178 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [ 2 . 5 _ MAY) igo6 



world to change the sum-total of heredity; that is a fixed quantity and 

 will always exert its influence in a line along which the individual 

 will move forever unless acted upon by some other force. The only 

 other force, or factor, which may exert its influences is, as before 

 stated, environment; and the business of all education is concerned 

 with placing the child in such environment, or placing such an environ- 

 ment about the child, as will, reacting upon heredity, result is the 

 best development of character. 



I need only call attention to the fact that through the process of 

 evolution we have come up out of nature, of which we were once a 

 part, to secure recognition of the fact that heredity is largely an 

 inheritance from nature. The mind and soul of man, as well as his 

 body, have their roots deep in nature-environment of the race dur- 

 ing the millions of ages that are past. His habits are a result of 

 the struggle for existence, which is and has been chiefly a struggle 

 with natural environment; all his forms of expression, such as lan- 

 guage and art, have drawn their elements from the sense-perceptions 

 which nature impressed upon his evolving soul; and since natural 

 environment has been so potent a factor in the past, it is fair to assume 

 that it has in it the possibilities of great influence in the present. 



As stated before, the function of education is to regulate the 

 educational environment of the child; and the most important parts 

 of that environment are, of course, the school, the teacher, and the 

 course of study. The business of those having oversight of educa- 

 tion is to fit the school, the course of study and the teacher to the 

 heredity of the child in such a way that his educational environment 

 may best act, with or against heredity, but always in the direction of 

 right character. 



The school should be in the midst of nature, the course of 

 study should be firmly grounded in the things of nature; and the 

 teacher should be able and willing to make use of nature constantly 

 in forming the characters of the children placed in her charge. 



II. The Fundamental Need 

 Need I say that of these three branches of educational environ- 

 ment, the most important is the teacher? I think not; for I believe 

 all recognize the teacher as the one who, by her own activity and 

 personality, must supply whatever is lacking from the school and the 

 course of study that is potent in the development of character. She 



