6 NATURE-STUDY 



The child wonders about the objects and phenomena of 

 nature; he is curious about them, perhaps for no reason 

 except that they attract his attention. He feels that he must 

 know what and why these things are, and this irrespective 

 of any consideration of the usefulness or applicability of the 

 knowledge to himself or to society. In much the same way 

 the adult scientist craves a satisfying explanation of, or insight 

 into, many facts of nature. I believe this powerful impulse 

 should not be neglected in education, though it may be 

 carried too far and lead to mere book learning, with a disre- 

 gard for the fact that, in general, knowledge should be a means 

 and not an end in itself. Nevertheless, this knowledge gained 

 through mere curiosity, though not always practical, affords 

 much satisfaction and pleasure. It is the basis for our aesthetic 

 and spiritual view of nature. It creates a certain pleasant 

 familiarity with nature, and on one's rambles in the park or 

 in the country makes one feel en rapport with it. Through 

 this curiosity we learn of many interesting and beautiful 

 relations in the natural world. We find that a unity pre- 

 vails and we discern a plan more or less clearly. In short, 

 this impulse arising from curiosity finally places the indi- 

 vidual in harmony with the natural world and adds in a 

 great measure to general culture. 



This harmonizing of man and nature is an essential ele- 

 ment in education. It must not be forgotten, however, that 

 much of this knowledge gained from curiosity or — to use 

 another expression — in the search for truth may later be 

 found to be of great, perhaps the highest, practical value. 

 Through this everlasting spirit of inquiry many important 

 facts and principles have been discovered, and the field of 

 human vision widened. 



