106 The Nature-Study Idea 



illustrated in the attitude of children toward the 

 farm. In a certain rural school in New York 

 state of say forty-five pupils, I asked all those 

 children that lived on farms to raise their 

 hands : all hands but one went up. I then asked 

 all those who wanted to live on the farm to 

 raise their hands: only that one hand went up. 

 Now, these children were too young to feel the 

 appeal of more bushels of potatoes or more 

 pounds of wool, yet they had this early formed 

 their dislike of the farm. Some of this dislike 

 is probably only an ill-defined desire for a mere 

 change, such as one finds in all occupations, but 

 I am convinced that the larger part of it was 

 a genuine dissatisfaction with farm life. These 

 children felt that their lot was less attractive 

 than that of other children; I concluded that a 

 flower-garden and a pleasant yard would do 

 more to content them with living on the farm 

 than ten more bushels of wheat to the acre. 

 Of course, it is the greater and better yield that 

 will enable the farmer to supply these amenities ; 

 but at the same time it must be remembered that 

 the increased yield does not itself awaken a 



