r
it
 

.    >       ..'
k     I    . 
/              i     i   )   1
»7
i?<?$
THE
MASSACHUSETTS   TEACHER.
 Vol. III. No. 1.]   LOUIS AGASSIZ, Editor op this Number.    [January, 1850.


 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY
    AS A BRANCH OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.

   It is a strange feature in the education of mankind, which we
 may trace back to all ages of our history, that the study of Nature
 has never been made an essential part in the early education of
 children.   The cause of this neglect appears the more surprising
 when we reflect that man lives in Nature, everywhere surrounded
 by so many interesting phenomena, which should at all times call
 his  attention. However,  the  difficulty of understanding the
 complicated  appearances  and  the  extraordinary diversity  of
 things which  present themselves naturally to our attention, have,
 no doubt, been the chief causes of this neglect, and  perhaps
 also the  circumstance, that constantly surrounded by these phe-
 nomena, they become familiar to us, and lose, in a  measure, their
 attraction before we have been led into an investigation of them;
 and those who afterward were led to devote their attention to this
 study, finding it as intricate as it is attractive, must have consid-
 ered the study of Nature beyond the reach of early years.
   Again, there are in human nature so many calls for a more di-
 rect education of the faculties with which man is  endowed, that
 the attention of parents is early and constantly called to this ob-
 ject, rather than  to a development in other directions.   The
 necessity of teaching the children to speak, and  to speak cor-
 rectly, leads  early rather to the use of books as records of the
 thoughts, expressed in  the form of speech, than to the study of
 natural phenomena.  There are, however, sufficient reasons why
 the study of Nature should not be neglected, and indeed enough
 why in the present state  of knowledge, the study of Natural
science may be made the real foundation of all education.  It
             1 
2
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
is a peculiarity, with which I have often been struck, that nothing
is  done in the education of children  to develop their organs of
sense, to teach them to make the  best use, and a full use of their
eyes and fingers;  and, unless they show a disposition for music,
their power of distinguishing sounds,  and appreciating harmony
is never developed.  As for an education of the organs of taste
and smell, there is no care taken under any circumstances, to
teach children to distinguish between the fragrance and taste of
different substances.
   It is nevertheless obvious that much might be  done  in this res-
pect.   And without attempting too much at a time, let us for a
moment consider how much more might be done, than is usually
the case in the way of developing the senses of seeing  and
feeling.
   Those who  have been conversant with the use of magnifying
glasses, who from  professional  inducements have  been  led to
practise  their eyes and fingers, know how imperfectly most men
are prepared to look at minute objects; how incorrectly they ap-
preciate distances or the relative proportions of objects  in the
distance, or even near them, and how roughly they handle every
thing they touch.  If it were only to teach a more proper use of
these organs,  the  study of Natural History might be  advanta-
geously introduced into the elementary schools.  But there are
other and higher reasons why such a study should be  introduced
into every liberal system of education.   Without alluding to the
extensive use which a knowledge of Natural objects might have for
every man in  common life ; without alluding to the benefits to be
derived for our comforts, from a more extensive acquaintance with
Natural productions; without alluding to the sources of wealth,
accumulated everywhere in the soil around us ;  without alluding
to the improvements which a better  knowledge of these things
might introduce in our husbandry, and in the transactions of life,
there is one point  of view which should make the study of Natu-
ral History an object of no small importance in the education of
every human  being.  It is its moral influence upon us ; it is the
fact, that unless we study  Nature extensively, we remain almost
strangers to the wonders of the Universe; we remain unconscious
of the beautiful harmony there is in Creation; we fail to perceive
distinctly that there is in Nature a revelation of the Supreme In-
telligence, which teaches us that every thing has been done with
order, with a view to a plan, and with reference to the creation
of that  privileged being  to  whom God has revealed himself in
another manner;  it is the  fact that the revelation  of  God in Na-
ture,  the  manifold  manifestation of His  power, His  wisdom,
His intelligence, which are displayed throughout Nature, remain
a sealed book to those who  are not early taught to read it, or they
remain  as a  sort  of undeciphered hieroglyphics,  which man 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
8
 may easily misinterpret from want of sufficient knowledge of the
 characters in which they are written.
   The study of Nature is worthy of our attention in this respect;
 and its importance in this point of view is as great as that of any
 other branch of study.
   Whoever reflects upon this subject in this view cannot fail to
 acknowledge the  value of such  a  study, and may perhaps only
 object  on  the ground  of insuperable difficulties in teaching
 children what may be said to be as yet so little understood even
 by professed naturalists;  but as languages can be taught without
 going  back to their  origin and  without alluding particularly to
 their mutual relations; as the elements of  arithmetic and geom-
 etry may be understood without a deeper study of the higher
 Mathematics;  as the art of writing or of  using the pencil may
 be imparted to those who shall  never be original  writers or dis-
 tinguished artists, so  with equal ease and  facility, can a knowl-
 edge of natural  things be acquired within  limits which are com-
 mon to all  ages, to all wants, in all circumstances of life;  and
 just such a  study of Natural  History would I advocate as a part
 of the elementary education in common schools.
