peck] a neglected side of nature-study 123 



in proving that sprouting beans give off carbonic acid gas it is 

 very difficult for each one to see for himself that the lime water in 

 the glass vessel with the beans really is milky. If, on the other 

 hand, a teacher giving a lesson on fighting fire, sets fire to a small 

 pan of gasoline, and then slips a cover tightly over the edge, the 

 child sees at once what smothering a fire means. 



One object of education is to open our eyes to the things about 

 us. A study of trees or birds opens up a whole world of enjoy- 

 ment which ever surrounds the country or village child. There 

 is a like wealth of culture and enjoyment in the electric wires, the 

 motor cars, and the constant building operations which surround 

 the city child, if he only learns to take an intelligent interest in 

 them. 



Lessons of this sort, moreover, offer an excellent opportunity 

 for training the reasoning powers. A magnetized knitting 

 needle is suspended by a thread, a little flag of bright red paper at 

 one end and a green one at the other. It slowly swings till it 

 points to the north. Another one exactly similar is brought 

 near. What happens when the green flags are together? What 

 when the red flags approach? What is the rule we have dis- 

 covered? Here is a bar magnet. Which end of this magnet is a 

 north pole? Decide from the behavior of the needle. Has this 

 horseshoe magnet two kinds of poles? Each time there is a 

 chance for thought, discussion, and then a truly scientific settling 

 of the question by an actual experiment which every one can see. 

 If we should cut one needle in two would each piece still have 

 two poles? Try it. Suppose we keep on cutting it. An 

 ordinary wire cutter maker this easy. Take a fresh needle and 

 stroke one way with the north pole of our magnet. Which will 

 be the north pole of our new magnet? Why do compass needles 

 point north ? What sort of a pole is there in the Arctic regions ? 

 What makes masses of iron ore sometimes magnetic ? Why does 

 the bit used in drilling oil wells often become a magnet ? Why 

 does it cease to be one when heated in retempering it? Try 

 heating our knitting needle in the gas flame. 



Does all this belong only to the handful who take physics in the 

 high school? 



