Page:Condor9(5).djvu/45

 Sept., I9O7 EDITORIALS I63 THE CONDOIK An Illustrated Magazine of Western Ornithology Published Bi-Monthly by the Cooper Ornitholo$1- cal Club of Callfornle JOSF-FH GRINNF-LL, F-ditor. Fesu, dene H. T. CLIFTON. Business Manslier. Box 404. Pasadena WILLIAM L. FINLF-Y } Assoclete F-dltors JOSF-FH MAILLIAKD Pasadena, California: Published Sept. ZO, 1907 were comparatively small. His love of flowers and Nature in general caused him to determine upon the career of a florist. Without capital it was impossible to enter any market which a settled community might afford, hence if his ambitions were to be fulfilled he must locate in some district which had not yet passed the pioneer stage. From time to time he had heard of Long Island, of its even and salubri- ous climate, of its fertile soil, and its ideal situation; and he instinctively felt that here, if anywhere, he would be afforded a field pecu- liarly well adapted to his enterprise. "When Mr. Childs settled at Floral Park he had not the advantages of railway cammunica- SUBSCIKIPTION RATES One Dollar and Fifty Cents per Year in the United States llexico, and U. S. Colonies. payable in advance Thirty Cents the single copy. One Dollar and Seventy-five Cents pe Year in all other cout]tris iu the Internatioual Postal Union. Claims for missing or imperfect numbers should be made withiu thirty days of date ol issue. Subscrlptlons should be seut to the Business Manager. Mnnscrlpts and F, xchanf[es should be sent to the Editor Advertising Rates ou application. EDITORIALS In our last issue we reviewed The IVarbler. a magazine of birds published at Floral Park, New York. We now take the opportunity to tell our readers something of the editor of that magazine. It is relatively seldom that a man of affairs, who has been successful in his busi- ness undertakings and acquired wealth, enters the field of natural history as a source of recre- ation and enjoyment. Perhaps the nature of Mr. Childs' business (seed and flower culture) developed the tendency towards scientific interests. Or, what was far more probable, an inherent love of nature led naturally into that line of business. His success as a florist is almost too well known to require mention he?e; yet a brief history of the inception and growth of the enterprise will doubtless interest our readers. We take the liberty of quoting the following from an article in the Lung Island l;[agazine: "A little over thirty-three years ago there arrived at what is now universally known as Floral Park, Long Island, but what was then little more than a wilderness, a boy of eighteen years of age, having none of this world's pos- sessions, but endowed above his fellows with ambition, determination and initiative. That lad was John Lewis Childs. "Born on a farm near Jay, Maine, young Childs early realized that the possibilities held out by farm life in the New England States JOHN LEXVIS CHILDS lion nor any of the other conveniences of modern times. Undaunted by circumstances, however, and in the face of every obstacle, he entered upon what was destined to be his life- work, constructing the first house in the dis- trier and performing manual labor for some time entirely nnassisted. "How small a beginning this was will be appreciated when it is learned that the proceeds of his first year of effort amounted to less than a hundred dollars. That was a small begin- ning, but it did not discourage Mr. Childs, who realized that if success were to be obtained at