JOURNEYS THROUGH BOOKLAND IN ITS RELATION TO THE SCHOOL--(Continued)
_Nature Study_
Nature study to be most valuable must be in reality the study of nature.
Its beginnings are in observation and experiment, but there comes a time
when the child must go to books for information and enlightenment. The
purposes of nature study are to awaken a spirit of inquiry concerning
things in the immediate vicinity and thence in wider fields; to develop
observation, comparison and reason; to give interests that will charm
the possessor through life; to introduce the elements of the natural
sciences. Enthusiasts have made the study of nature the basis of all
school work, the correlating force in all studies. Such an idea has
merit in it, for it is certain that lessons begun in the observation of
living things and the phenomena of nature speedily ramify into language,
reading, geography, history, and even mathematics.
There is among some an unfortunate tendency to go too much to books for
material and to seize too quickly any suggestion that leads in that
direction. Yet books are valuable at the proper time and in the proper
place. When facts have been learned, they may be made vital by good
literary selections; when facts not accessible by observation are
needed, they may be obtained through books. On the other hand,
literature is full of allusions to natural facts and phenomena and may
only be understood by him who knows nature. Both phases of the subject
are of vital interest.
Instead of attempting any systematic outline for nature study we will
here try to give help on two problems only:
_First._ How may nature study be broadened by the use of literature?
_Second._ How may the study of nature help in the appreciation of
literature?
I.
In trying to answer the first question we will present first a
classified list of selections from _Journeys Through Bookland_ which are
closely related to the study of nature and indicate briefly how they may
be used.
A. Seven Long Selections.
In the first place, there are long selections in which there are many
anecdotes and incidents which are usable in nature study. We will give
partial lists of what is to be found therein, but it is well to read the
whole selection and choose what is best for the occasion.
1. _Tom, the Water Baby_ (Volume II, page 215). This is one of the most
charming stories in the book, especially for young children, though
older ones and even people of mature years will enjoy it thoroughly.
Tom, a little chimney sweep, after perilous adventures, dies, or rather
turns into a newt or eft, a water baby. His exciting life thereafter is
in the waters, where he meets many of its strange denizens. The whole
story is highly imaginative, humorous, and full of fine lessons,
beautifully given. The more important of his adventures, from our point
of view, are concerned with the following:
The Caddis Fly, pages 261-264.
The Dragon Fly, pages 264-265.
The Sand Fly, pages 267-269.
Otters, pages 270-271, 273-274.
Salmon, pages 272, 279-283.
Tides, page 287.
The Turbot, page 289.
Lobsters, pages 292-294, 300-303.
Sea Cucumbers, page 297.
Great Auk, page 339.
Mother Carey's Chickens (Stormy Petrels), page 344.
2. _Robinson Crusoe_ (Volume III, page 45). Two chapters only are given
from this great story, but the first, dealing with the capture and
education of Crusoe's man Friday, may be worth while to read in
connection with studies of savage races. It is not altogether
scientific.
3. _The Swiss Family Robinson_ (Volume III, page 99). This famous old
story will be charming to children for many generations to come. It is a
tale of the wonderful struggle of a family against nature. It may be a
fact that it is unreasonable and impossible; that not all the seeming
facts are true; that nature never plays so perfectly into the hand of
man; that not all the living things mentioned are to be found in one
locality. But it is clean, wholesome adventure, and the errors in it
will do no harm. Many a good language lesson and many an addition to
nature lessons may be drawn from it. The efforts of the family to
utilize what they find, though too successful, are worthy of imitation.
Some of the more interesting things met by the family are the following:
Lobsters, page 113.
Oysters, pages 114, 117.
Agouti, page 116, with a picture on page 116.
Cocoanuts, pages 125-128.
Calabash Trees, page 123.
Monkeys and Cocoanuts, pages 125-128.
Shark, page 138.
Turtle, pages 145-149.
Penguins (picture), page 152, pages 151-153.
Cassava Bread, pages 154-157.
Caoutchouc, page 170.
Onager (Wild Ass), pages 171-174 (picture, page 172).
New Zealand Flax, pages 175-176.
Flamingo, page 177.
Salt Cavern, pages 180-185.
Herrings, pages 187-188.
Gypsum, page 188.
Boa Constrictor, pages 192-195.
Ostrich, pages 206-215.
Walrus, page 222.
Hyenas, pages 227-228.
Lions, pages 252-256.
4. _Brute Neighbors_ (Volume VII, page 260) is an interesting essay by
Henry David Thoreau, the most delightful of American naturalist writers.
