VALUES OF NATURE STUDY 29 



or weeds or the fungi of plant or human diseases that 

 might cause his neighbors annoyance or loss. These 

 things must be made matters of common knowledge in 

 order to form the basis of right living, and how can this 

 be done so universally and well as in our nature-study 

 courses ? In order to safeguard public interests and 

 prevent a person from causing damage to his neighbors 

 in these respects, laws are being rapidly passed in the 

 different states. We cannot hope for a general observ- 

 ance of them until the facts upon which they are based 

 become the common property of the community. Under 

 the several subjects collect the nature laws of your state 

 or city and town ordinances and make them a part of the 

 nature-study course, — the laws and board of health regu- 

 lations touching birds, insects, weeds, street trees, forest 

 fires, destructive fungi, and bacterial diseases. These 

 laws express the highest level of intelligent public knowl- 

 edge and opinion, and their influence and scope should be 

 largely increased for the public good. How can this be 

 done so well as by studying the laws in connection with 

 the facts of nature upon which they are based .' 



Everywhere in our theories of education the negative 

 is giving place to the positive. We must have positive 

 effort for good at every point and then there will be little 

 need of the dull macbrnery of repression. Just in the 

 period of early childhood, with its passion for activity and 

 its capacity for interests, we need this ethical training more 

 than at any other time. To turn the stream into benefi- 

 cent channels is far better than to let it run to waste or 

 to dam it up. If the boys of a neighborhood make the 

 raising of peaches and grapes impossible, a better remedy 



