THE 



NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



DEVOTED TO ALL PHASES OF NATURE-STUDY IN SCHOOLS 



Vol. 4 JANUARY, 1908 No. 1 



FIRST MEETING OF AMERICAN NATURE-STUDY SOCIETY 



Report of the Secretary 



The first meeting of the American Nature-Study Society was 

 held at the University of Chicago on January 2, 1908. Professor 

 L. H. Bailey, chairman of the Organizing Committee, was un- 

 able to be present and the Committee appointed Professor Otis 

 W. Caldwell, of the University of Chicago, vice-chairman. 



The first hour was devoted to hearing (1) the report of the 

 Organizing Committee, which is given below, (2) to discussion of 

 various points in the proposed constitution, leading to some 

 changes and finally to adoption by unanimous vote; and (3) 

 election of officers for 1908. The suggestion made in the Decem- 

 ber Review that final vote be taken by mail was deemed im- 

 practicable by all members present and by many who had 

 written their suggestions. It seemed highly desirable that the 

 first meeting should be followed by the announcement of com- 

 pleted organization. 



Following the transaction of business, a series of short papers 

 opened discussion of the topic, "Should Nature-Study be dif- 

 ferentiated from Science Teaching?" This topic was selected 

 because so many men of science have questioned whether there is 

 a distinct field for the new society. The result of the discussion 

 was satisfactory, for near the close of the meeting there was 

 evidently agreement that, however much those entering the 

 discussion disagreed on minor points, nature-study adapted to 

 young children differs from the science of higher schools suffi- 

 ciently to warrant the name "nature-study," at least as a 

 matter of great convenience in handling the educational problems 

 of the most elementary studies of nature. The papers read and 

 abstracts of the discussion will be printed in The Review as 



rapidly as space allows. 



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