In this essay he chats familiarly about the animals that surround his
cottage in the woods, and shows the closeness of his observation as
well as the breadth of his general knowledge. It is a nature study in
itself as a whole. Besides mention of other animals, he tells
interesting anecdotes of the following:
A Wild Mouse, page 261.
The Partridge, as the ruffed grouse is called in New England, pages
262-263.
The Woodcock, page 264.
The Fighting Ants, pages 264-268.
The Loon, pages 270-274.
5. _The Pond in Winter_ (Volume VII, page 280). This is another of
Thoreau's charming essays in natural history. It contains a pretty
description of the snow and ice covered pond (page 280), an account of
fishing through the ice (pages 282-283), and a vivid description of the
pickerel (pages 283-284).
6. _Winter Animals_ (Volume VII, page 293) is a third one of Thoreau's
essays. An analysis shows that he tells something of all the following
interesting things:
I. Winter routes over lakes, pages 293-294.
II. Sounds by day and night.
a. The melodious note of a hooting owl, page 294.
b. The honking of a goose, page 294.
c. The harsh and tremulous call of a cat-owl, page 294.
d. The whooping of the ice, page 295.
e. The barking of foxes, page 295.
f. The feet of the red squirrel down the sides of the house, page
295.
g. The discordant screams of the jays, page 298.
h. The wiry note of the chickadee, page 298.
i. The whirring wings of the partridges, page 299.
j. The yelping of hounds, and the hunting
horn (including fox hunting), pages 300-304.
III. The destructiveness of squirrels and wild mice, pages 296-297.
IV. The hares, pages 304-305.
7. _Trees and Ants That Help Each Other_ (Volume VII, page 306) is a
selection from the writings of Thomas Belt. It is an extremely
interesting account of some of the curious adaptations of plants and
animals to each other, as is indicated sufficiently by the title. An
outline of the essay follows:
I. A species of acacia, pages 306-309.
1. Houses and feeds ants.
a. Houses in thorns.
b. Feeds (1) by glands and (2) by a pear-shaped appendage.
2. Ants protect trees.
3. Each seems beneficial to the other.
II. A cecropia, or trumpet tree, pages 309-311.
1. Houses and feeds ants.
a. Houses in hollow stems.
b. Feeds ants through herds of plant-lice that suck juices of
plant and secrete honey.
2. Ants protect trees.
3. Apparently beneficial to all.
III. An evergreen shrub.
1. Houses and (probably) feeds ants.
a. Houses in pouches at base of leaves.
b. Probably feeds ants through the services
of scale insects and plant-lice.
2. Ants protect shrubs.
3. Probably beneficial to all.
IV. Plants feeding ants, pages 311-312.
1. Orchids.
2. Passion flowers.
3. Dog rose.
B. Classified Selections
The following selections, ranging from nursery rhymes to some of the
finest things ever written, may be considered available for the purpose
of creating interest in nature study or of adding to a stock of
knowledge already acquired. For convenience, they are classified in a
general way, according to the subject-matter of which they treat:
I. Flowers and plant life:
_a._ Nursery rhymes:
(1) _Daffy-Down-Dilly Has Come Up to Town_, Volume I, page 47.
(2) _Mary, Mary Quite Contrary_, I, 30.
_b._ Fables:
(1) _The Boy and the Nettle_, Volume I, page 65.
(2) _The Fox and the Grapes_, I, 135.
_c._ Fairy Tales:
(1) _The Tree_, Volume I, page 301.
(2) _The Flax_, I, 378.
(3) _The Fir Tree_, II, 68.
_d._ Poems:
(1) _The Reaper and the Flowers_, Volume I, page 410.
(2) _John's Pumpkin_, III, 1.
(3) _The Potato_, II, 467.
(4) _The Moss Rose_, VI, 98.
(5) _The Daffodils_, VII, 1.
(6) _To the Fringed Gentian_, VII, 4.
(7) _To a Mountain Daisy_, VII, 8.
(8) _The Petrified Fern_, VII, 77.
_e._ An interesting essay:
(1) _A Bed of Nettles_, Volume VIII, page 209.
_f._ See references to _The Swiss Family Robinson_ and _Trees
and Ants That Help Each Other_, in the earlier part of this
section.
II. Birds:
_a._ Nursery rhymes:
(1) _Lady Bird, Lady Bird_, Volume I, page 12.
(2) _Higgledy, Piggledy_, I, 20.
(3) _Poor Robin_, I, 16.
