Mr. Rose's Address 211 



operator is always the one who aids rather than resists 

 healthy natural tendencies, and if only the constant 

 watcher can rightly appreciate those tendencies, then 

 surely he is to be held the most prudent teacher who 

 soonest recognizes in the child's ceaseless endeavour to 

 escape monotony some natural prompting which ought 

 not to be unnecessarily thwarted. 



And in trying to meet satisfactorily that craving 

 for diversity of thought and action, the teacher finds 

 nothing more suitable for the purposes of a delightful 

 change-subject than true Nature-study. 



The child can in no other way be supplied with so 

 unfailing a sequence of the interesting and the un- 

 expected. 



There is no subject forming part of the curriculum 

 of an elementary school which will interest all children. 



There are some subjects which seem at times to fail 

 to interest any children. 



But of all subjects Nature- study will leave the 

 fewest scholars untouched. 



The awakening of dormant and unsuspected powers 

 of appreciation is greater, perhaps, under its influence 

 than under any other. 



In many instances school -days would have left 

 absolutely no treasured memories for maturer years 

 if Nature-study had not been pursued ; and only the 

 teacher knows the teacher's feelings when he meets 

 an ex-scholar who cannot reasonably be expected to 

 look back upon school-days with pleasure. 



It is in overcoming such difficulties as are con- 

 tinually met with during definitely-planned rambles 

 that the spirit of comradeship between teacher and 

 pupils will be at its brightest. 



