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The Desert by John Charles Van Dyke, published in 1901, is a lush, poetic description of the natural beauty of the American Southwest. What land can equal the desert with its wide plains, its grim mountains, and its expanding canopy of sky! Van Dyke, a cultivated art historian, saw sublimity in the desert's lonely desolation, which previous generations had perceived only as a wasteland, and his book has a conservationist flavor which seems distinctly modern. The deserts should never be reclaimed, he writes. They are the breathing spaces of the west and should be preserved for ever. The changing colors of the sky, hills, and sand impress Van Dyke, as do the mirages. He celebrates the long overlooked commonplace things of nature-- cactus and grease wood, desert animals, and winged life, the birds and insects. His writing has a philosophical undertone. Not in vain these wastes of sand ... simply because they are beautiful in themselves and good to look upon whether they be life or death. Anyone who views with equal awe fiery sunrises and weeds growing out of pavement cracks will enjoy this reading of Van Dyke's The Desert. (Summary by ...

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Nature, Travel

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 7 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Philosophy, Satire, Animals, Children, Fairy tales

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Voici le premier des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et ont été enregistrées par des lecteurs de divers horizons. This is the first book from a collection of 12. The fables were written and first published in the 17th century. They portray humans' behaviour in the society....

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 10 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Satire, Philosophy

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Voici le quatrième des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et sont lues par des lecteurs de divers horizons. This is the fourth book from a collection of 12. The fables were written and first published in the 17th century. They portray humans' behaviour in the society. (Summary by Ezwa)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire, and finds herself in a house full of secrets and mysteries.

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Children, Nature, Philosophy, Mystery, Animals

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 8 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Satire, Philosophy, Animals, Children, Fairy tales

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 5 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Philosophy, Satire, Animals, Children, Fairy tales

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Voici le quatrième livre des Fables de La Fontaine. Bien qu'écrites au XIIème siècle, l'Homme étant toujours l'Homme, elles restent d'actualité et nous enseignent bien des vérités sur la vie en société. (Résumé par Ezwa)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Voici le cinquième des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et sont lues par des lecteurs de divers horizons. This is the fifth book from a collection of 12. The fables were written and first published in the 17th century. They portray humans' behaviour in the society. (Summary by Ezwa)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 2 of 12. (Summary by ChipDoc)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Philosophy, Satire

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Toujours observateur des comportements humains, Jean de La Fontaine ne cesse de les mettre en scène dans ces 16 fables, tantôt en invitant le genre animal à caricaturer l'homme tantôt en confiant sa propre bêtise à l'homme lui-même. Ce dixième livre s'inscrit dans la continuité de l'oeuvre du grand fabuliste. ( Jean Lambert )...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 12 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Satire, Philosophy

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Voici le premier livre des Fables de Jean de La Fontaine publié par le fabuliste à l'âge de 47 ans. Inspiré de l'oeuvre du fabuliste grec Ésope, Jean de La Fontaine met en scène les animaux pour mieux décrire les éternels comportements humains. Éternels ? Oui ! Car plus de trois siècles après leur première publication, les lecteurs y reconnaissent la société contemporaine. (de Jean Lambert)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 4 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Satire, Philosophy

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 1 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Satire, Philosophy

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volunteers bring you 16 recordings of Old Man Travelling; Animal Tranquillity and Decay, a Sketch by William Wordsworth. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for October 2, 2011. In 1842 the government awarded Wordsworth a civil list pension amounting to £300 a year. With the death in 1843 of Robert Southey, Wordsworth became the Poet Laureate. He initially refused the honour, saying he was too old, but accepted when Prime Minister Robert Peel assured him you shall have nothing required of you (he became the only laureate to write no official poetry). When his daughter, Dora, died in 1847, his production of poetry came to a standstill. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Animals, Instruction, Nature, Philosophy, Poetry

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 9 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Philosophy, Satire, Animals, Children, Fairy tales

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Les Fables de La Fontaine constituent la principale œuvre poétique du classicisme, et l'un des plus grands chefs d'œuvre de la littérature française. Le tour de force de La Fontaine est de donner par son travail une haute valeur à un genre qui jusque-là n'avait aucune dignité littéraire et était réservé aux exercices scolaires de rhétorique et de latin. Les Fables ont été écrites entre 1668 et 1694. La plupart mettent en scène des animaux anthropomorphes et contiennent une morale. En voici le cinquième livre. (Adapté de Wikipedia par Ezwa)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire, Teen/Young adult

