The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-27
DR.. HODGES LECTURE.
Develop Love Of Nature In Children
That Will Be Life Long.

Develop = Love Of Nature In Children
That Will Be Life Long.
DR.. Hedge spoke on Development of
interest and love of nature" and said
In part:
1t is true that the poetry of nature
has not yet been written. The one
thing that is drying UP our poetry of
nature at the fountainhead, Is the idea
that 1t must teach things.
At bottom the problem Of all nature
study Is to keep up lifelong interest
and love of nature IN the children. The
question of the study is the method of
learning Would any one say that a
child who learns words from books. has
learned anything? Prof. Peck says
knowledge like this is the mother of
unhappiness. The person who thinks
that he knows all there is worth
knowing, will never discover anything
The first great requisite for all intel
lecfual life is tha searching out of new
knowledge. The man who has never
been taught to originate line of ac-
ton, will never be capable of thinking.
Self-activity of the mind, says FroebeI,
is the prime factor of instruction
Asking Psychologists to analyza
knowledge for me, DIR. Hall gave this:
Some fact In science is discovered, and
a man is told Of it and then he forgets
it; then he is shown the experiment
tried, and remembers better: then he
does the experiment himself and re-
members pretty well; but when ne
works out the problem and makes his
own apparatus, he remembers for life
Another psychologist said: The lis
covery and knowledge has become a
part of himself than he can never lose.
All knowledge is an association Of
ideas, and each bit of knowledge de-
ponds on its composition. If a new
idea becomes associated with the hui
man ideas; it unites it's qualities with
them, but unites into a cenglomerate
whole only by the activity of the indi-
vidual
To be and do something in life is the
highest aim Of education. The great
teachers in science did not give instruc-
ton, but gave life works and lifelong
inspiration to do them.
This is the key of nature study, and
every teacher, especially those in lower
grades, can put this inspiration into the
children, that their life works be to
do something.
To inspire the children best, do not
give them something easy; give them
something hard that will try their met
tie, and if they do not do it the first
time or the tenth time. SO much the
better, and If they never complete the
work to their own satisfaction in their
life, SO much the better. They will then
have their life work.
Nature study should be active and
real. and be begun In the early years.
Huxley used to say that IL science
had to be learned from books. it would
be better not to have science.
We must maintain for the first three
years of child life the spontaneous ac-
tivity which has developed him. Why
should this stop at the fifth or sixth
year? Why not go on with the natural
way instead Of compelling symbolic
education? rs the school system free
from any semblance OF the prison
house? Can we not do something
against PARENTAL repression and ped
agogicai repression? If we could carry
education along the same lines from
infancy through childhood, through
youth and manhood and on to all age,
1t would be an educational fountain of
perpetual youth. Nature study will
keep US young as little children At to
enter the kingdom of God
Just word on the ethical side Of ma
ture study. The educational cost In this
country is s4,2S6Oo0,00 600 year. 1t has
been carefully estimated that insects
destroy yearly 100000 worth of prop
erty. Teach the school children how to
exterminate the noxious insects and
you Will save almost the entire cost Of
the school each year.