Lord Balfour's Address 181 



riculum of the training colleges so that those who 

 enter the colleges may have an opportunity of being 

 instructed in Nature-study. Our aim is to make 

 school-life as interesting to the children as possible, 

 to cultivate their faculties, and to enable them to take 

 an intelligent interest in the world about them. I 

 trust that I am not too sanguine in saying that this 

 form of study is to be a recreation for pupils and 

 teachers. Primarily the object we have in view is not 

 the acquisition of facts, but to give the children an 

 opportunity for accurate observation. Professor 

 Bickmore, of New York, will explain to us his 

 methods of instruction. We welcome him among us, 

 and we do not regard him as a stranger. In fact any 

 one coming from the United States may look upon 

 this country as a second home. There is nothing 

 which is more likely to promote a kindly and friendly 

 feeling between the two countries than that we should 

 understand and learn each other's aspirations. I have 

 much pleasure in asking Mr. Choate, the American 

 Ambassador, to introduce Professor Bickmore. 



Mr. CHOATE said: I desire to thank Lord Balfour 

 for the very cordial manner in which he has referred 

 to the United States and to myself. I shall not detain 

 you long, my duty being merely to introduce to you 

 Professor Bickmore, who will, I am sure, delight you, 

 as he has delighted numberless audiences in America 



o 



for many years past. For between thirty and forty 

 years I have been acquainted with Professor Bick- 

 more in connection with the American Museum of 

 Natural History in New York, where he has done a 

 great work for the promotion of natural history. He 

 has also for many years worked in departments of 



