66 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [3 rj-MAR., 1907 



in the Cook County (Ills.) Normal School as early as 1889, 

 under the presidency of Francis W. Parker. This introduction 

 was made by Wilbur S. Jackman, whose teaching and writing in 

 nature-study lines are well known. In 1884 Mr. Jackman began 

 teaching biology in the Pittsburg High School. During five 

 years' connection with that school he became strongly impressed 

 with the necessity of having a broad foundation laid in the ele- 

 mentary grades for the study of science. The pupils were ignor- 

 ant of the simplest phenomena that occurred about them. In 

 the spring of 1889 he planned a general course in nature-study 

 and presented it to the Superintendent and the Principals of the 

 ward schools in Pittsburg. It was agreed that in the fall he 

 should have the privilege of meeting the teachers for the purpose 

 of starting this work in the primary and grammar grades. Before 

 the year closed, however, he received an invitation from Colonel 

 Parker to enter the Cook County Normal School and take up the 

 work with him. He entered on the work in the Cook County 

 Normal School in the fall of 1889. During this year (1889) he 

 elaborated the plan already begun, as above outlined. The fea- 

 tures which perhaps most distinguished this scheme of nature- 

 study were : ( i ) That it adopted the apparently irregular plan of 

 using all the material which the "Rolling Year," season by sea- 

 son, brought into the lives of the children; (2) that it rejected 

 the idea of close and specialized study of inert or dead form and 

 sought to place the children in the fields and woods that they 

 might study all nature at. work; and (3) that, instead of look- 

 ing upon nature-study as being supplementary to reading, writ- 

 ing and other forms of expression, nature-study in itself became 

 a demand that these subjects should be taught. In the fall of 

 1890 he published bi-monthly pamphlets averaging about 75 

 pages each, which were called ''Outlines in Elementary Science." 

 In the spring of 1891, upon the completion of the series, Henry 

 Holt & Company asked the privilege of reprinting and issuing 

 them in book form. This was done. There was considerable 

 correspondence concerning the name, which resulted finally in 

 the adoption of the term "Nature-Study for Common Schools," 

 and this term has been used continuously ever since." 



In recent vears administrative duties have kept Professor 



