12 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 



among their other interests an interest in the affairs of na- 

 ture in addition to the mere dollars-and-cents interest. The 

 result will be the introduction into life of an influence that 

 is restful, pleasurable, stimulating, and educative. Con- 

 versely it is claimed that lives which do not include some 

 intelligent observation of nature are denied something of the 

 development of mind and of character which life offers, 

 and are thereby more narrow. 



Yet nature study is in no sense exclusive of man and 

 his affairs; in fact a very large part of the material it uses 

 falls in this category as roughly separable from " wild " 

 nature, but its point of view is opposed to all that is ex- 

 clusively utilitarian. It takes a view of nature from 

 nature's own viewpoint rather than from that which ex- 

 cludes all but the cash and comfort values. 



The Point of Attack. — It is easy to state the situation, 

 but it is difficult to discover the methods that will bring 

 about the desired change. The intelligent observation of 

 nature seems very desirable, but to secure it under the 

 ordinary limitations of the schools has proved to be one of 

 the most elusive tasks that teachers have ever undertaken. 

 It has been felt that the most hopeful and definite field of 

 effort is with the children of the grades, for they are teach- 

 able, they are developing their intellectual tastes and habits, 

 and they will presently form the bulk of the adult population. 



It does look as though the problem would be solved if 

 the majority of these children should discover a liking for 

 nature, but to hope too much for such a result is visionary, 

 for many things stand in the way. 



Obstacles. — Conspicuous among these obstacles is the 

 lack of teachers trained for such work or sufficiently inter- 



