72 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [10:2— Feb., 1914 



chapter, entitled Science and the Book, presents a Christian 

 viewpoint of Evolution in its relation to the Bible. The book is 

 reverent and religious throughout as well as scientific — a juxtaposi- 

 tion of often conflicting attitudes for which there is no other 

 justification than the authors faith that "There is no difference 

 between God's revelation of Himself, as we have it in the Bible, 

 and God's revelation of Himself in nature. The better we know 

 the Bible and the better we know nature the clearer this will be to 

 us." Perhaps there can be no more adequate justification. 



The Principles of Agriculture through the Home and School 

 Garden, by C. A. Stebbins, pages xxviii+ 380. The MacMillan 

 Co., 1913. $1.00. 



Agriculture is now one of the required subjects in the rural 

 schools of many states. Text books on the subject have multi- 

 plied very rapidly during the past few years, in most instances 

 a new work coming out with little to justify its appearance. This, 

 however, can not be said of the text under consideration. Mr. 

 Stebbins' book is a departure from the old methods which consist 

 of memorizing and reciting from the text. We believe it marks 

 the beginning of a new era in the teaching of agriculture in our 

 rural schools. While the arrangement of subject-matter is good, 

 it is the method of presentation, the "do-something" spirit of the 

 book which warrants the above statement. Each chapter is be- 

 gun with a list of exercises or experiments to be performed by the 

 children in the school room or school garden. Then follows a 

 discussion of the principles demonstrated by the experiments and 

 a list of questions about the same. The chapter closes with a list 

 of "Home Studies" through which "the children are led to see the 

 method used by the farmer in utilizing these principles for his 

 benefit thus getting in touch with community life." The experi- 

 ments are well chosen, each one demonstrating a definite and im- 

 portant principle in agriculture. They are "simple and easily 

 conclusive even to the limited powers and experiences of children. 

 The apparatus is limited and inexpensive." 



Of the forty-one chapters in the book, four are devoted to soil 

 studies, seven to parts of plants and their function, five to seeds 

 and plant propagation, two to care of plants, and three to beauty 

 and convenience in the home and school. The other chapters 

 are as follows: The Garden, Harvesting and Marketing, An 



