APPENDIX. 



ON THE EDUCATIONAL CLAIMS OF BOTANY. 



THE present method of dealing with the subject of botany 

 is the outgrowth of a desire to gain certain advantages in 

 general mental culture, which can be only obtained by making 

 Nature a more direct and prominent object of study in primary 

 education than is now done. I have thought it desirable to 

 present the reasons which have led to its preparation more 

 fully than would be suitable in an introduction, and therefore 

 place them at the close of the work. 



The subject of mind has various aspects; that in which 

 the teacher is chiefly concerned is its aspect of growth. I 

 propose to consider the subject from this point of view ; to 

 state, first, some of the essential conditions of mental unfold- 

 ing ; then to show in what respects the prevailing school cul- 

 ture fails to conform to them ; and, lastly, to point out how 

 the subject of Botany, when properly pursued, is eminently 

 suited to develop those forms of mental activity, the neglect of 

 which is now the fundamental deficiency of popular education. 



Mind is a manifestation of life ; and mental growth is de- 

 pendent upon bodily growth. In fact, these operations not 

 only proceed together, but are governed by the same laws. 

 As body, however, is something more tangible and definite 

 than mind, and as material changes are more easily appre- 

 hended than mental changes, it will be desirable to glance first 

 at what takes place in the growth of the body. 



I. HOW THE BODY GROWS. 



All living beings commence as germs. The germ is a little 

 portion of matter that is uniform throughout, and is hence said 

 to be homogeneous.* 



* In the following statement two or three words will occur with whicl 



