Editorial 



Do you believe in Natiire Study ? We do, and we believe in it 

 not as a pleasant fad, but as a very fundamental element in the 

 curriculvim. The so-called practical man is much in evidence 

 these days in his demands that the studies of the schools shall 

 be practical. He insists that the boy shall be drilled on the things 

 that he is actually going to use when he gets out into the world 

 to earn his living. 



Here is a boy fresh from school who is looking for a job. Sup- 

 pose he gets it as an apprentice in a machine shop. The foreman 

 takes him to some mechanic working at his bench and says, 

 "Here, John, is a boy who is going to work for us. I will put him 

 in your hands to help you." 



Imagine that boy learning to run a lathe for instance. John 

 says to him something as follows: "Now, my boy, you take one 

 of these bars of iron that we are going to turn into axles, and you 

 clamp it here in the machine like this," and he shows him how. 

 "You take this tool that I have in hand and hold it so, just as I 

 am doing; start your machine by pressing this lever and guide 

 your tool along the rest here so as to take off a thin shaving from 

 the bar of iron." "You must oil your machine so," and he picks 

 up an oil can and demonstrates. "After you have taken off shav- 

 ing after shaving you measure your bar with this pair of calipers 

 You must make sure that your axle is of exactly the right diameter. 

 When you have it done stop your machine and unclamp your 

 work so. Now try your hand at it, boy!" 



This, of course, is just a type of the instruction that the boy will 

 receive in almost any trade or almost any job that he undertakes. 

 He must learn through his ability to observe and to follow the 

 instructions which he has both seen and heard. I take it that it 

 is evident that any subject which sharpens his senses and keens 

 his power to observe clearly and accurately has large practical 

 values. 



The girl who goes into a store as a clerk must use her ability 

 to observe as she learns to differentiate che various goods that she 

 is to sell, and this is quite as important as to be able to figure 

 correctly the cost of seven yards of goods at six cents per yard. 

 If she insists on showing cheese cloth when muslins are called for 



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