5 2 THE NA TURKS TUB Y RE VIE W [3 : 2_feb., 1907 



ture is ver'y useful, almost indispensable, but it should follow and not precede. 

 There is little value in resorting to picture study; let the picture be truly 

 supplementary. 



I do not wish to read into Dr. Grout's paper anything which is not there; 

 but without modification the inferences are not tenable. 



Fred L. Charles. 

 State Normal School, DeKalb, III. 



DR. HORNADAY'S "WEAKNESS OF NATURE-STUDY" 

 I 



To my thinking the real reason for the unsatisfactory condition of nature- 

 study in American schools in general is that it is practically impossible in 

 many places to find teachers who are competent to direct the study in an 

 intelligent manner. Dr. Hornaday's article on the subject seems to me very 

 far from being a helpful contribution. Surely he misstates and exaggerates on 

 his first page the difficulties of the situation. His derision of ^'teaching from 

 the object" seems to me very harmful. 



I take it that the object of nature- study is to get into the child's mind 

 something of the naturalist's method. That can never be done by memor- 

 zing facts out of a book. If the object were merely to acquire information. 

 Dr. Hornaday's text-book method would doubtless be quicker than Professor 

 Lange's method of '^getting acquainted with life about our homes." Never- 

 theless, it is not necessary for those of us who believe in the utility of "teach- 

 ing from the object" to maintain that books, maps, pictures, and diagrams are 

 useless; — indeed, most of us think that such records and helps should be abun- 

 dantly used. We are convinced, however, that they can never take the 

 place of good training in observation. 



Wishing you all success in promoting all wise forms of nature-study, I am. 



Very truly yours, 



Charles W. Eliot. 



President's Office, Harvard University. 



II 



Dr. Hornaday's October article very properly calls serious attention to 

 some alarming weaknesses of nature-study teaching in our elementary schools. 

 It is fairly well- known that much of our so-called nature-study teaching is a 

 farce, a delusion and a snare. Most of it is aloes-coated, not sugar-coated; 

 minced so finely by the teachers that even the youngest pupils look upon it 

 as a hash suitable for babies; it is nature de-natured with many silly juvenile 