   The study of the natural methods of classification and more
 extensive investigations of complicated phenomena,  the use of
 the microscope and dissecting apparatus, may be introduced at a
 later period;  but, unless children  be prepared for  this higher
 study, — unless they acquire a certain familiarity with the exter-
 nal relations of Minerals, Plants and Animals, it  will be as im-
 possible to instruct them further  in the higher branches of these
 Sciences, as it would be to teach mathematical astronomy or nat-
 ural philosophy to those who  had never learned to add and sub-
 tract figures, or to obtain the simplest  written statement from
 those who had never learned  their  ABC.
   This elementary study should be substantial, and should consist
 in the  illustration of  material objects,  the  properties, forms  and
 characters of which,  might be explained, even by  those who are
 not yet familiar with  the  subject, but  who, from a more mature
 development of their intelligence, should always be prepared to
 describe correctly, what  is brought before them.  The facility
 with which we can call the attention of children  to phenomena
 with which we ourselves are but slightly familiar, without giving full
 explanations of what is seen, shows the  ease with which  such
 elementary instruction in Natural  History  might be introduced
in all schools by every intelligent teacher.  There can be, there-
fore, no objection  to such  a plan, on the ground of the difficulty
of the  subject; and perhaps  some details  about the  plan to be
pursued, will convince the most incredulous.
   Suppose the subject of animals was first introduced.  I should
decidedly avoid speaking first of classification, natural arrange- 
4
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
ment, or systematic nomenclature.   Such points of Natural His-
tory have  nothing to  do with the elementary instruction, which
should be  imparted in schools.   But  let the figure of a  quadru-
ped be suspended  before the blackboard, or a stuffed specimen
be  introduced, or, in  want of both, a living  animal, a  dog, be
mentioned, and the teacher may, to the greatest amusement of his
young pupils, and to their still greater instruction, call  their at-
tention to the divisions of the body — show  how  such  animals
have a head like us, — have a neck like us; have a chest  and
a belly like us ; — have four limbs like us ; and so, at the outset,
destroy a  prejudice so  universally circulated among men, as if
our race were something quite peculiar in nature, entirely un-
connected with the animal creation;  while, on the  contrary, the
resemblance is very close.   The comparison may be carried into
almost endless details; when it could be shown, how, in the head,
the same  parts occur  in  the same  relative position, showing a
mouth with teeth, the  jaws moving  up and  down, a nose  with
nostrils, eyes with eyelids,  and lashes in  the  fore part of the
head, ears on  the sides of the head; but, at the same time that
these resemblances are pointed out, how easily might not the atten-
tion be directed to the nobler form of the human profile ? The elevat-
ed position of the head upon an erect body, be mentioned ?   The
power of moving the head  in all directions,  looking always for-
ward and  upward ?  How easily might a comparison between the
fore legs  and  arms be instituted, mentioning  the position of the
shoulder-blade, the elbow, the  wrist, — the complication of the
hand, with its five fingers, one of which, the thumb, is distinctly
movable in opposition  to the other fingers ; a peculiarity,  which
gives to the human hand its great superiority over the foot of all
quadrupeds, as an organ of  touch ; the ease with which the  arm
may be moved in all  directions, forwards,  backwards, upwards,
downwards, while in quadrupeds  it moves only in two,  either
forwards and backwards, as in those that run, or up and down,
as in those which fly or  swim ?  The legs  might  be compared
with  the  hind legs of quadrupeds, and the articulations of the
hip, the knee, the heel, the  toes, be  noticed, and compared with
those of the arm, or fore leg.   Then, again, a comparison might
be  introduced between the attitude in which man walks  and that
of  quadrupeds; when it could  be shown  that the  power  with
which man is endowed  to stand on  two legs with  perfect firm-
ness, gives him two  limbs to use, in addition, for most diversified
purposes.   So that we owe all the benefit  derived from the use
of  our arms and hands, and  the superiority this  gives us over
quadrupeds, simply to the circumstance of  our walking upright,
while quadrupeds move on all fours.
   It will  be easy to perceive  how such illustrations may be car-
 ried  on very far, with a little  skill and  intelligence ;  how the 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
5
external  differences in form, size, proportions, color, &c, which
characterize our domestic animals, may be made the subject of
interesting illustrations, which would be always  referred to nat-
ural objects, these animals being within the reach of every body
everywhere.
   Next, some  wild  animals might be compared; some  which
differ more from those with which we are familiar, and  their
peculiarities be explained  in  the  same manner.  Suppose, for
instance, a Bat was brought to school one day, how unexpectedly
would  it strike the young people, to be shown that their wings
are only modified arms ?   That they have the same joints, that
they are placed in the same position, and that  they have only
much longer fingers, which, instead of being free,  are united by
a skin extending from one to the other, and uniting at the same
time the hind legs with the wings.   The resemblance of Bats to
other quadrupeds, would appear still  stronger  if it were men-
tioned that these  animals  bring forth living young,  and nurse
them with milk in early life, as all other higher  quadrupeds do.
