OF NATURE STUDY. — /; 



5. PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF NATURE STUDY. 



Herbert Sc)eiicer has shown ihi- value of a kiiowlocljfe ot nature in all the 

 activities of Ufe : — tiiose whirli directly minister to self preservation ; tliose wiiich 

 indirectly minister to self ]>reservatioii ; liiose which concern the rearingf and 

 disci|>lining' of olTspriiijj ; those which concern political ;ind social relations ; and 

 finally, those which have to do with llie leisure perioil of life. 



While Spencer's view is certainly extrenx", the foice of his arg^nment carries 

 conviction to all. 



6. CONQUEST OF THE \v'CRLD. 



The activity of miiul on I'livironment is ;i proi-ess of desli-o)'inj; it and thereby 

 building' itself up. This means that tiie unrelated becomes related, tiie strange, 

 familiar. As our physical organism acts upon food, destroys it as such, and 

 reariaiiges its elements to foiMii a part of itself, so the mental organism acts upon 

 phenomena. A particular fact coresponds to food. The miiul seizes il, destroys 

 its particularity and makes it a part \.^'( ilsi-lf. This |>owt'r of the mind is essential 

 to successful existence. 



N'atuie forms most of our en\ir*innienl in e;irl\' lifo, as il loriiu'd the wlioje 

 environment oi primeval man. 0\w I'onquesI of il is ;is necessarv to progress 

 as it was to him. The sa\age, wliose conquest of his environment is limiteil to 

 things of sense, anil who has not reallj- conquered il, views it as a mysterious 

 juiwer which rules him in some mysterious way. Such is the view of all super- 

 stitious people, and their superstititm remains, because they are not conquerors 

 of nature. 



" 1^0, the poor hulian, with untutoied mind 



Sees God in clouds and hears him in the winii. ' 



How different the view of him who has conquei"ed nature : 



" I ilo not own an inch of land, 



Hut all I see is mine — 

 The orchards and the mowing fields, 



The lawns, and gardens fine. 

 The winds my tax-collectors are, 



They bring me tithes divine, 

 Wild scents and subtle essences — 



A tribute rare and free ; 

 Ami, more magnificent th.'in all. 



My window keeps for me 

 A glimpse of blue innnensily, 



A little strip of sea." — LlCY Larco.M. 



What a fickle being is God to the " untutored mind " which fails to conquer 

 environment, to destroj- strangeness, and to see behind phenomena, laiv. 



There is still a more disastrous result than this. The onward nuirch of 

 civilization demands lapid and accurate adaptation to environment. Lacking 

 this power to control circumstances, man feels that nature is too powerful for him> 

 and casts about for a remedy. By chance, he partiikes of some narcotic, e. g. 

 tobacco, alcohol, hasheesh, etc. , and immediately the world seems less formidable, 

 because the senses are less acute in reacting to stimulation. He feels that he can 

 conquer this new world. Humanity is prone to deception ; the unreal seems real 



