152 THE NATURE-STUDY IDEA 



are led to see and to know the nature in which 

 they are. In such camping-out experiences the 

 youth comes hard against actuaHties. He gathers 

 materials that are his own and that become a part 

 of his capital throughout his life. He comes to 

 his own conclusions and to think for himself, 

 not merely to absorb his knowledge and opinions 

 from teachers and books. In later life he may 

 never have another opportunity to get this 

 actual experience. 



I wonder how many persons ever saw the sun 

 rise? 



Will not this nature-study work interfere with school 

 discipline F 



That all depends on what you mean by ^* disci- 

 pline.'' If you mean perfect ^' order," the child 

 sitting erect with clasped hands, then nature-study 

 work may annoy you. If you mean only that the 

 child is well-behaved, obedient and quiet, then no 

 ill result should come from the nature-study eflfort. 

 Nature-study should supply some of the '' busy 

 work'' between the regular periods. Really, the 

 best means to secure good discipline is to keep the 

 child busy and interested. ^* Discipline " is then a 

 mere incident. 



The greater number of mischievous and refrac- 

 tory children can be interested in some piece of 

 personal work or investigation. The boy who is 

 *^ licked" at home and punished at school is likely 

 to spend his time midway between the two; and 

 yet he may be easy to reach if only he is 

 understood. 



