1898.] ANNUAL REUNION. 159 



is an interest among the people themselves that is very deep 

 and heartfelt in this direction. We see it here tonight ; we 

 can sense it at every assembly of this kind. When beautiful 

 things are brought in from the world outside, we can feel it in 

 the school-room, — I always like to say this whenever I have 

 the opportunity in Worcester. Those of you who have had 

 the good fortune to visit almost any of our school-buildings 

 will find a veritable garden cultivated upon the narrow win- 

 dows and in the corners of the rooms. I am glad, too, that 

 our friends of Clark University have taken up this work, and 

 that they are emphasizing it in the largest and best way. 



I can just give you this one suggestion, that nature study, as 

 it is suggested to us at Clark University, means the relation of 

 things, and when we hear of the flowers, we hear of the insects 

 that destroy them ; and when we hear of the birds, we hear of 

 the insects that are related to the birds ; and when we hear of 

 the apple, we hear of the insects — that I believe I heard Dr. 

 Hodge speak of the other night — that destroy eighty per cent, 

 of all the apples that are blossomed and that would ripen but 

 for the influences that destroy them. I say this is the practical 

 side of nature study, and we have reason to be glad that Clark 

 University stands for something more than intellectualism, some- 

 thing that is practical. This reminds me of a little meeting that 

 was held the other night in the City Hall. We had a solemn 

 little conference, Mr. Hodge and myself, before hand. The point 

 was to get some apparatus for the Upsala street school and some 

 other material to go along with it. I told the doctor that if he 

 presented the case it would come out all right. He stated a few 

 of these little things as no one else could have done and the 

 committee most gracefully and vigorously voted all that he asked 

 for. I went out with one of them and he said: "I always 

 thought those university professors were cranks, but evidently 

 Dr. Hodge knows what he is talking about. There is something 

 practical about it." I say this for the doctor's encouragement, 

 and for this reason I am glad our friend, Mr. Appleton, has 

 suggested more forcibly than anyone, perhaps, here would dare 

 to the idea of introducing another study into the public school. 



