10 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [12:1— Jan., 1916 



far we may go, we never go beyond nature. However great we 

 may be, our greatness is founded on truth. However much we 

 desire, the spirit emerges from a fact. Whatever may be our 

 high fortune among our fellows, we come back at last to the earth, 

 to the earth that gave us birth. Every man or woman who works 

 in factory or field, who sails the sea or digs in mines, who finds his 

 efforts with books or machines or with vast enterprises, who 

 prophesies of things to come, — every one is touched by the same 

 wind, encouraged by the same rain, grown by the same sun, up- 

 lifted by the same birds, guided by the same stars. Nature is one 

 vast democracy. 



I would not have you think that the science-spirit is the last 

 stage in our intellectual evolution; some day the race will gain 

 its highest conquests by free and plain intuition; but first we must 

 see clearly and we must know. First must we be able to use the five 

 senses. 



Then teach! The teacher works with the raw stuff of human 

 lives. And you, who teach the nature-studies, you open a solid 

 fact with every lesson and you lead the imagination far away. 



The Annual Meeting and Election of Officers 



The meeting as announced in the December number was held 

 at Columbus, Ohio, December 30 and 3 1 . The program as printed 

 in that number was carried out with enthusiasm. The attendance 

 was good and was notable especially for the large proportion of 

 heads of departments of nature-study in various normal schools 

 and teachers colleges of both east and west. A couple of the 

 papers were read by the Secretary in the absence of the authors; 

 the School Garden Association representatives failed to appear; 

 but otherwise the program was complete. The papers were more 

 definite and showed greater unanimity of opinion on methods, 

 materials and their organization than usual. Such papers as 

 have not already appeared will appear in forthcoming numbers. 

 At the business meeting an amendment to the constitution was 

 proposed, to be voted on next year, changing the tenure of office 

 of the president of the Society from one to two years. 



A communication expressing the appreciation of the note of 

 greeting sent from our Society to the School Nature-Study Union 

 of Great Britain was read from the secretary of that Society. 