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Voici le troisième des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et ont été enregistrées par des lecteurs de divers horizons. This is the third book from a collection of 12. The fables were written and first published in the 17th century. They portray humans' behaviour in the society. (Summary by Ezwa)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Ce onzième livre des fables de Jean de La Fontaine est celui qui contient le plus petit nombre de fables: 10. Toutefois, les textes de ces fables sont plus élaborés que ceux des textes des premiers livres du fabuliste. Le message est plus songé et aussi... moins accessible, ce qui pourrait expliquer que ces fables soient moins connues du grand public. (de Jean Lambert)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk is another in the long list children's books by the conservationist, Thornton W. Burgess. In this book, Jimmy Skunk has encounters with Reddy Fox, Peter Rabbit, Unc’ Billy Possum and other acquaintances of his in the Green Meadows and Green Forest. Along the way, we learn some of the habits of Jimmy and his friends and we learn little lessons about life such as the importance of always keeping one's temper, keeping promises and not playing practical jokes. We are also treated to a philosophical discussion by Jimmy Skunk on the advantages of defensive weaponry. (Summary by John Lieder.)...

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Children, Nature, Animals

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 6 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Philosophy, Satire, Children, Animals, Fairy tales

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 11 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Animals, Children, Fairy tales, Satire, Philosophy

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Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 3 of 12. (Summary by Chip)...

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Philosophy, Satire, Animals, Children, Fairy tales

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Voici le second des douze livres des Fables de La Fontaine. Celles-ci datent du XVIIe siècle et ont été enregistrées par des lecteurs de divers horizons. This is the second book from a collection of 12. The fables were written and first published in the 17th century. They portray humans' behaviour in the society. (Summary by Ezwa)....

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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En mettant en scène les animaux, Jean de La Fontaine met en lumière les travers, les fourberies, l'orgueil, l'envie, les désirs, bref les qualités et les caractéristiques sociales des hommes. Chacune des 21 fables qui composent ce cinquième livre des fables de l'auteur ne manquent pas de mordre dans cette nature humaine qui nous définit. (De Jean LAMBERT)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Chesterton and Shaw were famous friends and enjoyed their arguments and discussions. Although rarely in agreement, they both maintained good-will towards and respect for each other. However, in his writing, Chesterton expressed himself very plainly on where they differed and why. In Heretics he writes of Shaw: “After belabouring a great many people for a great many years for being unprogressive, Mr. Shaw has discovered, with characteristic sense, that it is very doubtful whether any existing human being with two legs can be progressive at all. Having come to doubt whether humanity can be combined with progress, most people, easily pleased, would have elected to abandon progress and remain with humanity. Mr. Shaw, not being easily pleased, decides to throw over humanity with all its limitations and go in for progress for its own sake. If man, as we know him, is incapable of the philosophy of progress, Mr. Shaw asks, not for a new kind of philosophy, but for a new kind of man. It is rather as if a nurse had tried a rather bitter food for some years on a baby, and on discovering that it was not suitable, should not throw away the food ...

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Biography

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A guide for Christians to walk a godly life. Covering various practical and spiritual topics.

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Religion, Philosophy

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“The Letters contained in this little Volume embrace some of the most important points of the science of Chemistry, in their application to Natural Philosophy, Physiology, Agriculture, and Commerce. Some of them treat of subjects which have already been, or will hereafter be, more fully discussed in my larger works. They were intended to be mere sketches, and were written for the especial purpose of exciting the attention of governments, and an enlightened public, to the necessity of establishing Schools of Chemistry, and of promoting by every means, the study of a science so intimately connected with the arts, pursuits, and social well-being of modern civilised nations.” –Justus Liebig, August 1843...

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Science

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Joseph Priestley, FRS (13 March 1733 (O.S.) – 6 February 1804) was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works. In “Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air,” he reviews experiments with gases. A common theme in this work is measuring the volumes of gases held in glass tubes, and their increase or decrease when exposed to other substances. He also tests the effects of gases on mice, plants and insects. Priestley demonstrated that fixed air (now known as CO2) can be produced from several reactions including alcoholic fermentation, combustion and a mixture of oil of vitriol and chalk (sulfuric acid and calcium oxide). He also showed that it is soluble in water, and that its toxic effects can be reduced when agitated in water. In other experiments, he showed that combinations of gases can mix to form a smaller volume than the sum of both separate gases, as when he combined common air (atmospheric air) with nitrous air (nitric oxide, NO). For some experiments, Priestley tests whether the properties of gases change when...

