250 THE NA TURKS TUD Y RE VIE IV la . 7 _ocr., .906 



ceded by most teachers that the method of nature-study is gradually 

 revolutionizing the methods of teaching the ordinary subjects of the 

 school; and I believe that if the broader meaning of nature-study as 

 indicated above were more fully understood and were acted upon by 

 our teachers, public opinion would soon compel the framers of our 

 school curricula to make nature-study the real basis of our school 

 effort, and to relegate the present unnatural course to the museum of 

 antiquities. 



The Macdonald movement in Canada is an effort to construct 

 something better along educational lines thin that which now obtains 

 in rural districts. "The movement has nothing destructive in it. It 

 does not desire to destroy anything good that now exists, but it hopes 

 to construct something better and thereby displace what is poor. It 

 aims at helping the rural population to understand better what" 

 education is and what it may do for them and for their children." 

 One feature of the movement is to show the value of consolidation of 

 schools by the establishment of rural consolidated schools, well 

 equipped with competent staffs for teaching, along with the ordinary 

 subjects, manual training, domestic science, and nature-study where 

 school-garden work is emphasized. 



In most of these Macdonald schools the term nature-study has 

 bean given the broad significance with the most gratifying results. 

 These schools might in all fairness be called "Schools of Affairs." 



At the Consolidated School, Guelph, Ontario, an effort was made 

 last winter by the principal, J. W. Hotson, to gather in the larger boys 

 who would not attend a smaller school presided over by a female 

 teacher or by a male teacher of very limited experience, and to give 

 them instruction along practical lines which would appeal especially 

 to farm life. The boys responded to the appeal, and a class of 

 twelve young men, ten of whom were over twenty years of age, was 

 formed under the direct charge of Mr. Hotson himself. The course 

 was to last six weeks, but owing to the interest taken, it extended 

 over three months, or until farm operations'required their attention at 

 home. From personal observation of the work that was clone I agree 

 with Mr. Hotson that the results of the experiment were among the 

 most encouraging features of the consolidation experiment at Guelph, 

 and that this course has done more perhaps to popularize consolida- 

 tion than any other phase of the work. Following is Mr. Hotson \s 

 synopsis of the course offered : 



Without going too much into detail, this course included reading, writing, 



