158 THE NATURE-STUDY IDEA 



the fact so much as we do now. But the more 

 closely we come into touch with nature the less 

 do we publish the fact abroad. We may hear 

 less about it, but it will be because we are living 

 nearer to it and have ceased to feel the necessity 

 of advertising it. 



A thing may not be nature-study merely because 

 it is so called. A superintendent told me that he 

 had forbidden nature-study in his schools. I asked 

 him what the work had been. He said that it was 

 the dissecting of cats. A publisher told me that 

 nature-study is waning. I asked why he thought 

 so. He replied that his nature-study books were 

 not selling as well as they did. I told him that I 

 was glad. 



Much that is called nature-study is only diluted 

 and sugar-coated science. This will pass. Some 

 of it is mere sentimentalism. This also will pass. 

 With the changes, the term nature-study may fall 

 into disuse ; but the name matters little so long 

 as we hold to the essence. 



All new things must be unduly emphasized, else 

 they cannot gain a foothold in competition with 

 things that are established. For a day, some new 

 movement is announced in the daily papers, and 

 then, because we do not see the head lines, we 

 think that the movement is dead ; but usually when 

 things are heralded they have only just appeared. 

 So long as the sun shines and the fields are green 

 we shall need to go to nature for our inspiration 

 and our respite ; and our need is the greater with 

 every increasing complexity of our lives. 



