PRINCIPLES DETERMINING METHOD. 153 



more interested in life and action than in mere form 

 and structure, and why young children are so much 

 interested in nature's babies. Imagination can only 

 use the material or ideas gained by perception, and 

 modified and related by apperception. The law of 

 sequence results from apperception. By sequence we 

 mean bringing matter to the child step by step in such 

 an order that each new idea may be most clearly apper- 

 ceived, that is, seized by and correlated with the mass 

 of ideas which the previous steps have either given to 

 the mind or brought into consciousness. The law of 

 unity is simply an expression for the tendency which 

 the mind has to relate everything which it perceives. 

 The more closely the relations are established in all 

 directions, the more perfect is the resulting unity. We 

 shall find later, in our discussion of expression, that 

 methods of expression must be determined largely by 

 reference to the same principle of apperception. 



The law of apperception must, then, very largely 

 determine methods in nature study. To get the best 

 results, we must not merely bring the matter before 

 the children where each child can see it, that is, base 

 our work on sense-perception, but we must call up, 

 bring into consciousness, by our questioning, or by 

 encouraging the children to talk freely, what is already 

 in their minds relating to the material ; find out what 

 the children already know, and take hold of and empha- 

 size those ideas which will make the best foundation 

 for the new matter we want to present. This is most 

 essential when working with young pupils. The little 



