur of the stream, the breathing fragrance of spring, earth with its mantle of refreshing green, and heaven with its deep blue and its cloudy magnificence, all seem to fill him with mute but exquisite delight; and he lives and enjoys the luxury of the mere sensation, and is often heard to exclaim: "Had I as many souls as there are stars, I'd give them all to acquire a knowledge of God and the beauties of this sphere." If we wish to be able to acknowledge God in all things, let us follow the example of Scotland's greatest poet (Robert Burns). He was but a plowman yet saw the budding life of spring; changeful nature usher in the summer with its varied fruits; autumn with its harvests and wonderful coloring, and noticed that every period of twenty-four hours brought remarkable changes the sunrise glinting on dew or frost or alchemizing the clouds, the full day with its inflowing tide of industry, the glowing sunset and the starry night. Did not the greatest thinkers of the past see behind these wonderful things a Supreme Power that ruled the universe? They surely did, for nature and God work harmoniously together. Let us take for example a number of musical instruments all tuned to exactly the same pitch and we see that by striking the chord of one, all may be made to vibrate harmoniously. Then why should we not try to live so that our lives may be in harmony and so in touch with God that we may be guided by His "still small voice?".. Perhaps we have all seen a beautiful lily on the hillside. As shining Hesperus sends down his first searching ray, the tiny drops of dew sink deeper and deeper in the great bell until they blend into one, giving strength and beauty of the flower. Just as Hesperus guides the course of the tiny dewdrops, helping them to fill their mission in life, so let us place ourselves in such a position that we will be guided by the spirit of God until our lives will be so perfect and our example so worthy of note that nature cannot help but say: "Truly this is a man." Then by taking up the higher studies of nature our feelings are stirred with deepest emotion and we are often THE ACORN 11 heard to exclaim with Lord Byron: "There is pleasure in the pathless woods, There is rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but nature more. Prom these our interviews, in which I steal Prom all I may be or have been before, To mingle with the universe, and feel What I can ne'er express, yet can not all conceal." ESTELLA HOLLANDS, '05. TOAST. (Given before the school on Arbor Day.) "Our Acorn." It is unnecessary to stray far into history to show the influence written literature has had upon nations, communities, or individuals. One of the greatest awakenings that the world has ever known was caused directly thru the circulation of literature. And we might say that the greatest cause of this revival was the introduction of one book, the Bible. Professor Clark told us that a community is measured by what it reads or doesn't read. He said that the newspaper with the largest circulation or the magazine most universally read is the measure of the average intelligence of that community. Since the press has such great power in shaping the end of peoples, why cannot we enter this literary field and influence the growth of our community with our paper, the "Acorn?" One purpose of our paper is to advertise our school. Since our attend-ence is comparatively small, it is im- possible for everybody to come into contact with our students. Of course if they could, that would be sufficient advertising. Not only does the "Acorn" advertise our school and bring it on a level with the other schools of the state, but it affords excellent chances for the development of our amateur professionals. With what delight does Angus look forward to the succeeding editions of our paper when he can have the privilege of visiting the big clothing stores and insurance companies to rustle ads. How Glen and May love to contribute their monthly athletic notes. Lizzie and Orlie would have the paper published weekly to exhibit their ability. Miss Keeler has asked for four pages in the April number in which to condense her topics. The editor complains of being bothered to death with Izze to know when he will be ready to receive her Alumni notes. I see that the management has allowed three extra pages to Walter for Stimpson, Berlin, and Powell cracks. Messers. Brown and Manning each has his private secretary to carry on the circulation business. So you see what the paper is doing for us. Of course we have only begun. The little acorn which fell last fall and lay in the damp ground all winter has just burst and sent forth its tiny shoot. As the sapling in the great forest receives little encouragement for its growth, so we must be content to progress slowly. The greatest tree planted by us then this year is the oak. But we must watch it and care for it while it's young or else it will die. And if we do, we can expect great results. Through its influence in a few years we shall see our new building completed, with its spacious chapel, its new domestic art and business departments, with its physical