54 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [14:2— Feb., 1918 



of their country have been the youths of our colleges and schools, 

 trained in the history of human events and willing to fight for an 

 ideal, so in this future army, the soldiers will be equipped with 

 knowledge of the wonderful ways and means of nature, and of 

 man's place in nature. But they will also know that the struggle 

 for existence has already been won by Love over Might, by spirit 

 over body, of which our present enemies are woefully ignorant, 

 even though they have penetrated nature's cold, material facts. 



Nature-study teachers are at last coming into their own. No 

 longer do we hear ironical expressions about "the nature-study 

 fad," or fictitious anecdotes about the teacher, herself. We are 

 now part of a rational scheme of education. Critics are beginning 

 to realize that they are missing something. They who have 

 scoffed and resisted have found themselves in the condition of a 

 small boy of my acquaintance who was anxious to learn to read, 

 just because a little neighbor girl, younger than he, could read well. 

 He labored faithfully. Sometimes, when she was reading, it 

 seemed as though he could not endure to have her do it so well. 

 Finally, one day he threw his book on the floor, crying, "It's no 

 use. I'll never catch up with Martha, because when I catch up 

 with her, she won't be there." 



The children and their teachers are marching right along, and 

 with enthusiasm. Vagueness is a thing of the past, thanks to our 

 leaders. Teachers are learning that to teach a nature-study lesson 

 is merely to see the thing the child is interested in, to talk about 

 it and enjoy it with the child, allowing freedom that comes with 

 the enjoyment. In fact, we might say that to teach nature-study 

 is to humanize science, giving it the warmth of the child's interest. 

 It is to create a background against which lives may be built with 

 knowledge of the Divine plan. 



The gift of the love of nature has been bestowed upon us all. 

 It is akin to the touch of the Infinite. Little children, being near 

 the source, possess it in large measure. To the nature-study 

 teacher is given the privilege of keeping it alive and of causing it to 

 take root and grow, making life sweeter and deeper for untold 

 thousands. 





