macbride] nature-study AND SCIENCE 9 



ests. Since life itself is a struggle, wherever we raise a love we 

 define a possible line of battle ; and we are all in the world to fight 

 the good fight. Turn whichever way we will, it is only trifling 

 to attempt to escape this conflict, and, hence, the line between the 

 good and the evil in nature is essential in selecting the matter 

 which we include in our course in nature-study. In other words, 

 the good and the beautiful are realities upon which human life 

 and interests have taken fixed and definite hold. Bring the child 

 into acquaintance and intimacy with the proper things and his 

 love flows out to them as naturally as water flows down hill. If 

 we attempt to force upon him false relations and values, we have 

 the futile task of trying to turn the stream up hill. 



Success or failure of the whole movement depends on the sub- 

 ject-matter selected. If that is rich in universal human interest 

 and value, we shall hear no more about " waste of time on fads " 

 and '' new fangled notions," and nature will be accorded its right- 

 ful place as a great source of nourishment for our educational life. 



Ill 



BY PROFESSOR THOMAS H. MACBRIDE 

 State University of Iowa 



I am asked to discuss briefly the question, What is nature-study, 

 and especially to point out the distinction^ if such exist, between 

 nature-study and natural science as offered in the higher schools. 



The problem seems to me by no means diflicult, theoretically 

 at least ; in practice science-teaching in elementary courses may, 

 and probably should, include the nature-study idea as incidental. 

 Nature-study is simply a sympathetic attempt to bring known 

 truth concerning the natural world to the attention and compre- 

 hension of those who would learn. All that is offered in nature- 

 study to-day will be, of course, in accordance with the principles 

 of art and science ; art, in so far as it pertains to the discussion 

 of the beauty of outward form, science in all that pertains to exact 

 detail, whether of form, history, or underlying relationship and 

 origin. In other words, real nature-study is based upon real 

 science; differing from the more formal presentation of scientific 

 truth only in that it is less comprehensive, less complete, and in- 

 deed holds in view a different immediate purpose. The purpose 

 of the study of science is primarily the attainment of truth, of all 



