192 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [6:7-Oct., 1910 



While it may be undesirable to systematize nature-study like 

 a science, the course should hang together logically. There are 

 too many courses, so called, which are mere lists of unrelated 

 topics and only serve to prevent duplication. We should have a 

 reason for every topic introduced into the course and for assign- 

 ing it a certain place in the course. It should be related to other 

 topics. Some underlying motives, aims or principles, as above 

 mentioned, should run through and underly the whole course. If 

 all the topics chosen were thus associated, there would be suffi- 

 cient unity. Because somebody cannot make head or tail of a 

 course some one else has constructed, does not argue necessarily 

 that there is no such distinction or correlation. Unless a com- 

 plete key is supplied to a course of study, it will always seem to 

 lack organization. The task of organizing, and the testing of a 

 course for organization, are made easier by keeping in mind the 

 principles of aim and method I have here set forth. 



One further principle I should add is that of correlation 

 with other subjects. Here, again, we find a wide difference of 

 opinion, which has resulted in widely different courses. Shall 

 we correlate with literature and art as is so generally done in the 

 primary grades ; shall we correlate with geography, which would 

 lead to a beautiful, simple course ; or shall manual training, do- 

 mestic science, or physiology and hygiene be the centers of corre- 

 lation ? These questions will be answered according to our inter- 

 est in these subjects. I do not think it wise to decide as yet as to 

 which shall predominate. We shall have to experiment further 

 before deciding. But correlate we should. This will increase the 

 efficiency of nature-study. 



I have presented the chief aims and principles of method 

 that govern the construction of nature-study courses. Nature 

 presents such an embarrassment of riches that we cannot possibly 

 tc-ke all. We must ruthlessly exclude the larger part. The basis 

 of selection must be found in the time allowance and in the prin- 

 ciples discussed in this paper. 



