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ON STUDIES SUITABLE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 359 
teen, children can usefully be set to learn lessons from any book which 
has not previously been explained to them. 
A natural history reading-book should never be accepted as Nature 
study in school. Many a teacher, feeling his own ignorance, may be glad 
to use such a book to rouse an interest in what he feels himself incom- 
petent to teach. There are many such books which might suitably be 
put into school libraries or given as prizes ; to name dead authors only, 
we might mention Wood’s ‘Common Objects of the Country,’ Waterton’s 
‘Essays on Natural History,’ White’s ‘ Natural History of Selborne,’ and 
Buckland’s ‘ Curiosities of Natural History.’ 
Voluntary Help. 
It is just in the country schools, where it is impossible to expect the 
professional teachers to be specialists in every department at once, that 
we are most likely to appeal successfully to local residents for help. 
Leave from the squire to see his new agricultural machinery, a visit 
to any well-kept flower garden or apiary, help to the pupil-teachers in 
naming flowers, gifts of books to the school library—any of these would 
be a great assistance. The difficulties are often personal and real—the 
teachers know best when the children are interested and when they are 
tired—and ail help extended to the teachers gets through to the children. 
We want to enlist for the elementary schools the same kind of help from 
enthusiastic governors, parents, old scholars, and friends which has already 
done so much for the secondary school. There is already a Society for 
encouraging work in this direction—Secretary, Miss Isabel Fry, 8r Oxford 
and Cambridge Mansions, N.W. 
Local Natural History Societies. 
The Committee of the Corresponding Societies inform us that they 
are anxious to know how they can best assist Nature study in schools. 
We suggest for their consideration— 
(i) There are many members of these societies who are also members 
of the local education authorities, who could therefore do much to bring 
the best ideals of teaching to the knowledge of their colleagues, and 
whose personal influence would lubricate any organisation or arrangement 
that might be necessary to carry out these ideals—for instance, in getting 
flowers from the parks supplied to the schools. 
(ii) The present is an opportune moment for these societies to bring 
the advantages of membership to the knowledge of elementary school 
teachers. They need help in new studies, and the personal goodwill and 
companionship of local naturalists will often be useful. 
Schools for Educational Experiments. 
In advising as to the best work for public elementary schools we 
ought to look for ideals among the ‘preparatory schools,’ where boys of 
the same ages are being taught under conditions which ought to favour 
individual initiative and enterprise. These schools are dominated by the 
entrance and scholarship examinations of the public schools. We are 
glad to notice that Elementary Science has been made an optional sub- 
ject in the new ‘Common Examination for Entrance to Public Schools.’ 
