hodge] HUMAN INTEREST AND NATURE-STUDY 405 



"Making a topic interesting" is legitimate only when we show 

 its real relation to life when we "humanize" it, when we "broaden 

 the basis of life and intelligence" to include and cover it. If we 

 choose the right subject matter, however, this relation should be 

 so direct and intimate that we shall need to devote a little time or 

 effort to this end. Do we have to work hard to get little 

 ducklings to take to water? 



A brief reference to accepted definitions of "interest" may help 

 us to view the matter from a slightly different angle. 



A dictionary definition of interest is: "Attention with a sense 

 of the special importance of a thing to oneself." Dewey has con- 

 structed a technically educational definition as follows: 



"Genuine interest, in education, is the accompaniment of the 

 identification through action, of the self with some object or idea, 

 because of the necessity of that object or idea for the maintenance 

 of self-expression" (and in further explanation he says) "Self- 

 expression in which the psychical energy assimilates material 

 because of the recognized value of this material in aiding the self 

 to reach its end, does not find it necessary to oppose interest to 

 effort. Effort is the result of interest, and indicates the persistent 

 outgo of activities in attaining an end felt as valuable; while 

 interest is the consciousness of the value of this end, and of the 

 means necessary to realize it." 



We owe much to the Herbartians for proving that there is no 

 real antagonism between education of interest and education of 

 discipline, the best discipline and the highest effort being obtained 

 when interest is deepest and most whole-souled. 



May we not, then, frame a definition of interest, not technical 

 but of universal application to life, in the following simple terms? 

 Interest is the relation of the organism to those elements in nature 

 that are of vital importance to its life. 



"How could youths better learn to live than by at once trying 

 the experiment of living' Methinks this would exercise their 

 minds as much as mathematics." (Thoreau) In the extremely 

 complex problems of human education and life our aim must be to 

 select the fundamental and universal for elementary instruction, 

 relegating to later and more special education all those interests 

 that are differentiated and technical, related to special trades, 

 occupations or professions. And the more artificial, bookish, and 

 superficial the child's life and education becomes, the more urgently 



