Rural School Leaflet 795 



THE POINT OF VIEW* 

 L. H. Bailey 



A FUNDAMENTAL necessity to successful living is to be in sym- 

 pathy with the nature-environment in which one is placed. This 

 sympathy is bom of good knowledge of the objects and phenomena in 

 the environment. The process of acquiring this knowledge and of arriv- 

 ing at this sympathy is now popularly called nature-study. 



The nature-study process and point of view should be a part of the 

 work of all schools, because schools train persons to live. Particularly 

 should it be a part of rural schools, because the nature-environment is the 

 controlling condition for all persons who live on the land. There is no ef- 

 fective living in the open country unless the mind is sensitive to the 

 objects and phenomena of the open country; and no thoroughly good 

 farming is possible without this same knowledge and outlook. Good 

 farmers are good naturalists. 



For many years it has been one of the purposes of the College of 

 Agriculture in New York to point the way to this nature-sympathy; 

 and inasmuch as this nature-sympathy is fundamental to all good farm- 

 ing, it was conceived that the first duty of any movement was to lend 

 the effort to the establishing of an intelligent interest in the whole en- 

 vironment — to knowledge of fields and weather, trees, birds, fish, frogs, 

 soils, domestic animals. It would be incorrect to begin first with the 

 specific agricultural phases of the environment, for the agricultural 

 phase (as any other special phase) needs a foundation and a base: it is 

 only one part of a point of view. Moreover, to begin with a discussion of 

 the so-called "useful" or "practical" objects, as many advise, would be 

 to teach falsely, for, as these objects are only part of the environment, 

 to single them out and neglect the other subjects would result in a partial 

 and untrue outlook to natiire; in fact, it is just this partial and preju- 

 diced outlook that we need to correct. 



In our own work, we have always had in view the agricultural aim 

 or application. We should have been glad if there had been sufficient 

 nature-study sentiment to have enabled us to confine ourselves to the 

 agricultural aim; but this sentiment had to be created or quickened, 

 and we have tried to contribute our part toward accomplishing this 

 result. At first it was impossible to secure much hearing for the agri- 

 cultural subjects. Year by year such hearing has been more readily 

 given, and the work has been turned in this direction as rapidly as the 

 conditions would admit — for it is the special mission of an agricultural 



*Reprinted from the September, 191 1, Leaflet. 



