shephekd] A POINT OF VIEW IN NATURE-STUDY 25 



chemistry with an independent aim of its own. This exactly 

 parallels the history of nature-study. 



In the example of the crayon we may ask why the same piece 

 may serve both the artist and chemist, or why the same tree may 

 be used as a study both in physics and botany. The answer is 

 that it depends on the way we think it — our point of view — the 

 ends it serves. And exactly so with nature-study and science; 

 they do not serve the same end, they have different aims. Science 

 finds satisfaction in explaining material results in terms of ma- 

 terial causes, — it searches unceasingly for cause and effect re- 

 lations in the physical world. Science (so-called pure science) 

 functions in knowledge, in knowing, nature-study in something 

 else. (It might be said in this connection that probably the 

 greatest value in science is not its conclusions, — the knowledge 

 it furnishes but rather the methods used in reaching these con- 

 clusions, — in obtaining its knowledge). 



Some two or three decades ago biology was working in the 

 field of classification and children in the elementary school were 

 taught the names of plants and insects, their parts, etc. , in order to 

 be able to do more botany or zoology in high school and college. 

 The same general plan obtained in the elementary school as in 

 the secondary school and college, namely, at least a few speci- 

 mens were provided for dissection and demonstration. This 

 was the beginning of the nature-study movement. The work of 

 the children was called nature-study, which meant an elementary 

 study of things which would later materially benefit especially 

 botany and zoology. In other words the work with the children 

 was to produce a sub-soil for science. In a few years the sec- 

 ondary schools and colleges provided each student with material 

 for laboratory study, and correspondingly the elementary school 

 urged specimens for each pupil. Within the last decade rapid 

 changes have come to this servant of science. Instead of chil- 

 dren being furnished with material for study they sought it out 

 in its natural surroundings. For example, fruits, twigs, and 

 flowers were visited and studied unplucked. This contact u-ith 

 the living, growing thing caused a change in the attitude of the 

 children. They were no longer content with pulling plants to 

 pieces and learning names that had no special significance 

 to them, but as they became interested in the live, growing plant, 

 their interest became involved in the growing of the plant. 



