The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-01-18
PURPOSE OF NATURE STun,]
To Develop the Childs Native Interest in H;m,.x
and His Surroundings
From L. H. PaAeys The Common Schools and the Fam.vo,h"
The Century.

1t is the purpose OF nature-study 10 |
develop the child's native interest 10
himself and his surroundings. 1t pro
ceeds on the theory that the best ed
vocational procedure with the young IS
first to direct the personal sentiments
powers, and adaptabilities. or course
we must consider hot only what tue
child's interests and powers are, pu,
also how We can aid him to grow INTO
man: but We cannot annihllate the
native adapta bilities without endanger-
ing the child It may be even danger
Gus to try to suppress them. If these
tendencies and sentiments are not Oil
rected. they are likely to develop INTO
wild and wasteful energies. The caus-
es Of truancy lie in part in our over
diligent efforts to repress the NAIVE
enthusiasm of the child. A good part
OF our training of childen. fear, is ex-
pressed merely by the command
Don't" Each truant is problem IN
himself, but it is probable that most
truants belong to one or another OF
three classes: n) the vicious class;
(2) the low mentality class; go the
class that will not conform 10 usaSes
and to customs, and in which the enef-
gies tend to run riot, or at least 20
express themselves in erratlc and I'M
conventional ways. These last are the
true truants. They are repressed
children. A child of this class may be
likened to jack-in-the-boX: ne Is
forced into conventional limits, but
is always ready to break out in a way
that brings CONSERVATION to the we'll
behaved.
Nature-study, therefore, is to begin
with general, common. normal. and IN
dissected objects and phenomena
rather than with definition and classl-
f1cation, in order that the child may
be developed naturally. Definition and
classification are the results OF the
accumulation of experience. Ihey
are not primary educational means
or methods. Definition always Rags
behind knowledge 1t is likely to take
the place of knowledge in the chiio $
mind. 1t did in the old botany ana
grammar and physiology. AS soon as
we begin to compress knowledge anu
experience into the limits OF dehnltlon,
we take away the life, spontaneltv'
and enthusiasm of it. Definitions are
for mental guidance after experience
has accumulated. and they become
more exact with the maturity OF the
person. No doubt we have over-de-
fined the subject matter in our text
books.
Nature study is coming more and
more to be an out-of-door subject, for
the child's interest should center more
in the natural and Indigenous than IN
the formal and traditional. It is not
our sphere to live chiefly in buildings.
Nature study began very largely with
obiect-lesson work The objects might
have been collected out of doors, but
! they were taken into the schoolroom
to be studied. This was distinct ad-
vance over the older type of object
study, because it tended to substitute
natural objects for artificial and geo.
metrical and unpersonal ones; but II
did not develop into true nature-study
until a distinct effort was made tc
study the objects and the phenomena
just where they occur in their norma
relationships. There can be no eHec'
tive sustained nature-study when the
work is confined in a building.
One is impressed in the various ex'
pressions coming from many parts Of
the country with the universally ant
uuanimity of the nature-study move
ment indicating the existince OF a gen
eral feeling that the schools are no
adequate and not vital.
The nature study teaching has in
troduced many new and sisnlHcan
phrases into the teachers vocabulary
as. for example, increasing the JOY
living" sympathetic attitude towar'
nature" Increased interest in the com
mon things" Ito train the creative
faculties
The KEYNOTE of nature-study is II
develop sympathy with one environ
!: ment and an understanding OF it. In
long continued habit of looking at tn
natural world with the eyes OF self-ln
terest-to determine whether plant
and animals are "benefcial' or "inJur
ions" to man-has developed se!fls
, attitude toward nature. and one ina
&c untrue and unreal The average ma
J today contemplates nature only as
relates to his own gain or personal en-
joyment.
, The end of nature-study is TO deye!
{ m spiritual sensitiveness and insight
6 therefore il must not cease with mer
objects and phenomena. In 'Als II On
] fers from the prevailing conception
I Misunderstanding I think that | cate
Al. .a4o in the SYllahi and DOOWS tnl