30 THE NA TURE- S TUD V RE VIE W [s- —J an. , 1909 



all times and any day after school hours children may be seen 

 inspecting them. Every teacher who teaches geography has a 

 key to the cases and uses the specimens at her discretion, re- 

 placing them when the class is done with them. 



The different industries are represented as completely as pos- 

 sible, and give a foundation for text-book study that could not 

 be obtained in any other way. The study of local industries 

 always, when practicable, includes a visit to the mill or shop as 

 well as the inspection in the class-room of the manufactured pro- 

 ducts. The fields and woods are also visited as much as possible. 

 These trips are regarded as an essential part of the geography and 

 nature work. 



The compound microscope is used as much as possible in the 

 study of fibres and the other materials that have a story to tell 

 under the lens. The little barbs on wool that can be seen only 

 when magnified, show why this fibre can be used in the making of 

 felt, while other animal fibres cannot. The different starch 

 grains are easily seen and some discoveries have been made. 

 Some laundry starch supposed to be from potatoes was found 

 to be corn starch and then enquiry showed that the latter was 

 the cheaper of the two, which explained things. Some buck- 

 wheat flour was inspected for the purpose of seeing its character- 

 istic starch grains. They were found as were also about as many 

 grains of wheat starch. The conclusion was evident. 



A collection of about four thousand lantern slides is used con- 

 tinually in geography work and with these a life can be put into the 

 study that it lacks without them. There are pupils in every 

 school who have more or less difficulty in getting clear ideas from 

 the printed page and these are benefitted immensely by the 

 stereopticon, while with all the pupils the slides give a vivid 

 impression of unvisited lands that the text alone could hardly do. 



Laboratory work and museums have for some time been con- 

 sidered indispensable in high-school and college work, but is a 

 comparatively new thing in the elementary schools where it is 

 much more needed. This is a work that this school is trying to 

 do. It is also trying to work along the line suggested by Presi- 

 dent Hyde when he said it is not what we know but what we love 

 that is of use to us when we get through school. 



