BOOK REVIEWS 431 



first demand we make is that the boy or girl shall be self-supporting. 

 That assured, he should have a ready command of language to 

 communicate effectively with his fellows and take his place easily 

 in society ; he should know his local social and political institutions 

 and be habituated to use them wisely; he should be led to appreciate 

 art as a means of enjoyment and stimulation. 



What an opportunity is offered the wise superintendent to lead 

 a community out of educational stagnation into such an adjustment 

 to the modern environment as will make for renewed social prog- 

 ress. One dares almost hope for the amelioration of poverty and 

 vice when schools address themselves to problems of production and 

 the establishment of habits. 



Nature-study, and the nature-study method in gardening, agri- 

 culture, and elementary science as a whole has its opportunity. If 

 schools do not continue to adopt it, it will be because its leaders 

 are too stupid to formulate wisely the subject matter and train 

 teachers adeuqately. Indeed even such stupidity can not long 

 stay its progress. It is a manifestation of the rising tide of popular 

 commonsense education and that may be checked but not stopped. 



Book Reviews 



Agricultural Education for Teachers. G. A. Bricker. Pp. 

 172. American Book Company. Si. 00. 

 In glancing over the chapter titles, Chapter 7 was the one that 

 arrested attention: Elementary Agriculture and Nature Study. 

 The author is of the opinion that the "enthusiasm which has in 

 past years characterized the Nature-Study movement is on the 

 wane," and that the "Nature-Study idea does not today command 

 the prestige and attention in the educational world that it promised 

 only a few years ago." He does think it has won a permanent 

 place in the elementary school. The author then proceeds to dis- 

 cuss the purposes of Nature-Study, suggesting a number of aims, 

 and giving his opinion as to the relation between Nature-Study and 

 the sciences. Readers of the Review have seen a sufficient num- 

 ber of articles and editorials in our pages to make it evident that 

 our opinion as to the decadence of Nature-Study is directly con- 

 trary to that of the author, and furthermore we have presented 

 abundant evidence to substantiate our opinion. In Chapter 8, on 

 "What is Elementary Agriculture?" and Chapter q, on "Agricul- 



