276 Fifth Conference 



Thou pourest on him thy soft influences, 



Thy sunny hues, fair forms, and breathing sweets, 



Thy melodies of woods and winds and waters : 



Till he relent and can no more endure 



To be a jarring and a dissonant thing 



Amidst this general dance and minstrelsy : 



But bursting into tears, wins back his way, 



His angry spirit healed and harmonized 



By the benignant touch of love and beauty". 



It is only in the light of larger and more per- 

 manent considerations that we can ever hope to see 

 the small details of life and of education in their true 

 perspective and proportion. And those of us who are 

 seeking to know what exercises, lessons, and methods 

 are best for encouraging Nature-study among the 

 young, may find it helpful sometimes to project our 

 thoughts forward, and to ask what ought to be the 

 ultimate influence of such study in after-life, when 

 the pupil becomes a citizen, a thinker, and a worker, 

 and the master or mistress of an intelligent and 

 happy home. 



NATURE-STUDY AS AN ELEMENT OF 



CULTURE 



BY MR. M. E. SADLER, DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL INQUIRIES 

 TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION 



Mr. M. E. Sadler (Director of Special Inquiries and 

 Reports to the Board of Education), speaking on 

 " Nature-study as an element of culture ", maintained 

 that some first-hand study of nature is an indis- 

 pensable part of a liberal education, more especially 



