HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 63 



natural history that should primarily be correlated 

 with patriotism. 



What is patriotism ? Love of country, is it 

 not ? the country including the little congestions 

 which we call villages and cities, the country it- 

 self, not mere pride in victories of warfare, ability 

 to fight, nor in political intrigues past or present, 

 but 



" I love thy rocks and rills, 



Thy woods and templed hills ; 

 My heart with rapture thrills 

 Like that above. 



" Let music swell the breeze 

 And ring from all the trees. 



From every mountain side 

 Let freedom ring." 



That is patriotism ; that is love of country, our 

 beautiful lovable country. Is not a great deal of 

 what we call patriotism missing the main thing, 

 mere machinery of patriotism ? Is not much of 

 our so-called patriotic teaching the mere mechan- 

 ics of warfare and politics — so much so that the 

 real love of our country is lost sight of ? Let us 

 talk less about our savage fighting and " the men 

 behind the guns," and more of the real thing that 

 we have been seeking to establish — love of our 

 beautiful country. So correlate nature study with 