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Science

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A collection of short nonfiction works in the public domain. The selections included in this collection were independently chosen by the readers, and the topics encompass history, war, farming, slavery, education, philosophy, and nature. (summary by J. M. Smallheer)...

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Essay/Short nonfiction

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volunteers bring you 13 recordings of The Higher Pantheism by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This was the Weekly Poetry project for September 18, 2011. Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language. ( Summary by Wikipedia )...

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Animals, Instruction, Nature, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Poetry

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Au milieu du XVIIième siècle, le grand Fabuliste français Jean de La Fontaine éleva la fable au rang de genre littéraire par l'art achevé de son écriture qui, pour autant, ne gâche pas le plaisir du lecteur de reconnaître ses semblables sous les traits du genre animal et à bien rire de ces petites histoires où les travers des hommes affleurent. Le rire, n'est-ce pas l'une des meilleures avenues de la pédagogie? En voici la preuve avec ce troisième livre. (Résumé par Jean Lambert)...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Bennett's essays always provide food for thought and bring a wry smile to the lips. Human nature, it appears, changes little over the ages, and Bennett, as always, stands the test of time, though in the case of some of the essays in this eclectic collection, it is well to remember that they were written at the time of the First World War and the fight for women's suffrage. (Summary by Ruth Golding)...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, Humor, Philosophy, Satire

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Le second livre des Fables de La Fontaine confirme le grand talent du plus célèbre fabuliste. Son art achevé de l'expression du verbe qu'il place dans la bouche d'un règne animal complice malgré lui de nos travers, ajoute au plaisir d'une langue savoureuse maniée avec la plus grande dextérité. Allez! avez-vous le goût difficile? ( Jean Lambert )...

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Animals, Children, Philosophy, Satire

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Walden by Henry David Thoreau is one of the best-known non-fiction books written by an American. Published in 1854, it details Thoreau’s life for two years, two months, and two days around the shores of Walden Pond. Walden is neither a novel nor a true autobiography, but a social critique of the Western World, with each chapter heralding some aspect of humanity that needed to be either renounced or praised. Along with his critique of the civilized world, Thoreau examines other issues afflicting man in society, ranging from economy and reading to solitude and higher laws. He also takes time to talk about the experience at Walden Pond itself, commenting on the animals and the way people treated him for living there, using those experiences to bring out his philosophical positions. This extended commentary on nature has often been interpreted as a strong statement to the natural religion that transcendentalists like Thoreau and Emerson were preaching. (Description amended from Wikipedia)....

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Nature, Philosophy

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Arthur Schopenhauer, an early 19th century philosopher, made significant contributions to metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. His work also informed theories of evolution and psychology, largely through his theory of the will to power – a concept which Nietzsche famously adopted and developed. Despite this, he is today, as he was during his life, overshadowed by his contemporary, Hegel. Schopenhauer's social/psychological views, put forth in this work and in others, are directly derived from his metaphysics, which was strongly influenced by Eastern thought. His pessimism forms an interesting and perhaps questionable contrast with his obvious joy in self-expression, both in the elegance of his prose and in his practice of playing the flute nightly. His brilliance, poetry, and crushing pessimism can be seen immediately in this work, as for example in this claim from the first chapter: The pleasure in this world, it has been said, outweighs the pain; or, at any rate, there is an even balance between the two. If the reader wishes to see shortly whether this statement is true, let him compare the respective feelings of two animals, one ...

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Philosophy

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These articles, pamphlets, and stories relating to the Girls Scouts of America touch on the history, activities, ideals, and traditions of this remarkable girls' organization. Though some of the articles appear redundant, they were selected to represent a contemporary view spanning five years of the organization's early popularity (1917-1921). Of significance are the detailed descriptions of Girl Scout involvement in war work during what is now known as World War I. Girl Scouts were prepared through their training for merit badges to be independent, resourceful, reliable, and helpful. They were able to make their own clothes, grow and cook their own food, care for the sick, and start a small business--skills that prepared young women for their future roles as homemakers, workers, and citizens.A version of the story The Brownies is still part of the Brownie Girl Scout literature into the 21st century. http://books.google.com/books?id=lZNHAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA709#v=onepage&q&f=false The Encyclopaedia and Dictionary of Education edited by Foster Watson (1921) provides the following explanation under the entry for Girl Guides: The 'Brownies' a...

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Essay/Short nonfiction, Children, Philosophy