8 HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 



Jackman, that bears on its cover the words, 

 " Nature Study." I open to the preface, and read 

 as follows : 



In the preparation of this book, it has been the aim to 

 furnish a guide for teachers in the common schools who 

 wish their pupils to pursue an adequate and symmetrical 

 course in Natural Science. Science teaching, for a few 

 years past, has been gradually working itself downward 

 from the colleges and high schools into those of lower 

 grades, but, in most cases, the plans followed, while fairly 

 well adapted to the demands of advanced pupils, have been 

 poorly fitted to the needs of the beginners. 



I look carefully, eagerly, through that preface, 

 and find no reference to nature study, but con- 

 siderable about " Zoology and botany, one lesson 

 a week ; physics, meteorology, astronomy, geog- 

 raphy, and geology, one lesson each two weeks," 

 and so on, with bracketing of schedules in which 

 these and other sciences appear. 



I look farther and find the words, " Nature 

 Study for Common Schools," above the introduc- 

 tory chapter, the first sentence of which reads : 



It is of primary importance that the teacher who seeks to 

 introduce elementary science into the common schools 

 should make earnest study for the motive of doing such 

 work, and, at the same time, formulate intelligent methods 

 for conducting. 



And so on. In that chapter and the next, and 



