THE DANGERS OF NATURE STUDY 



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Such feeling is delightful, and the possessor is fortunate in 

 having an additional attraction to nature study. What we 

 are after, however, is not so much a feeling as a state of 

 mind that compels observation, that is interested in the 

 meanings of things, that is cautious in drawing conclusions, 

 that is making continual progress. Sentimentality may 

 degenerate into mawkishness, a kind of dreamy, unreal 

 association of ideas that is ineffective and mentally ener- 

 vating. There is probably too much sentimentality in 

 education now, or, perhaps better, too little of its converse. 

 If nature study is to intensify this tendency it had better 

 not be introduced, but if it can be used to correct it, it had 

 better be introduced at once everywhere. 



It has been attempted to show that nature study can 

 produce clarity of vision, exactness of statement, definite- 

 ness of conclusion; in short, the most practical qualities for 

 successful living. If it can do all this it would seem a 

 perversion to use it to increase the materials for mawkish 

 sentimentality. The association of nature study with 

 poetic literature is probably largely responsible for foster- 

 ing sentimentality as opposed to knowledge. Because a 

 great poet has mentioned a yellow primrose, does the 

 quotation from him illuminate any fact of nature? The 

 primrose might illuminate the quotation, but that is a study 

 of literature, not of nature. The introduction of this 

 method was natural, for it seemed to give to nature study 

 a very powerful ally, but the relations have been developed 

 in such a way that it looks like an alliance between a lion 

 and a lamb. This is no criticism of poetic literature, nor of 

 the attempt to make it live by seeing the objects it mentions ; 



both appeal to the finest that is in us; but it is a criticism of 

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