smith] IORESTRY IN GENERAL EDUCATION 143 



This somewhat cryptic title stands for a conception of the func- 

 tion of scientific teaching, and of education generally, fundamen- 

 tally different from the conceptions ordinarily held. His con- 

 ception is, I think, well worth my bringing to the attention of 

 this conference. 



In a word, he holds that the school teaching of biology should 

 be not only practical, as distinguished from purely scientific, 

 but also civic, as distinguished from merely economic. "Civic 

 biology" . is neither biology taught in order to broaden out the 

 mind to a well-rounded intelligence, nor biology which seeks 

 knowledge of the laws of life as an end in itself, nor biology 

 which seeks to instruct the individual concerning the life history 

 of such organisms as are likely to affect his personal welfare, 

 nor biology adapted to the service of some special occupation — 

 but biology applied to community interests. Necessarily such a 

 treatment of any branch of ordered knowledge is rooted not in 

 science but in morals. Every conclusion is an ethical one. By 

 providing nesting-places and putting food for birds we increase 

 the yield of fruit in our neighborhood. 'By cutting noxious weeds 

 at the proper season we help control a pest. By cleaning up the 

 breeding-places of mosquitoes and flies we improve the public 

 health. How much better it is, thinks Professor Hodge, to aim 

 in our teaching of biology at good citizenship than at individual 

 attainment or advantage for the final result. 



But in one respect I should modify Professor Hodge's idea. 

 "Civil biology" seems to me a somewhat too restricted term. I 

 should substitute for it another, first suggested by my colleague, 

 Mr. Cleveland — civic geography. 



Almost exactly a year ago I attended some of the meetings 

 of the Association of American Geographers, held as a part of the 

 Baltimore meeting of the National Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science. I went there primarily because they wished to 

 learn something about what the Forest Service is doing with the 

 National Forests. The very fact that they wished such a paper 

 to have a place on their program is significant. I do not know 

 how many of you have observed what ground the subject of geo- 

 graphy now covers, or what its development as a subject of in- 

 struction has been. Certainly it is very different from what it 

 was in the days of my own school and college education. 



I remember very vividly with what surprise I learned from 

 one of my friends just returned from his graduate studies abroad. 



