106 NATURE STUDY. 



physical environment of man, is very largely a mere 

 memorizing of matter taken from books. 



Our thoughtful teachers have long realized that 

 knowledge thus gained through books alone, or through 

 teachers and not through personal investigation, is ex- 

 ceedingly hazy and illusory. Too often it is not knowl- 

 edge, but has only a misty semblance to it. Such 

 knowledge " shall vanish away." 



To science that is, physical science belongs the 

 credit of most clearly demonstrating the haziness of the 

 knowledge thus gained, and the weakness of this method 

 of study. Science has introduced into our educational 

 system the method of personal investigation, the lab- 

 oratory method, as distinguished from the mere book or 

 lecture method. Gradually the scientific method, or 

 laboratory method, has been adopted in subjects not 

 scientific, such as history and literature. 



From this point of view, the introduction of nature 

 study, of personal observation of nature, has been urged 

 as the best preparation and basis for geography. It 

 gives the children a knowledge, a genuine, personal 

 knowledge, of the fundamental facts necessary for an 

 intelligent study of geography. 



Even with the laboratory method of ascertaining, 

 making clear, and demonstrating facts, arid assimilat- 

 ing the material gained, our teachers are learning that 

 knowledge, accumulation of facts, as an ultimate aim in 

 education, is exceedingly low, narrow, and unsatisfac- 

 tory. No matter how clear or how well fixed in the 

 mind the knowledge may be, we are learning that 



