LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



At the present time A'atui-e .Siiidj' is receiving- considerable atten- 

 tion from onr high schools, and, to some extent, from onr city and 

 town graded schools. Bnt little attention, however, has been gi\en 

 to the subject by the teachers in rural districts. While it may seem 

 that the difficulties involved in the problem of Nature Study in rural 

 districts are great, we think that a careful examination of the con- 

 ditions will show that these are more apparent than real. Indeed, 

 the opportimities for work in the country are very much greater 

 than for work in the city. \\c think it Avill be found also that tlie 

 introduction of Nature Study will enable the teachers of district 

 schools to accomplish tiie work which they are now doing more easily 

 and with greater success. 



It is thought by many that there are influences at work upon the 

 children in niral districts which have a tendency to withdraw their 

 interest from their rural surroundings and to create in them a desire 

 to leave the" farm and seek their fortunes in more populous centers. 

 That this is true to a certain extent, no one will doubt. It then lie- 

 comes important to ask; how shall we enable these children to appre- 

 ciate the beauties of Xature by which they are surrounded; to take 

 a wider view of their opportunities; how shall we lead them to higher 

 country living and country thinking, and, how shall we make the 

 occupation in which most of them will, for a time at least, be engaged, 

 more attractive and more profitable? The teachers are potent factors 

 in the consideration of these important questions. It is our purpose to 

 assist the teachers in solving them, and it is belie\-ed that we can do no 

 more effective work in tliis direction than by publishing this series 

 of Nature Study Leaflets, the purpose of which is described in Prof. 

 Coulter's ''Introduction to Nature Study." found in Leaflet No. 1. 



In order to show that this kind of work has been found to be 

 eminently practicable, we nuiy call your attention to what is going on 

 in a large number of elementar)' schools in Europe. 



I quote from Appleton's Popular Science JMonthly for February. 

 1898; 



In many places in Europe school grounds are very much better managed than 

 in this country. Not only do school authorities there aim to supply materials for 

 study in the school room, but ihey mean to impart clear ideas of horticulture and 

 related occupations by various uses of land connected with the schools. They 

 appreciate the training which results from pruning, budding and grafting trees, 

 plowing, hoeing and fertilizing land, hiving bees and raising silk-worms. 



