THE MISSION OF NATURE STUDY 15 



[_, Variance in Definitions. — A clear definition of nature 

 study and an adequate statement of its purpose have been 

 long in coming, and perhaps have not yet arrived. But its 

 very breadth of purpose and fundamental importance in 

 education may be cited as causes of its non-definition quite 

 as reasonably as vagueness or educational impracticability. 

 A subject which some easy sentence will snugly define 

 has limitations in education of equally easy definition. 

 Protoplasm and creation and education itself are equally 

 lacking in adequate definitions, but no one challenges 

 their fundamental importance. 



Nature study seeks to supply a need that is evident 

 enough, but whether it actually does supply it as yet is not 

 so evident. We find statements of its purpose ranging all 

 the way from the cultivation of a sentimental love for nature 

 to training in habits of exact observation and inference. 

 When there is added to this confused statement of purpose 

 the fact that the subject has been thrust in many cases upon 

 unwilling and unprepared teachers, it is no wonder that 

 it has been regarded by many as an indefinite, inchoate 

 thing, the despair of the grade teacher, and, till recently 

 at least, somewhat of a joke among scientists. Yet, 

 though its beginnings in the schools may not have been 

 fortunate in the majority of cases, its mission is so distinct 

 and valuable that it is certain to outlive many a bad start. 



Helpful Contact with Nature. — The name nature study 

 was perhaps not a happy selection, for it hardly expresses 

 the idea as it is working out, but like many another name 

 it has become conventional, and so will serve the purpose. 

 It will be better to defer the selection of another name 

 until the thing to be named develops more definite organ- 



