26 NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



Even the knowledge of a previously given name is unimportant ; 

 only the clear and distinct apprehension and the correct naming of 

 the general and particular attributes are important. . . . 



Let not the teacher of a country school object that he knows 

 nothing about natural objects, not even their names. Even if he has 

 had the scantiest education, by a dihgent observation of nature he 

 may gain a deeper and more thorough, more living, intrinsic, and 

 extrinsic knowledge of natural objects in their diversity and individu- 

 ality, than he can acquire from ordinary available books. 



Besides, that so-called higher knowledge rests, ordinarily, on 

 phenomena and observations within the reach of the plainest man, 

 observations which frequently — if he know how to use his eyes — 

 come to him w'ith little or no expense, in greater beauty than the 

 costliest experiment could yield them. But to this he must bring 

 himself by continued observation; to this he must let himself be 

 brought by the boys and youths around him. 



Parents should not be timid, should not object that they know 

 nothing themselves and do not know how to teach their children. If 

 they desire to know something, their ignorance is not the greatest 

 evil. Let them imitate the child's example ; let them become chil- 

 dren with the child, learners with the learner ; let them go to father 

 and mother, and with the child be taught by Mother Nature and by 

 the fatherly spirit of God in nature. The spirit of God and nature 

 will guide them. Froebel, Education of Man^ pp. 200 ff. 



From how much impossible cram, mental pretense, obliq- 

 uity, and distress such a natural relation would relieve the 

 teacher. It would bring us up to natural, ideal relations 

 of teacher to pupil, relations of mutual helpfulness, that 

 would sweeten and leaven the whole lump of our educa- 

 tional system and make it instinct with interest and life. 

 " If I could only tell teachers how easy it makes the whole 

 school go I would be satisfied," remarked a teacher who 

 had given this kind of nature study a trial. Instead 

 of being afraid or ashamed to say ''I don't know," the 



