The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-19

The subject How to Bring Religion
hto the Lives of Our Children Through
Nature" was ably handled by Miss A.
N, Felker, as follows:
Since religion is a belief binding the
spiritual nature of the man TO super
natural being on whom he is conscious
that he is dependent, we mothers and
teachers as educators must first make
the child conscious of God and establish
in him correct habits of thinking and
doing.
You have been beautifully told how
this may be done through music, story
and art. L am to tell you briefly how
10 bring religion into the lives of chill
dreH through nature.
In order to teach well, one must have
thorough knowledge or be an earnest
student of the subject. If we are to
teach botany, zoology, astronomy, geol-
osy, biology, we must familiarize our
selves with the subject, and We must
not only familiarize ourselves with 1t,
but We must learn to love it. would,
therefore, advise mothers and teachers
who are not already familiar with the
highways and byways of the heavens
and earth, to go forth into the light of
things and let Nature be their teach
er. Frequent excursions into the coun-
w. trips to the seashore, mountain
ramps for those who are able to take
Them, gardening at home, painting,
sketching and drawing from nature, are
all helpful. This is an age of special
ISIS, and in the city one can nearly al
ways secure a teacher. A good lecture
Is inspiring. I would recommend books
last Of ALL Sir John Lubbock, Emerson,
Asassz, Rousseau, David Starr Jordan,
helen Gardere, and others touch on VIZ
!al subjects, and there are hundreds or
Juvenile books along this line which are
suggestive, to say the least.
IN order to see God in nature ourselves
We must study the laws of nature. The
law of life is perhaps the most fmpor-
.ant' Biology and evolution familiarize
Us with this law. Gravitation in the
PHYSICAL world is worthy OF study. The
same law holds good in the moral world;
mere 1t is known as the law of love.
mere are many lesser laws such as the
"a" Of self-preservation (the first law of
.d'ure) and the law of the survival OF
we httest, or as an educator puts 1t, the
survival Of the highest; evolution ex-
rams both definitely. Joseph LIE Conte
" the University of California has writ
l. In some valuable papers on, evolution.
lis II Is well worth any mother or teachers
"rie to read them.
W. must therefore teach our children
- HVe' If We prepare them to live, we
P'gpare them to die.
Ike Froebel, more than one hundred
ssarS ago, teachers must sit at the foot
lml stand alongside of the mothers and
Varh OF them.
II several years ago it was my privilege
de- pe IN the training class of one Of the
h,'L,est mother-teachers in the world.
bur some of her lectures she told us
IA y, she had taught her own children
sa,. I'VE ana the meaning of life. She
sald I'm the first place. every one OF
tbis children had his own garden. In
bia ne planted his seed and cared for
rro, pants during their termination and
ma IN This was not an easy task for
bat lar from It, for the garden could
.esa neglected single day. encour-
tbro,,.,,hy children to ask questions, and
t, sasI Questioning tried to lead them
Ieel the presence of God in nature