EDITORIAL 131 



It is well to remember in this connection that the child is 

 interested only in the story of action; and the more dramatic 

 the action the better. The boy who hated ants, liked the stories 

 of lions, panthers, and bears very much, because all these stories 

 he had found not only interesting but thrilling. It is a matter of 

 experience that after a child has observed a creature, he becomes 

 interested in reading about what it does, even if there is no thrilling 

 story connected with it. In a certain school reader which we 

 recall, there is a page or two devoted to the habits of the lobster 

 that did not seem especially attractive to anyone. But, one day 

 the teacher brought to the schoolroom a live lobster which acted 

 properly indignant at being handled, and an interest in the 

 animal was suddenly developed and rose to a high pitch as its 

 queer appendages and actions were observed. That afternoon, 

 in the street car, we met a small acquaintance who was poring 

 over the lobster story in his reader; his face was alight with 

 enthusiasm as he explained what he was reading about and 

 recounted his observations on this creature. If the little boy who 

 hated ants had been able to watch all of the wonderful things 

 that happen in an ant nest he would not have loathed the story 

 in his reader. 



There are many nature-study lessons during which only a 

 small part of what there is to be known about an object can be 

 observed. Take for example the screech owl which has been 

 captured and brought to the schoolroom. The appearance and 

 actions of the bird can be observed to the fullest extent; but the 

 story of the bird's habits, its noiseless nocturnal hunts for mice, 

 its loving loyalty to its mate, its intimate nesting ways, and many 

 other things about it must be given to the pupils by the teacher 

 orally or he must read about them in the bird books. 



No good course in nature-study is independent of natural 

 history; and a course in natural history would be arid and mean- 

 ingless without nature-study. Happy is the teacher who under- 

 stands how to supplement the one with the other and to make 

 each a stimulus to further interest in the other. 



