THE MISSION OF NATURE STUDY 23 



whole may have a beginning, a gradual unfolding, and a 

 conclusion. .It is felt that this is the only way to " com- 

 plete a subject." This is really an indication of a thought- 

 ful teacher and is to be commended and striven for. Too 

 few teachers have any idea of sequence and progression for 

 us to criticise those who do have. Yet while in most sub- 

 jects this may be the effective method, it does not apply to 

 the study of nature, which begins anywhere, continues in 

 every direction, and never comes to any conclusion. Be- 

 sides, the continuity we are after in nature study is con- 

 tinuity of interest, and that pertains to the pupil and not 

 to the subject. The warning, then, is to watch the child 

 rather than the subject. 



Adaptability. A teacher of nature study had secured 

 from some source what seemed to her an admirable out- 

 line for her school. It made little difference whether it 

 was prepared for her neighborhood or not, for to such a 

 teacher an outline is something like a moral law, applicable 

 anywhere. This logical outline was followed with in- 

 flexible faithfulness, and exercise followed exercise like 

 the joints of an articulate. One day a small boy, who still 

 retained some interest in nature in spite of his teacher, 

 brought in a small land turtle. He was not merely inter- 

 ested, but excited and bubbling over with questions and a 

 desire to show his prize. However, the outline called for 

 an exercise on leaves that day, an exercise that fitted with 

 precision into the previous exercise and into the one to 

 follow. So the leaves were examined and the turtle went 

 out of the window. The teacher had missed an important 

 psychological moment so far as turtle study was concerned. 

 She was watching the outline rather than the pupils. 



