THE AIM OF NATURE STUDY. Ill 



form the gateway to his world. His senses always re- 

 spond to interest, the gate al ways opens ; with interest 

 aroused, with senses alert, every power of the child 

 responds, and there is scarcely a limit to what he can 

 ' do. Nature study will never succeed until the child 

 is interested. 



Are the awakening of interest, the development of 

 power, and the acquisition of knowledge, the highest 

 aims? 



Of what value is power without something above it 

 or back of it to direct and regulate it? Power may do 

 harm as well as good. The possession of power may 

 be a curse as well as a blessing. 



Goethe has said, " Nothing in the world is so terrible 

 as activity without insight." 



We may develop the power of observation in our 

 pupils. If they are thereby only better fitted to see 

 the evil and the vile, have we helped them? 



We may train them to express their ideas more 

 clearly, exactly, and effectively, and to better convey 

 to others what they have in their minds. Unless at 

 the same time we store their minds with ideas worthy 

 of expression, and give them an impetus toward better, 

 higher, nobler thoughts, their greater power of expres- 

 sion may be a curse to themselves and to others. 



We give our boys and girls greater power to calcu- 

 late and think and reason. If this is to be used to cheat 

 their fellows, to influence others for evil, have they and 

 the world gained or lost ? 



The more we work with children, and particularly 



