THE LIMITATIONS OF NATUEE STUDY. 141 



literature must be that relating to nature, or to man in 

 his relations to nature. This the children can compre- 

 hend and appreciate. The earlier work in history will 

 be a study of man's relation to nature, how he lives, and 

 how much nature has helped man. For the social rela- 

 tions, except those grouped about the home, the little 

 child is not ready. He knows nothing about them. 

 He cannot understand the history of the intellectual 

 and social struggles and development of mankind. That 

 must come later. 



The grouping of the child's school education about 

 these two centres should be, and is to a considerable 

 extent, recognized in all school-work. The expressive 

 work of the school reading, writing, drawing, mould- 

 ing must, in the earlier years, be largely based on what 

 the child can see, and largely grouped about nature as a 

 centre. Later he is better fitted to understand, talk, and 

 read and write about his intellectual environment, man. 



Geography must be at first physical geography, the 

 study of the earth itself, beginning with the immediate 

 physical environment of the child. Later he is pre- 

 pared for political and commercial geography, the earth 

 in its relations to man. 



The first limitation of nature study depends on the 

 fact that it includes an adequate study of but one part 

 of our environment, nature. Through nature study 

 alone the child cannot be most closely related or best 

 adapted to all his environment. Hence it cannot be 

 made a basis for a complete, well-rounded education. 



