40 THE THIRD YEARBOOK 



no less a natural feature than Lake Michigan. The waves that 

 roll up on the sandy beach are not more natural than the stream of 

 life that rolls up and down the streets of the great city. As in 

 the case of the country, the study should begin with field-work. 

 The location of the city, as a natural feature, in the landscape, is 

 as truly a theme for nature-study as the clouds that float overhead. 

 The widest possible conceptions of which the children are capable 

 should be developed first by observation of fundamental conditions. 

 The great congregation of people upon one spot has a general 

 meaning that appears at once on the surface. Just as the single 

 dwelling is built with due regard to the country highway and the 

 village with regard to the " crossroads," so the city bears an obvious 

 relation to the great highways of commerce. These all center in 

 its markets, and from them again traffic radiates to the country. The 

 location of the earliest dwellings and business houses will be found 

 to bear some relationship to the primitive natural features which 

 lend themselves to economy of construction, to sanitary conditions, 

 or to business advantages. From these initial points as centers the 

 buildings creep outward along the natural lines of least resistance. 

 The surrounding farms gradually change their general agricultural 

 character to more special forms of gardening, the raising of small 

 fruits and other products to meet the immediate demand of the 

 city. In their turn, these areas become suburban, and are finally 

 absorbed, becoming secondary business districts that accommodate 

 the part of the population that is now too remote from the principal 

 centers. The transportation facilities follow the population and 

 play an important part in differentiating the residence sections from 

 those devoted to business. As the town or city is favored with 

 natural means of communication with other points, it reacts upon 

 the surrounding country to an indefinite distance, stimulating pro- 

 ductive energy. With the increase in production of raw materials, 

 the city is driven to take advantage of whatever natural features 

 there may be which favor manufacturing, thereby diminishing labor 

 and expense in shipping and acquiring additional profits from sales. 

 From the side of nature-study, the facts to be emphasized here 

 are those which show the close adherence of man in his city build- 

 ing to natural conditions. Just as the root of a tree seeks this way 

 and that for the moisture and the best soil, so the growing city 

 seeks and finds its nourishment in equally elemental features. A 



