Charles Bessey, Letters, 1885-1887

double [stained?] sections – not to study but to look at. — I think the B[?] book will do a great deal to open up this field to the attention of microscopists in this country. But I think such a manual as this would do more.

You may do as you like [?] the review for Am Naturalist. I will write the General Prof. soon – [keep?] the book till you have had a chance to look it through [completely?] – and then please give me some advice.

Cordially Yours A. B. Henry

Return to S. R Thompson New Wilmington, Lawrence Co., Pa, If not delivered within 10 days.

Treasurer's Office, Franklin County, Nebraska.

Carson Hildreth, T[reasurer] I. E. Montgomery, [?]

Bloomington, Neb., Aug 4 1885

Prof. Thompson State Univ. Lincoln

Dear Sir,

Gov Furnas refers me to you for certain information I am anxious to gain [far?] [?] [irrigation?] paper Nebraska Houses, of which I mail you a copy.

Am about to issue a 20000 or 25000 Edition and I want a [tab.?] statement of our rainfall, a comp. table if can get it for past [four?] yrs.

Also comp. table & interesting stat. on Nebrasas corn crops, yield &c If not convenient to attend to it will you kindly hand to Prof Berry.

And place me under obligations to you.

Resp C H[ildreth?]

Henry Holt & Co. Publishers

Johston's United States Histories Freeman's Historical Course Gardner's English History Martin's Human Body Newcomb & Holden's Astronomy Packard's Zoology Walker's Political Economy Bessey's Botany [Maclosrie's?] Elementary Botany

Newcomb's Mathematical Course Lounsbury's English Language [Sain's?] English Grammars Whitney's German Course Klemm's Lese-und Sprachbücher Heness's Natürliche Methode Stern's German and French Courses [Pylodet's?] French Course Gasc's French Dictionaries

Otto's French and German Courses

And numerous other Educational Works Catalogue Free.

29 West Twenty-third Street, New York Sept. 28 / 85.

Prof. Charles E. Bessey, Dear Sir:

We are certainly with you in the conviction that "the study of botany is the study of plants & not the study of books," & that it would be a great wrong to the learner to assign home lessons to be got by heart out of the book. But a teacher who would be guilty of such an outrage has no business with these "lessons" & we cannot help thinking that the other sort of teacher would appreciate & use rationally many more cuts than they now contain.

But our plea is not simply for

more pictures; that is only a means to an end. We want in the chapter itself greater concreteness in [treatment?]. If you object to pictures, then give, in a parenthesis after each term in the description [feet?], the name of some one of your list of plants which exhibits the feature under consideration. But we cannot dismiss the question of more pictures without a further appeal; for even in your view of methods of study, we can see no harm in giving the learner this slight help in discovering the application of a term to the plant he has in hand, & on the other hand we can see much good that might come of it. With the warning given in the introduction, no teacher can fail by letting pictures do for plants.

The introduction is all right as an introduction, & we shall put it at the beginning of the chapter. We simply want the path to applying

2

Henry Holt & Co. Publishers

Johston's United States Histories Freeman's Historical Course Gardner's English History Martin's Human Body Newcomb & Holden's Astronomy Packard's Zoology Walker's Political Economy Bessey's Botany [Maclosrie's?] Elementary Botany

Newcomb's Mathematical Course Lounsbury's English Language [Sain's?] English Grammars Whitney's German Course Klemm's Lese-und Sprachbücher Heness's Natürliche Methode Stern's German and French Courses [Pylodet's?] French Course Gasc's French Dictionaries

Otto's French and German Courses

And numerous other Educational Works Catalogue Free.

29 West Twenty-third Street, New York

its principles made easier.

Your suggestion as to making a primer of botany of this new chapter we hold for consideration. We fear it will be too small, certainly without the expansions we suggest.

Very truly yours, Henry Holt & Co., per Bristol

We will send supplies of your Briefer Course book to Reading Circles at $1.00 per copy, prepaying express charges.