HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 5 1 



accomplished by children who were so young, as 

 shown by their ages marked on the specimens. 



" Aren't you glad that our schools are doing so 

 good nature work? " exclaimed the enthusiastic 

 teacher. 



" Nature work ! Where is it ? " 



I was not diplomatic, I know, with such an in- 

 terlocutor and after so cordial a greeting. The 

 words slipped out without a thought. 



" Here, here ; what are you thinking about ? 

 This nature work ; isn't it beautiful ? " 



"Yes, it is beautiful drawing, neat writing, 

 correct capitalization and punctuation," I hesita- 

 tingly equivocated, as I picked up a prose para- 

 phrase of Bryant's " Fringed Gentian," decorated 

 with " original " drawings. There was at the end 

 a little angel with wings, and an anchor with a 

 chain gracefully twined around it. 



" Hope blossoming within my heart, 

 May look to heaven as I depart. ' ' 



Then came Emerson's beautiful fable of " The 

 Mountain and the Squirrel." 



" The mountain and the squirrel 

 Had a quarrel ; 

 And the former called the latter " Little Prig ; " 



Bun replied 

 You are doubtless very big. ' ' 



