1358 LIFE : OUTLINES OF GENERAL BIOLOGY 



experience, but more and more of others; and these with further occu- 

 pational experiences — "real work", as he rightly called it. We knew, 

 before the War proved it, that even in a few weeks, a keen apprentice 

 gets to the fundamental notion of his trade, and even some way towards 

 proficiency in it; so thus arose, from such occupational endeavours an 

 encouragingly rapid and varied acquisition of skill. And even of relevant 

 science with it; this also acquired mainly by observation and experience, 

 and with books used more for reference than for regular reading. All 

 this the more, since — as every youngster feels, and often now begins 

 to know — it is more interesting to begin drawing one's own books, 

 before reading through the mostly written ones of other people. With 

 such initiation into visual art, and encouraged by an artist friend, the 

 Art College came early to have its appeal and use; and so too, from 

 musical impulse and environment together, came gradually expression 

 and facility, ranging from folk-instrument, folk-song and dance, to 

 their further developments in culture. So with further science; since an 

 observant rambler comes to know the rocks and minerals of his region, 

 its flora and fauna too ; and all these from shore to hill- top ever offering 

 new wonders; for which again books have their right place of reference. 

 With this real nature-knowledge, it was but natural that after the 

 university departments had been reached, their laboratory work, 

 museum study, and continued excursions were later strengthened, 

 clarified, and extended by reading, now more continuous, yet also rapid, 

 and thus brief; and that the academic result was of the highest. Yet 

 the occupations of the valley region had remained the central interest — 

 with learning from its expert workers from boyhood — hunting with 

 the camera- wielder instead of the gamekeeper, sharing in woodland and 

 forestry work, sheep-tending with the shepherd, labouring with the 

 crofter, ploughing with the farmer, caring for animals with both, and 

 for the village and glen with its chieftain. In such ways came real grip 

 and understanding of the main occupations of upland and plain, and 

 these increasingly to skill; as with the botanic gardener, and then the 

 even more skilled French-imported intensive one. And as the full 

 developed peasant has ever been something of builder ("Bauer") as 

 well, opportunities of learning under master-mason and joiner were 

 eagerly utilised; and next came assistance to a town-planner. John 

 Ruskin, than whom few have had wiser insight into nature and labour 

 as educational, long ago insisted on the horse and on the boat, as factors 

 for the education of manhood up to its highest powers — indeed, as very 

 best among the resources of his projected "Trial School", here so far 

 experimentally realised. So Ruskin' s teaching was experimentally 

 justified in life-long progress, as from the child's fall off his donkey, to 

 the youth breaking in horses for the war ; and at first, of course, learning 

 by far heavier flings and falls. So, too, for the boat, from childhood 

 onwards, and from river out to sea-fishing, up to the two severest sea- 

 tests — that of steering the life-boat in its danger-drill, and that of 

 Arctic exploration. But what of "regular" education? That, too, 

 developed in living — as for Latin primarily from its use in ritual, with 

 more of great music accordingly, up to Palestrina and thence to our 

 day. Modern languages, too; on one side from the people and their 



