1248 



Rural School Leaflet 



as unworldly as a child, and as simple and transparent. We have had 

 better trained and more scientific ornithologists since his day, but none 

 with his abandon and poetic fervor in the study of our birds." 



COUNTRY LIFE TEACHING 



THE POINT OF VIEW * 



L. H. Bailey 



FUNDAMENTAL necessity to successful 

 living is to be in sympathy with the nature- 

 environment in which one is placed. This 

 sympathy is born of good knowledge of 

 the objects and phenomena in the 

 environment. The process of acquiring this 

 knowledge and of arriving 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, be- 

 cause schools train persons to live. Particularly 

 should it be a part of rural schools, because 

 nature-environment is the controlling condition 

 for all persons who live on the land. There is no 

 effective 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 Agri- 

 culture in New York to point the way to this nature-sympathy: and, 

 inasmuch as this nature-sympathy is fundamental to all good farming, 

 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 environment — 

 to knowledge of fields and weather, trees, birds, fish, frogs, soils, domestic 

 animals. It would be incorrect to begin first with the specific agricul- 

 tural phase 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 because they are practical, 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 nature; in fact, it is just this 

 partial and prejudiced outlook that we need to correct. But because 

 certain objects and subjects are " practical " is of course no reason why 

 they should be avoided. The web of life is woven of many strands. 



♦Reprinted, with modifications, from the September, 1012, Rural School Leaflet. 



