NATURE STUDY, TEACHER, AND CHILD 41 



as a direct result of the sunset, which, in Irvine's case, meant 

 on the morrow the sunrising of good and heroic deeds, of a life 

 well spent in the cause of his fellows. Such visions and inspira- 

 tions are stimulated, fostered, and brought into being, as a result 

 of contact with Nature. He who walks with Her may read, 

 and every teacher, desirous of" obtaining the best lessons for 

 handing on to the child, should become a practical student in 

 the interests of posterity. An hour well spent in the country 

 alone, or with a kindred spirit, is worth all the book learning in 

 the world. Sights and sounds are more focussed upon the eye 

 and ear, they become more impressionable, more lasting. Do 

 not be discouraged at the labyrinth of Nature. To the inexperi- 

 enced, and the beginner, it is a veritable maze, but " Nature never 

 did betray the Heart that loved Her," as Wordsworth sings, 

 and many there be who have proved the truthfulness of the 

 Poet's message. It is not an easy path to tread. Much patience 

 is required, and, as I have already written, boundless enthusiasm. 

 If life in the country drags, or becomes a bore, one must give it 

 up. Nature cannot be MADE to appeal, unless there is an incentive 

 to learn, unless there is a very real desire to become intimately 

 acquainted with the wonderland by which we are surrounded. 

 It is a case of response to stimulus as I have over and over again 

 proved, and, knowing of the response that will assuredly come, 

 as a result of any effort which tends to promote the common 

 good, I have no hesitation in recommending the teacher who 

 reads these lines to take up the subject with all the enthusiasm 

 and love at command. 



III. The Child. We now come to the third section of our 

 story, and have to consider the all-important subject of the 

 Child. Whilst the choice of subject for a lesson in Day or Sunday 

 School demands close consideration, and the qualifications of 

 the teacher must, of necessity, be earnestly borne in mind, the 

 question of the Child is, after all, most important. Children 

 vary so much in character and temperament that it is difficult, 

 nay, almost impossible, to lay down any hard-and-fast rule. One 

 must endeavour, as it were, to strike a happy medium, and so 

 apply the lesson that it shall make some sort of appeal to all 

 concerned. My own experience teaches me that, with very few 

 exceptions, every child is, when carefully approached, fostered, 

 and nurtured, ready and willing to receive any information 

 which is imparted in a crisp, anecdotal, and refreshing way. 

 The child has the mysterious future before it. It has a sense of 



