20 
Nature Portraits 
end. The profound spec- 
ulations of the modern 
evolutionists have empha- 
sized the importance of 
the things themselves, and 
particularly of real or live 
things. The point of view 
has changed. Do not let 
your pupils make an her- 
barium, the modern teach- 
er will say, but tell them to 
study the plants. We all 
sympathize with this point 
of view ; but what are we going to do with this native and exuberant desire 
of the child to explore and to collect ? We are taught, also, that we should 
develop and strengthen the natural powers. One of my friends will not let 
his little boy make an herbarium, because that is mere superficial amusement ; 
so the child collects postage-stamps. He does not care to have him know 
the names of plants, but he is very careful to have him properly introduced 
to visitors; and what is an introduction but a conventional passing of names? 
I believe that we have gone too far in decrying the making of collec- 
tions. We can make the collection the means of securing real information. 
We can fasten the attention of the child. The one caution is, not to make 
it an end. The child cannot collect without seeing the thing as it lives and 
grows. It appeals to him more in the field than it does in the museum. 
Let him collect for the 
purpose of understand- 
ing a problem. Where 
does the dandelion grow? 
What are the plants in 
yonder bog? How many 
are the weeds in the 
orchard ? What are the 
borers in the old log? 
Set the child a field 
problem and he will col- 
lect in spite of himself. 
Then the collecting has 
FOX CAUGHT IN A TRAP. 
