72 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 



portant than scattered observations and should be a 

 dominant idea. This is especially true of tree and insect 

 studies which really demand such periodic observations in 

 order to be most successful. Observation through suc- 

 cessive years develops some idea of the differences in time 

 of development and in appearance in different years. 



To carry forward the same ideas over such intervals 

 of time demands persistence of the first order. But the 

 teacher who depends upon one season to be repeated by 

 every other season, and has the once-for-all idea, is sure to 

 run on to the rocks. It may not be encouraging to teachers 

 to know they can never complete their equipment, and 

 that each succeeding year must witness the casting aside 

 of much that was done in the preceding one, but the 

 growth and the sense of satisfaction that this brings is its 

 own compensation, and nature responds with such at- 

 traction that she will be studied afresh each season for her 

 own sake. 



A Special Subject. This may not belong strictly to the 

 spirit of nature study, but it is a natural expression of it. 

 The teacher in conducting class exercises must traverse 

 broadly the materials at hand. This range of material is 

 so large and varied that the view must be very superficial. 

 It is like walking through a huge picture gallery without 

 stopping to study some one painting or some one master. 

 This first general view is just what is wanted for children, 

 but it is too superficial for the teacher or for the adult 

 student. They must look deeper for the sake of their own 

 development, which will bear upon their teaching, their 

 standing, and their happiness. No one can give more 

 than a superficial look at very many things, nor is the 



