34 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [7 :i— Jan., 1911 



helped to organize last February ; and has a number of workers 

 (visitors) at the disposal of that board. 



Experience has shown that it is better not to have too many 

 •committees at first, but to add them as needed. Though there 

 lias been some prejudice against the League on the part of those 

 who feel that mixing in civic matters does not properly belong 

 to the sphere of woman, business men generally have been very 

 kind and apparently grateful to the women for helping with 

 matters they have been too busy to undertake. 



FROM SCHOOL TO HOME 



By FRED L. CHARLES, University of Illinois 



Many statistical studies have been made, for psychological 

 purposes and otherwise, of children's activities, interests and am- 

 bitions as indicated by the subjects themselves in writing. Un- 

 versed in introspection and susseptible as they are to suggestion, 

 under the eminently artificial conditions of the investigation the 

 most interesting result, psychologically, of some researches is the 

 evident satisfaction of the experimenter with his effort. At the 

 risk of being thus classified the following study is reported. 



The school in question was located in the outskirts of a city 

 of 7,500 inhabitants. Anticipating the observance of an Autumn 

 Arbor Day — and before any announcement or intimation on the 

 subject had been given — the writer appeared before the eighth 

 grade class and requested that each pupil should answer on a 

 sheet of paper two questions which he would put to them. Our 

 purpose, it may be remarked in passing, was twofold ; to induce 

 interest in the Arbor Day project without argument, and to place 

 the responsibility, if possible, for the child's inertia in creative 

 nature-study activities of an aesthetic nature. The following 

 questions were asked orally: 



(1) What have you ever done, personally, toward the 

 permanent improvement of your lawn or home grounds, such as 

 setting out trees or shrubs or laying out flower beds — exclusive 

 of garden work? 



(2) If you have done anything of this character, state how 

 you happened to undertake it; if you have done nothing, state 

 v/hy. 



It is believed that the data obtained express the situation 

 with a fair degree of accuracy. 



