188 NATURE STUD} REVIEW f&7- Oct., »i© 



little or nothing about the spirit of history, but says much about 

 facts relative to the lives and interrelations of man and the sig- 

 nificance of those facts. Indeed, he is much concerned about 

 his facts and their meaning. He has graded these facts and in- 

 terpretations to the native interests and abilities of his pupils so 

 that they may seem worth while to them. If he maintains a 

 truth-seeking attitude withal, in some way there develops from 

 his teaching a love for study of the lives and doings of men, and 

 a method by use of which pupils may of their own initiative go on 

 with safety and profit into new interests. It is the truths of his- 

 tory and their significance, not primarily the spirit of history, 

 that interests him. But truths of history and justifiable interpre- 

 tations of the significance of those truths are attained through 

 interest in and respect for truth, and the possession of workable 

 methods of finding truth. 



In nature-study, it seems to me, the truths of nature, their 

 significance, and reliable ways of finding both of these things is 

 •our immediate goal. The larger ends — interest, proper attitude 

 •of mind, intellectual and industrial efficiency with nature ma- 

 terials, concrete knowledge, and belief in law, cannot be attained 

 except through this constant attention to immediate ends. 



Definite organization has been necessary in other subjects. 

 In history, arithmetic, etc., we have had little success when we 

 depended upon casual meetings with the field to offer our oppor- 

 tunity for study. Furthermore, we have found by experience 

 that some truths and relations in these subjects are better fitted 

 to lower grades, others to higher grades, and have therefore 

 organized courses in these subjects. Imagine what confusion 

 there would result should we accept the day's casual occurrences 

 as guide for all work of the day. The eighth grade class might 

 consider the simple problem of how much two pounds of steak 

 cost at 25 cents per pound, while the first grade might coincide 

 with the calculation of the size of the wheel-rim that the toy 

 wagon must have in order that the wagon may be raised to the 

 desired height. We want all our school materials to bear close 

 contact with practical life, but it does not follow that all things 

 that occur in practical life are usable in instruction in any grade. 

 In nature-study, the casual and irregularly periodic study has 

 given a comparable result in that it is intangible, indefinite and 

 often not discoverable. 



There are some teachers who have been experimenting with 

 plans that look toward an organization and gradation of nature 



