72 HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 



almost culpable as I thus jerked their minds " the 

 other end to." They to give information and I 

 to be the learner ! Impossible! It took a minute 

 for the idea to penetrate, for the hands to come 

 out of the pockets and the legs to be drawn up, 

 while looks of astonishment passed from one to 

 another. Faces brightened, eyes began to sparkle, 

 a hand here and there came up hesitatingly. I 

 had touched the known in a place dear to the 

 hearts of those young people. The matter of 

 food was soon explained. Then what stories of 

 dogs, cats, parrots, canaries, hens, rabbits, and 

 even of a pet crow. The story of this crow's 

 capture led to an experience, related by one of 

 the big boys about his dog and a woodchuck 

 killed in the stone wall, and how the little wood- 

 chucks were brought home. I was delighted ; 

 the superintendent's countenance beamed with 

 pleasure, I saw that he was convinced, and later 

 I was not surprised to have him write to me, 

 " We have room for the kind of nature study 

 which you exemplified." But the teachers were 

 alarmed, almost excited. The eagerness of some 

 of the children to tell experiences actually pushed 

 them out of the seat and several steps forward, 

 with outstretched hand. Oh, the joy of telling ! 



