22 



NATURE STUDY : IDEAL AND REAL. 



The third Annual Exhibition and Conference in connection 

 with the East Riding" Nature Study Committee was held at 

 Filey on Saturday, 2gth October. The exhibition was opened 

 by Mr. Luke White, M.P. , who, together with Cancn Nolloth, 

 the President of the Committee, spoke highly of the advantage 

 of Nature Study, particularly in our schools. It is in connection 

 with the furtherance of the teaching of Nature to scholars that 

 the Committee is in existence. It is largely composed of 

 teachers, supported by a few well-known local naturalists. Its 

 object is to a certain extent attained by the holding of an annual 

 exhibition and conference, and by field excursions in different 

 parts of the riding during the summer months. At these all 

 the teachers in the district are invited, and the attendances are 

 most encouraging. It is obvious that the teacher must have a 

 taste for natural history before it is possible to impart it to the 

 scholars. Although the East Riding Committee, which appears 

 to be one of the first of its kind, is quite unofficial, it has the 

 sympathy of the local Education Committee, and hopes to 

 have its support in a practical form — a support it certainly 

 deserves. 



At the inaugural meeting of this Committee, Professor Miall 

 gave an address which (though, of course, not intentionally) 

 acted as a 'wet blanket,' and almost resulted in the death 

 of the Committee and its work. The collection and exhibition 

 of plants, shells, etc., was strongly objected to, and stress was 

 laid upon the necessity of each scholar having a living specimen 

 for examination. For this purpose common objects should be 

 used, and carefully examined by each pupil. For example, in a 

 lesson on the Daisy each pupil should have a specimen — should 

 examine, dissect, and describe it himself. This is all very well 

 so far as it goes ; but supposing the lesson were on the Elephant 

 or the Whale, it might be just a little inconvenient to let each 

 scholar have a specimen ! Yet, in the absence of specimens, it 

 would surely not be contended that lessons on such subjects 

 should not be given ? Similarly, the plants shown at that 

 exhibition — collected, pressed, and, to a large extent, identified 

 by school children — were described as valueless, and worse than 

 useless, because they were dead. But we submit that many 

 most important lessons could be given, and are being given, 

 from precisely similar specimens. At one village school, not 

 many miles from the place where that address was given, the 



Naturalist, 



