62 HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD B TEAUGHT 



" Could imperial Rome have only grown suffi- 

 cient wheat in Italy to have fed her legions, 

 Cjesar would still be master of three-fourths of the 

 earth. Rome thought more in her latter days of 

 grapes and oysters and mullets that change color 

 as they die, and singing girls and flute-playing, 

 and cynic verse of Horace — anything rather than 

 corn. Rome is no more, and the lords of the 

 world are they who have mastership of wheat." 



In an interesting account of searchings for the 

 wild mouse, Dr. C. C. Abbott interpolates this 

 statement : 



" The whole world is thick with fools who have 

 lost all because of their insane desire to better 

 their conditions. Early in life we reach our pro- 

 per level, and he is blessed who has no ambition 

 to soar above it." 



Then he goes on to tell us about his mouse. 

 At first reading this seems incongruous. It is 

 merely nature study illumined by a flashlight of 

 true democracy. 



Correlate nature study in large quantity and 

 persistently with patriotism, that important part 

 of a child's education which is somehow erro- 

 neously supposed to have its root in fighting and 

 in political intrigues. It is not civil history but 



