24 HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 



the child's standpoint. In some studies, the 

 teacher must be a teacher, above the child, tell- 

 ing the child. To overcome the onesidedness of 

 a school limited to mere instruction, nature study 

 has been introduced as the most available field in 

 which to let the child do the telling. But, sim- 

 ple as this is, it seems an exceedingly difficult 

 thing for some teachers to understand. Hence 

 the opposition which it meets in some commu- 

 nities, and the amusing paragraphs so frequently 

 seen in print. One of these (shall we call them 

 sad but literal statements of certain real condi- 

 tions ?) is the following from the Youth's Compan- 

 ion. It is a fair example : 



A small girl who has just begun to attend school brought 

 home a pumpkin seed and told her mother that the teacher 

 said that, although the seed was white, the piimpkin would 

 be yellow. 



"And what will the color of the vines be?" asked the 

 mother. 



The little girl replied that the teacher had not taught her 

 that. ■> 



" But," said her mother, " you know, dear, for we have 

 pumpkin vines in our garden." 



•' Of course I do, but we ain't expected to know anything 

 until we are taught." 



It is the parents of those children who are the 

 victims of such nature-study instruction that will 



