CHAPTER VI 



THE SPIRIT OF NATURE STUDY 



Introductory. — The spirit that dominates successful 

 work in nature study has been distinctly implied in the 

 preceding chapters, but it may be helpful to assemble 

 definite statements in regard to it into a continuous presenta- 

 tion. It is important for the teacher or the adult student 

 to appreciate what may be called the atmosphere that 

 vitalizes the subject. This will enable one to distinguish 

 between the genuine and the spurious, just as one learns 

 to distinguish between genuine and spurious art. This 

 will bring critical judgment to bear not only upon one's 

 own work as a teacher or a student, but also upon the 

 literature of the subject and the claims made by public 

 lecturers. Nature study has been defined as a certain 

 "attitude toward nature." 



The ability to pass intelligent judgment upon the 

 increasing body of the literature of this subject is very 

 important to teachers and is not difficult to acquire if one 

 catches the spirit. It is much like judging individuals, 

 who for the most part soon arouse a feeling of confidence 

 or of distrust; it is difficult to describe just how, but the 

 judgment comes. Very frequent inquiries come from 

 teachers of nature study asking opinions concerning books, 

 and it is certain that the majority of teachers are often 

 victims to the plausible representations of agents. To 



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