_b._ Poems:
(1) _Little Birdie_, Volume I, page 142.
(2) _The Brown Thrush_, I, page 147.
(3) _The English Robin_, II, 214.
(4) _Who Stole the Bird's Nest_? II, 399.
(5) _Four Ducks on a Pond_, VI, 98.
(6) _The Rime of the Ancient Mariner_, VII, 29.
(7) _Ode to a Skylark_, VII, 275
(8) _To a Waterfowl_, VII, 395.
(9) _The Romance of the Swan's Nest_, VIII, 315.
_c._ Fables:
(1) _The Fox and the Crow_, Volume I, page 64.
(2) _The Fox and the Stork_, I, 73.
(3) _The Wolf and the Crane_, I, 96.
(4) _The Lark and Her Young Ones_, I, 131.
(5) _The Owl and the Pussy Cat_, I, 339.
(6) _Minerva and the Owl_, II, 7.
_d._ Fairy Story:
(1) _The Ugly Duckling_, Volume I, page 414.
_e._ An Essay:
(1) _Owls_, IX, page 229.
_f._ See also references to _Tom, the Water Baby_, _The Swiss
Family Robinson_, _Brute Neighbors_, and _Winter Animals_,
in earlier parts of this section.
III. Four-footed animals:
_a._ Nursery rhymes:
(1) _Ding Dong Bell_, Volume I, page 15.
(2) _Little Bo Peep_, I, 9.
(3) _Old Mother Hubbard_, I, 24.
(4) _Three Little Kittens_, I, 13.
(5) _Baa, Baa, Black Sheep_ I, 8.
_b._ Fables:
(1) _The Fox and the Crow_, Volume I, page 64.
(2) _The Ass in the Lion's Skin_, I, 65.
(3) _The Fox and the Stork_, I, 73.
(4) _The Gnat and the Bull_, I, 70.
(5) _The Lion and the Mouse_, I, 75.
(6) _The Wolf and the Crane_, I, 96.
(7) _The Fox and the Grapes_, I, 135.
(8) _The Bat and the Two Weasels_, I, 154.
(9) _The Owl and the Pussy Cat_, I, 339.
(10) _The Horse and the Stag,_ I, 338.
(11) _The Fox, the Wolf, and the Horse_, I, 377.
(12) _The Wolf and the Lamb_, I, 455.
_c._ Poetry:
(1) _The Cow_, Volume I, page 106.
(2) _Mercy to Animals_, I, 413.
(3) _How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix_, V, 335.
(4) _To a Mouse_, VII, 5.
_d._ Stories:
(1) _A Dog of Flanders_, Volume IV, page 93.
(2) _The Lion and the Missionary_, VI, 93.
(3) _Rab and His Friends_, VI, 99.
(4) _Elephant Hunting_, VI, 385.
(5) _The Gorilla Hunt_, VII, 247.
_e._ Essays:
(1) _Some Clever Monkeys_, Volume VI, page 402.
(2) _The Buffalo_, VII, 96.
_f._ See, also, references to _Tom, the Water Baby_, _The Swiss
Family Robinson_, _Brute Neighbors_, and _The Pond in Winter_,
in the earlier part of this section.
IV. Reptiles:
_a._ Fable:
(1) _The Boys and the Frogs_, Volume I, page 63.
_b._ See, also, references to _Tom, the Water Baby_, and _The
Swiss Family Robinson_, in the earlier part of this section.
V. Insects:
_a._ Nursery rhyme:
(1) _Little Miss Muffett_, Volume I, page 29.
_b._ Fable:
(1) _The Gnat and the Bull_, I, 70.
_c._ Poem:
(1) _The Spider and the Fly_, III, 19.
_d._ Essay:
(1) _Trees and Ants That Help Each Other_, VII, 306.
_e._ See, also, references to _Tom, the Water Baby_, in the earlier
part of this section.
VI. Denizens of the water:
_a._ Fish:
(1) _Salmon Fishing_, Volume VII, page 285.
(2) "Pickerel," in _The Pond in Winter_, VII, 280.
(3) See, also, "Salmon," in _Tom, the Water Baby_, II, 272, 279-283.
_b._ See numerous references to _Tom, the Water Baby_, in the
earlier part of this section.
VII. Natural Phenomena:
_a._ Nursery rhymes:
(1) _Rainbow in the Morning_, Volume I, page 48.
(2) _If All the World Were Water_, I, 48.
_b._ Poems:
(1) _Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star_, Volume I, page 44.
