XIV INTRODUCTION 



plants if properly taught in the beginning. It would 

 seem, therefore, that the proper way to begin botany in 

 the secondary schools is by study of the gross features 

 of plants, not by dissections and microscope work. The 

 study of type forms and anatomy and physiology is a 

 subsequent matter, and is best suited to those pupils 

 who evince a desire and an ability to specialize, or to 

 pursue a science. 



The foregoing remarks may be epitomized as follows: 

 We must first ask why we desire to teach natural 

 history subjects in the primary and secondary schools. 

 There can be but two answers: we teach either for the 

 sake of imparting the subject itself, or for the sake of 

 the pupil. When we have the pupil chiefly in mind, 

 we broaden his sympathies, multiply his points of con- 

 tact with the world, and thereby deepen his life ; a 

 graded and systematic body of facts is of secondary 

 importance. In other words, when the teacher thinks 

 chiefly of his subject, he teaches a science ; when he 

 thinks chiefly of his pupil, he teaches nature -study. 

 The child always loves nature ; but when he becomes a 

 youth, and has passed the intermediate years in school, 

 the nature -instinct is generally obscured and sometimes 

 almost obliterated. The perfunctory teaching of science 

 may be a responsible factor in this result. There seem 

 to be four chief requisites in nature -study teaching, if 

 the pupil is to catch inspiration from it : 



1. The subject itself must interest the pupil. This 



