HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 193 



covered an error in the parallel. He makes the 

 suggestion that there is a blunder in my figure of 

 speech. He says : " They don't act that way so 

 often when they get older. It is only when they 

 are young that they are so erratic. Then they take 

 a sip between every mouthful, but when they get 

 older, the members of the flock drink only once or 

 twice during the entire meal." This suggestion of 

 an error in the parallel but points out all the more 

 effectively the truth of what I maintain. This 

 alleged discovery, instead of crushing me and my 

 parallel, actually proves my position, makes my 

 comparison all the more impressive and my 

 meaning all the more incisive. The younger 

 folks should go and need to go to nature more 

 frequently than their elders; indeed they should 

 be almost constantly in the presence of nature. 

 This is the true theory of the kindergarten. 

 Liberal and continuous sips of nature. The 

 business man can be, must be, content with 

 one or two or refreshing drops now and then 

 in the form of a few hours or of a few days' vaca- 

 tion from the office, or with a more exhilarating 

 " drink " that shall last for a week or a month 

 in the woods once a year. An author can labor 

 continuously on a book or two, then back he 

 13 



