SKiLLiNG] PHYSICAL NATURE-STUDY 291 



If this is all, we send the pupils out with a one-sided view of 

 nature, and those who take no science in the high school will always 

 remain ignorant of many of the fundamental facts and processes of 

 nature, a knowledge of which adds so much to the ethical apprecia- 

 tion and social efficiency of the student. 



There is no reason (in the nature of the child at least) why a 

 course may not be given which shall be introductory to the physical 

 or inorganic sciences. That such a course is not oftener given is 

 usually due to the fact that the teacher does not feel competent to 

 discuss this subject matter and devise the little experiments neces- 

 sary for demonstration. Experience has proved that children of 

 the upper grammar grades take a more vital interest in the pro- 

 cesses of inorganic nature than they do in the old-fashioned 

 "object lesson" or in work which is exclusively biological. The 

 difficulty of adapting material drawn from the sciences of physics, 

 chemistry, physical geography, and astronomy, is considered so 

 great by teachers that they are tempted to content themselves with 

 the more objective material supplied by botany and zoology. A 

 study of flowers and butterflies may suffice in the primary grades, 

 but when the child's "what" changes to "why," we must put him 

 into contact with some of the easily demonstrated laws of nature 

 and let him feel that he is coming into a knowledge of the forces 

 about him. 



The work of this course shoiild not be considered an addition to 

 an already crowded curriculum, but as a substitute for an over 

 abundance of biological nature-study. There is a gain, however, 

 in labeling this year's work "Introduction to Science" or some such 

 phrase. A new name, to pupils who feel that they are outgrowing 

 "nature-study," will give new interest to the work. In like 

 manner the name "agriculture" is to be preferred as a title for the 

 school garden operations of the upper grades. 



While it will not be possible within the limits of one or two brief 

 articles to thoroughly discuss such a course, an attempt will be 

 made to outline the work and to give such illustrative material as 

 may be possible to suggest rather than to fully describe the work 

 possible in physical nature-study. 



The sciences contributing most to this division of nature-study 

 are physics, chemistry, meteorology and astronomy. Following 

 is an outline of subject matter which is susceptible of being put into 

 form intelligible and interesting to children: 



