Leaners and Lifters—See Lifters and Leaners.
LEARNING BY EXAMPLE
Prof. Lloyd Morgan made some interesting
experiments in the instincts of birds,
by rearing chickens and wild fowl from an
incubator, so that they never could have
learned anything from their parents. He
found that they needed to be taught almost
everything necessary to the proper conduct
of their lives—not only to distinguish what
was good to eat, but even the very acts of
eating and drinking. They showed no fear
of the human race, and plainly did not understand
the language of their own mother
when he placed them near her. The mother-*cluck
of the hen had no meaning for the
incubator chick, who nevertheless came
promptly when he called. These experiments
proved conclusively that young birds are
taught—or learn by imitation, which is the
same thing—to eat and drink, to understand
their native tongue, to recognize and procure
their food, and to fear mankind.—Olive
Thorne Miller, "The Bird Our
Brother."
(1775)
LEARNING PROCESS, THE
A young boy learns to play golf largely by
taking the sticks as he has seen some one
hold them and whacking at the ball in a
haphazard fashion. Sometimes he hits it
squarely, and then he gets a satisfaction that
tends to impress on him the memory of the
movement resulting in this satisfaction. He
tries the next time to reproduce this feeling
and to locate the point of difference, tho he
is or may be conscious of none of these
efforts on his part. He keeps trying and
trying until he succeeds, noting meanwhile
the ways other people stand, hold their clubs,
and swing, and comparing them with his
way. An old man, on the other hand, tries
this method but makes no such progress. He
is not free to establish a dozen new ways of
getting a swing as the boy is. He has one
or two already established ways of turning
on his feet and of swinging his arms, but
these unfortunately are not such as to help
him in his golf. He must, therefore, not
merely recognize and strive for the details
of the right way, but he must more or less
consciously break up the old ways. His
chances are poor of success unless he is
wisely directed; i.e., taught.—Stuart H.
Rowe, "Proceedings of the Religious Education
Association," 1907.
(1776)
Learning Transformed Into Life—See Principles, Mastering.
Leisure—See Time, Improving.
Lessons, Class—See Encouragement.
LETHARGY
In some parts of Africa the natives are
attacked with "sleeping-sickness." The first
symptom is drowsiness, and the following
days and weeks drift past in sleep. The
sleep grows deeper and heavier until the
sufferer has passed out into the unknown,
to the sleep that knows no waking.
Sleeping-sickness, in a moral sense, is a common disease in the world. It is often as fatal to activity and character as the dread plague of Africa is to the body. The temperature of the heart falls, the soul sleep deepens, God is forgotten, Christ forsaken. (Text.)
(1777)
LETTER OF GOD
An incident is related of William Duncan, the "Apostle of Alaska":
One day soon after Mr. Duncan had arrived
among the Indians there, a fine-looking
old Indian chief, Neyashtodoh, one of the
chiefs of the Kitlahns, who had three sons,
called upon him. "I have heard that you
have come here with the letter of God. Is
that so? Have you the letter of God with
you?" asked the chief. "I have," said Mr.
Duncan. "Would you mind showing it to
me?" "Certainly." Mr. Duncan placed a
large Bible on the table. "This is God's
Book." The Indian caressed it reverently.
"Is God's letter for the Tsimsheans?" "Certainly.
God sent this Book to your people,
as well as to mine." "Does that Book give
God's 'heart' to us?" "It does." "And are
you going to tell the Indians that?" "I am."
"It is good—it is good, chief," was the
answer of Neyashtodoh.
(1778)
LEVELING
"'Washing a hill away' is a process employed
by a land-improvement company near
Baltimore," says Indoors and Out. "The
summit of a hill was to be lowered about
nine feet. The operations covered an area
fifteen hundred feet long and three hundred
feet wide. From a stream near by water
was forced at eighty pounds pressure
through eight-inch pipes to a five-inch reducing
nozzle and then against the wall of
earth. This fell in cartloads every few
minutes, and so thin was it, with the water
