Inquiries and Answers 189 



meat. Make the most of common and simple 

 subjects, and leave the extensive outfits to 

 teachers of science. Two pieces of apparatus 

 that you ought to have are an aquarium for 

 things that live in water and a terrarium for 

 those that live on land. These become "scenes 

 of life" and supplement the outdoors. (Sec 

 p. 229). 



Is it "thorough"? 



"I do not believe in your nature-study move- 

 ment," a high-school teacher said, "for it does 

 not lead to thoroughness in school work." 

 I asked her to explain what she meant by 

 thoroughness. She took me to her schoolroom. 

 It was a laboratory. Pupils of sixteen and 

 seventeen were studying the cell. For three 

 weeks the pupils had been working on the cell, 

 and they were to continue the work for a month. 

 This, she told me, was thoroughness. I agreed 

 with her. "But of what educational value is 

 this knowledge to the pupil?" I asked. "The 

 pupil knows the cell," she replied, "and to know 

 the cell is to understand the structure and 

 growth of the plant." 



