Jury 31, 1902] 
ciate the emotional delights and the intellectual pleasures 
accruing from a first-hand acquaintance with nature, but 
the magnitude and success of the present exhibition go 
to show how widely and how well the value of the study 
which this demands is becoming recognised as a branch 
of all general education by those more nearly concerned 
with it than the naturalist. 
THE OPENING CEREMONY. 
In the first place, the Duke of Devonshire, who pre- 
sided at the opening ceremony, which was performed by 
the Duchess of Devonshire on July 23, said that “the new 
educational departure,” as he termed it, had the “very 
warmest sympathy” of the Board of Education, of which 
he is the President. In the case of rural education, he 
continued, the Board had met with a serious difficulty, 
for if the agricultural labourer does value education at 
all, it is only too often merely because it enables him 
to escape from the drudgery of his existence in the 
country into the more exciting atmosphere of the 
towns. In these circumstances it is not surprising that 
country gentlemen and many farmers have not viewed 
education and educational progress with any great enthu- 
siasm. The Board of Education was consequently very 
desirous of finding some means by which education, and 
more especially elementary education, should be brought 
into closer relation with rural life and with the occupa- 
tions connected with the cultivation of: the land. It 
also felt the necessity of making all classes connected 
with the land feel that education is a thing which is 
not necessarily antagonistic to, but which ought to be 
conducive to, their interests. 
Within the last three years, the Duke went on to say, 
the Board received the external assistance which they 
required by the formation of a very influential’ committee 
(the Agricultural Education Committee, ‘of ‘which! Mr. 
Henry Hobhouse, M.P., is the secretary) of members of 
Parliament and county councils, which drew up certain 
resolutions which were formally laid before the Board of 
Education and accepted with much pleasure and satisfac- 
tion. The Duke of Devonshire then briefly indicated 
the changes in the elementary education code and in 
the . directory for scientific education. which had 
been made in accordance with the suggestions thus 
received. . He alluded to the publications impressing 
upon the managers of schools the importance of making 
education in the village more consonant with the environ- 
ment of the scholars, and more especially of encouraging 
children to gain an intelligent knowledge of the common 
things which surround them in the country. The lack 
of teachers is being met by the requirement of the 
Department that “nature-study” from a practical and 
experimental point of view shall be taken as one of the 
subjects for the certificate examination. The Duke also 
referred to the valuable assistance afforded by county 
councils, and gave it as the opinion of his Board that 
“ nature-study” may with advantage be introduced into 
all schools, urban as well as rural. ' In conclusion, 
although the value of books as representing accumulated 
knowledge was ungrudgingly allowed, yet in the opinion 
of the Duke of Devonshire the study of them may too 
often be only an exercise of memory and may leave 
almost untouched the other faculties of the mind, while 
the intelligent observation and study of the facts of 
nature is a mental discipline which cannot fail to develop 
those powers of the mind which it is the object of all 
true education to discover, to cultivate and to strengthen. 
* THE EXHIBITION. 
The number of the exhibits and the fact that all 
classes of educational establishments have contributed 
them is another. argument in favour of the contention 
NO. 1709, VOL. 66] 
NATURE 325 
that the appreciation of “nature-study” as’a factor in 
education is no longer confined to a few. enthusiasts. 
The time has passed when one could only say what might 
be attempted, now one can point to this training college 
or to that school and say what has been done. The 
main object of the Association was to bring the move- 
ment to ‘this stage and to collect together as many 
examples as possible of “ nature-study” work or of what 
goes by this name. Teachers who have taken up such 
teaching would then be able to improve their methods 
after an examination of others’ endeavours, while those in 
ignorance of how’ to proceed or apathetic could obtain 
the information they required or be spurred on to attack 
a subject so well worthy of attention. : 
In order that nothing of ‘value might be excluded, the 
committee admitted .anything connected with natural 
history teaching, and contented itself with making 
general suggestions as to how this might be represented 
at the exhibition. It must be said that the immediate 
results have far exceeded all anticipation. A more 
detailed consideration of these may be considered in 
connection with the chief awards that have been made, 
and this after a third point» showing the: importance 
attached to the “‘ nature-study ” movement has been dwelt 
upon. The judges whose ‘names are given below with- 
out hesitation signified their willingness to undertake 
what has proved an arduous task—Profs. Hall, Miall, 
Lloyd Morgan, Arthur Thomson and Wallace. 
In Group A the Boards of Education and Agriculture 
are exhibiting their leaflets, and most of the agricultural 
colleges are represented.. Seeing how much work has 
been done by county councils in the training of teachers, 
but few of them have sent, exhibits ; Cheshire, Hamp- 
shire and Surrey contribute collective exhibits showing 
the whole educational scheme of each county, and of these 
Surrey has received one medal for the general exhibit 
and another for the individual work exhibited by Tiffin’s 
Boys’ School Natural History Society properly coming 
into Group B (secondary schools). A large number of 
the latter schools of all grades have sent exhibits. 
Medals have been awarded to the High School, 
Arbroath, for drawings illustrating natural history; to 
St. Paul’s School, for the work of the School Field Club ; 
to Streatham High School, of the Church School Com- 
pany, for a nature-study, calendar ; to James Allen’s Girls’ 
School, Dulwich, for the: general exhibit, which contains 
many interesting water cultures of plants; to Bedale’s 
School, Hants, for its scheme of nature-study; and to 
the Friends’ School at Bootham, York, for its general 
exhibit, which was chiefly that of the Boys’ Natural 
History Society. 
Among the numerous elementary schools, the Chisle- 
hurst Road Board School, Orpington, Kent, received a 
medal for its general exhibit, as did the Arnot Street 
Board School, Liverpool, for its excursion scheme. The 
only training college similarly recognised was the House 
of Education, Ambleside, while among the exhibits of 
private persons and institutions a medal was. given to 
the Stepney Borough Museum. Two American exhibits, 
namely, those of the New York Natural History Museum 
and Philadelphia Training College, also’ received the 
highest possible award. 
_ A most important result which will possibly accrue 
from the exhibition will be the determination of what 
kind of nature-study teaching is to. be recognised as 
such; for this one must look to the report of the 
Association after receiving the collective and individual 
expressions of: opinion from the judges. Looking, how- 
ever, at the exhibits which have received medals, it will 
be seen that they have in nearly all cases shown evidences 
of outdoor work or practical dealing with living things 
upon the part of pupils themselves. The fourth piece of 
evidence as to the value of the exhibition as promoting 
nature-study is afforded by the position and standing of 