(2) _The Sun's Travels_, I, 68.
(3) _Rain_, I, 110.
(4) _Autumn Fires_, I, 394.
(5) _The Wind_, I, 440.
(6) _The First Snowfall_, II 403.
(7) _In Time's Swing_, II, 481.
(8) _Echo_, III, 286.
(9) _The Rainbow_, VI, 91.
(10) _Sweet and Low_, VI, 122.
(11) _The Cloud_, VII, 257.
_c._ Fable:
(1) _The Wind and the Sun_, Volume I, page 95.
VIII. Geographical in Nature:
(1) _At the Seaside_, Volume I, page 129.
(2) _From a Railway Carriage_, I, 198.
(3) _Stop, Stop, Pretty Water_, I, 317.
(4) _Song of the Brook_, IV, 60.
(5) _A Descent into the Maelstrom_, VIII, 95.
(6) _Ascent of the Jungfrau_, IX, 1.
II
Aid in answering the second problem may be found in the following
paragraph:
A series of interesting studies may be founded on the use which authors
make of nature by way of direct and indirect allusion in their works.
Such lessons are the opposite of those we have been considering. Now,
the literary selection is taken first, read carefully and the allusions
noted and classified. It will be noticed that it is not necessary that
selections used for this purpose should be new to the pupils. In fact,
genuine literature has the merit of being always new, always
interesting. No better service can be rendered to a child than to create
in him a love for the fine things in literature. Continued, monotonous
study of a masterpiece may breed dislike of it, especially if the
exercises are dull and formal. But to approach an old favorite from a
new direction, to look at it from a new point of view, is to lend it
added charms.
A. To illustrate our method, we will use _The King of the Golden River_
(Volume II, page 405).
1. _Assignment._ The leader assigns the work as follows: "I wish you to
read the first section of _The King of the Golden River_ and write in
the order of their occurrence, every mention of a living thing or
natural object and every allusion to them. Use the words of the story
when possible, but be brief. After each put a number, to show the page
of the story. Let us see who can find the greatest number and who can
make the best paper."
2. _Preparation._ If the children work well their lists will be
something like this:
a. The valley in the mountains. Page 405.
(1) Snow-covered peaks; cataracts; a crag; river; circular hollows.
(2) Heavy crops; high hay; red apples; blue grapes; rich wine; sweet
honey.
(3) Blackbirds; hedgehogs; crickets; cicadas.
(4) Corn.
b. The wet summer. Page 407.
(1) Hay; vines; corn.
c. A nice piece of mutton. Page 408.
d. Must be the wind. Page 408.
e. A black feather some three feet long. Page 409.
f. Like a beaten puppy's tail. Page 410.
g. Like a mill stream. Page 410.
h. Licking its chops. Page 410.
i. A gust of wind that made the old chimneys totter. Page 411.
j. Quicksilver-like streams. Page 411.
k. Like a straw in the high wind. Page 413.
l. A wreath of ragged cloud, that whirled and rolled away down the
valley. Page 415.
m. A gush of rain. Page 415.
n. Howling wind and rushing rain without intermission. Page 415.
o. The room was full of water. Page 416.
p. A misty moonbeam. Page 416.
r. Like a cork. Page 416.
s. The inundation. Pages 416-417.
(1) Trees; crops; cattle swept away.
(2) Red sand and gray mud left in their stead.
(3) Corn swept away.
(4) _Breezy_ letters.
(5) Southwest Wind, Esquire.
3. _Recitation._ The leader's part in the recitation is to help the
children to classify the things mentioned, to bring out the meaning of
the figures of speech, and to see that the allusions are understood.
In writing this fine chapter, Ruskin has mentioned or alluded to the
following:
a. Land and water forms: Mountains; valley; snow; peaks; cataracts;
river; circular hollow; mill stream; cloud; rain; globe of foam.
b. Animals: Sheep (mutton); bird (feathers); puppy; dog (licking its
chops); wolf (howling wind); cattle.
c. Plant life: Crops; hay; apples; grapes; corn; vines; straw; cork;
trees.
d. Natural phenomena: A wet summer wind blowing; gushing rain;
whirling clouds; misty moonbeam; floating foam; sweeping
inundation; breezes (breezy letters).
e. Rock material: Quicksilver; red sand; gray mud.
f. Natural products: Crops; apples; hay; grapes; wine; honey; corn;
mutton; cork; cattle.
g. Figures of speech: (In studying figures of speech, make three
points in each, viz.: _First_, the basis of the figure; _second_,
the translation of the figure into literal English; _third_, the
force and beauty of the figure and its effect on the meaning of the
sentence. With older children the names of the figures may be
given. Illustrations of these directions will follow.)
