8 THE NATURE STUDY COURSE. 



some measure of co-operation of the intellect. If, for example, 

 it is desirable that a boy should feel any compunction in the 

 act of pressing a writhing earth-worm on a fish hook, what 

 better way can that end be reached than by leading him 

 through a proper investigation of the habits and general 

 structure of that animal. The pupil who learned to admire 

 the beauty and grace of a garter-snake, its harmlessness to 

 mankind and its value to the farmer, will neither flee from it in 

 dread nor pursue it with a fell bludgeon. Make the dominant 

 aim to be training in the investigation of those things in which 

 the child feels an interest; the teacher's sympathetic treat- 

 ment and the truth itself will compass the heart-culture. The 

 teacher who recognizes the unity in the trinity of intellect, 

 feeling and will, in short, who knows the child, will not go far 

 astray in the selection or treatment of the material of his 

 Nature Study lessons. 



Observation and Experiment. — Granted that the aim of 



Nature Study is training the mind through "the senses — or 

 observation and reasoning — it may be well to define observa- 

 tion at the outset of a brief consideration of method. 

 Compayre defines it as that prolonged perception which 

 the attention directs toward a determined object. Three 

 inseparable factors stand out prominently in any act of 

 observing : 1st, accurately noting what is presented to the 

 senses ; 2nd, attending with some measure of interest and 

 exercise of the will ; 3rd, correctly interpreting the perceptual 

 elements. To observe accurately is to put aside prepossession, 

 to restrain the imagination and to direct the mind with 

 singleness of purpose to what is actually presented to the 

 senses. Since perception and attention are factors in observa- 

 tion, it follows that training in observation includes the 

 training of the powers of perception and attention. This kind 

 of training is the antithesis of book-learning. Book-learning 

 as distinguished from thing-learning has probably something 



