HOW NATURE STUDY SHOULD BE TAUGHT 79 



nature study in definite assignment for each day, 

 and uniform to each pupil, is a farce. By no 

 means, for the farce pleases, even if there is 

 no definite instruction. On the other hand a 

 scheduled assignment may do positive harm by 

 stunting growth of interest. 



The " Railroad Restaurant " farce was extremely 

 simple and ridiculously funny. The waiter pounded 

 the gong, the passengers rushed in and took seats 

 at the bare tables. The waiter threw the gong 

 into the corner, and hurried from one to another 

 of the would-be diners, hastily inquiring, " What 

 will you have ? " but ignored all the answers. 

 From an armful of huge soup plates he slammed 

 one on each table. Then he rushed to the pantry, 

 tugged forth a pail of soup and set it in the 

 middle of the room. 



Filling a Brobdignagian squirt-gun with the 

 entire contents of the pail at one tremendous pull 

 of the plunger, he rushed from diner to diner, 

 shouting as he filled the plates to overflowing, 

 " You've only five minutes before the train goes, 

 and we've only soup ready to-day ; you'll have to 

 make out on soup." Hastily returning the squirt 

 gun to its place, he sounded the gong ; the 

 locomotive bell rang ; the conductor shouted 