(1) Like a beaten puppy's tail. (A beaten puppy drops his tail and
drags it weakly behind him. The feather drooped down behind him
and dragged limply along. The figure gives a vivid picture of the
wet feather, limp and unhandsome. The figure is a comparison in
the form of a _simile_.)
(2) Like a mill stream. (Rushing, roaring, fast and furious.)
(3) Licking its chops. (_First_, a dog runs out his tongue and
licks his lips and the outside of his face [cheeks--chops] when he
sees food brought to him. A red flame twists and waves around like
the tongue of a dog. We speak of "tongues of flame" and "hungry
flames devouring." _Second_, long streams of flame waved around
and curled about the wood as they burned it. _Third_, how much
more vivid is the picture we see of the beautiful fire. The words
"rustling" and "roaring" help to strengthen the figure. This is a
fine comparison, but as it is not directly expressed by the use of
the words "like" or "as" we call it a _metaphor_.)
(4) Quicksilver-like streams. (Bright, shining, smoothly running,
with metallic luster.)
(5) Like a straw in the high wind. (Rapid, uncertain, irregular
motion.)
(6) A wreath of ragged cloud. (Notice the metaphor in _wreath_--also
in _ragged_.)
(7) Howling wind. (A wolf howls. The figure which raises an inanimate
object to the level of animate beings, or raises an animate being
[a dog, for instance] to the level of a human being, is called
_personification_.)
(8) Like a cork.
(9) _Swept_ away.
(10) _Breezy_ letters. (The words _swept_ and _breezy_ are
somewhat metaphorical, though their frequent use in this manner
makes the meaning almost literal.)
(11) Southwest Wind, Esquire. (Personification.)
B. A second lesson may confine itself more closely to the figures of
speech. Naturally this study of figures belongs with language and
literature, but the point we wish to make is one of correlation. There
is a literary side to nature study, and a natural history side to
literature. Many of the greatest authors have been ardent lovers of
nature, and have drawn liberally on their knowledge of nature in
beautifying what they have written. Many a reader, from lack of
knowledge or from careless habits, passes over the most delightful
things, as blind and deaf as he who sees no beauty in the wild flowers
and hears no melody in the songs of birds.
For the second lesson of this character we will take the second and
third chapters of _The King of the Golden River_, hoping to find an
abundance of figures based on nature in some of its forms. We may not
find many. Some writers use few. We suspect that Ruskin used them
freely; as a matter of fact he was one of the greatest lovers of nature,
a man who labored hard to bring art and nature together and to find a
place for them in the lives of all.
We find in the second chapter the following nature figures:
a. Southwest Wind, Esquire, page 418.
b. His relations, the West Winds, page 418.
c. It looks more like silk, page 419.
d. The hot breath of the furnace, page 420.
e. Bright tongues of fiery cloud burning and quivering about them,
page 420.
f. A clear _metallic_ voice, page 420.
g. Like that of a kettle on the boil, page 421.
h. As smooth and polished as a river, page 421.
i. The prismatic colors gleamed over it, as if on a surface of
mother-of-pearl, page 422.
j. In order to allow time for the consternation ... to evaporate, page
424.
In the third chapter are the following:
a. Knotty question, page 426.
b. Like a line of forked lightning, page 427.
(This whole paragraph is a wonderfully beautiful description.)
c. Rose like slow smoke, page 427.
d. In feeble wreaths, page 428.
e. Shrieks resembling those of human voices in distress or pain, page
428.
f. None like the ordinary forms of splintered ice, page 428.
g. _Deceitful_ shadows, page 428.
h. Lurid lights _played_, page 428.
i. Ice _yawned_ into fresh chasms, page 428.
j. Fell _thundering_ across his path, page 429.
k. Rays _beat_ intensely, page 429.
l. Its lips parched and burning, page 430.
m. Long snake-like shadows, page 430.
n. The _leaden_ weight of the _dead_ air pressed upon his brow and
heart, page 430.
o. Shaped like a sword, page 431.
p. Like a red-hot ball, page 431.
q. They shook their crests like tongues of fire, page 432.
r. Flashes of _bloody_ light gleamed along their foam, page 432.
s. An icy chill shot through his limbs, page 432.
t. The _moaning_ of the river, page 432.
u. _The Black Stone_, page 432.