CHAPTER XXI 



SUNLIGHT 



In trying to instruct children about some of the 

 natural forces, our limited knowledge and our limited 

 command of words frequently makes this subject a 

 difficult one, but when we remove the place of in- 

 struction from the class-room to the garden, the 

 teacher can make use of object lessons, which will 

 more effectively instruct and oftener tell the truth. 

 Scientists tell us that only plants are capable of taking 

 up carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen 

 and other necessary elements and changing them into 

 such combinations as will make organic matter, that is, 

 matter capable of life, and that therefore, plants di- 

 rectly or indirectly furnish all the food of the world, 

 for animals must either eat plants or else eat other ani- 

 mals that have eaten plants. They also tell us that this 

 wonderful power of plants to do this can only be ac- 

 complished in the light of the sun, and, by a number 

 of simple experiments in the garden, it can be shown 

 that unless the plants have sunlight, they cannot live 

 and perform this very necessary work. If seeds are 

 planted in the ground and the sunlight shut away from 

 them, they will attempt to grow, but will soon die. 

 They must have also a certain amount of sunlight 



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