And no sooner had  it been understood in what sort of relation
the Bat stands to other quadrupeds, than  the children would be
prepared for any further generalizations.  For, when they had
been impressed with the conviction  that  the same organs may
assume widely  different forms ; that what is an arm with a skill-
ful hand in man, may be a clumsy foot in a cow, and  terminate
with a single finger and hoof in a horse, or assume the shape of
a wing  in  a bat.  The comparison of the nose in various ani-
mals would lead them to understand that the elegantly propor-
tioned form of this organ in the  human  race,  assumes the
beastly appearance of  the  snout  of  the Hog,  or becomes the
exceedingly sensitive organ of scent  in the Dog, or  be  trans-
formed into a long proboscis, used  like a hand, in the Elephant;
for the proboscis of the Elephant is only a prolonged nose, mov-
able to a most  remarkable extent.
   Endless comparisons of  the  kind may  suggest  themselves to
the teacher ; and even should they not be always correct, there
will be no greater harm in this than there is in the incorrect views
taken by all teachers on all  those subjects upon which we  do not
yet, for the present, possess sufficient information, but which time
and the progress of the Age will throw more light upon.
   Suppose now a Bird  be  introduced, (and I should  wish that
such exhibitions might  be always made from natural specimens,)
a Hen in a cage, from its  size, and  our familiarity with it, and
the case  with which we may have access to it, and see it every
day, would be, in my opinion, far  preferable for the instruction
of the young, to the most wonderful Parrots and Colibris  of the
tropics, or any of  those curious foreign  Birds, the  history of
which fills our Elementary Books on  Natural  History, though 
6
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
the birds themselves may never be seen by those who learn it.
Let, therefore, a domestic fowl be  introduced.   The first im-
pression will be that of a being entirely different from the quad-
ruped, examined before;  for here we have only two legs, and two
wings, the animal standing upright upon its legs, and  moving
its head gracefully  upon a  long neck, the whole of the  body
clothed with feathers, excepting the bill, which  is covered with
a horny sheath, and the  feet, the fingers of  which are  more or
less scaly, and provided  with claws  at the end.   After pointing
out these prominent differences between birds and quadrupeds,
how easily might not the attention  be called to the resemblances
between them ; when it might be shown  that both have a head,
and neck, chest, abdomen, and limbs; that in the head there are
equally a mouth, eyes, nostrils, ears, and that to see these latter
two organs we need only to look carefully at the base of the bill,
or between the feathers on the side of the head ;  and this com-
parison will doubtless widely increase the interest of the pupils
for such studies, especially if the teacher is ready to make some
allusion to the uniformity which prevails in  the laws governing
the animal Creation;  if he  is capable of showing how a wise
Creator modified in different animals the same organs  to suit
different  circumstances, giving a wide ear with a broad funnel
to those animals which live in open plains, where the sounds are
easily lost; reducing  it to a small cavity in  the soaring inhabit-
ants  of the woods  and rocks, where every sound is echoed  an
hundred  fold by  the  irregular surface- of the soil.  Presently,
the comparison of the  wings of Birds with those of Bats, may be
taken up, and traced further to the fore legs of quadrupeds, and
even to the arms of man.  Next, the legs may be traced in the
same way, and the uniformity of  arrangement of parts in such
remarkably different animals, may be made  quite entertaining.
Presently, also, the teacher  may add, that Birds lay eggs, set
upon them for a time, before the young are hatched, that they do
not nurse them with milk, but feed them with the bill, and pro-
vide, in various ways, for their subsistence, leading them in the
field to seek for food, and so on.   Speak of  the great diversity
of Birds  in every country,  mention their annual migrations in
Spring and Fall, and  all those interesting details in the Natural
History of Birds  which may be found in every  work on Orni-
thology.
   Also the uses of Animals and Birds to man may he spoken of;
the history of such animals as are particularly important in trade,
such as the fur animals, the seals, the whales, the various wild
animals.
   It is also prudent to begin the study of Natural History with
such animals as  are  familiar  to  the children,  both  to avoid
exciting  any anxiety  or  fear, which   the  sight of  the un- 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
7
 known  animal may produce, and to increase their curiosity by
 telling  them, as much  as possible, of new  things respecting ob-
 jects which  they  suppose themselves to know so well.   Such a
 circumstance frequently repeated will be the greatest inducement
 for constant inquiry into the things around them.  But though
 pleasant  objects should  be  made subservient to these general
 very important purposes, it were injudicious to avoid speaking of
 those things which are frightful, injurious, and even dangerous,
 to man;  and upon these, the most precise  information should, if
 possible,  be  given, to instruct us to keep within those limits in
 which we may remain safe  in our vicinity to such beings.   The
 class of  Reptiles  is  particularly  one  of  those  upon  which
 less  correct  ideas  prevail.  Because there  are some poison-
 ous  Snakes,  all   Snakes   are  dreaded;  because  there  are
 some toads, the skin of which is covered with a sharp slime, all
 the animals  of that family  are considered as dangerous, and in
 this condemnation a still larger number of animals is included,
 which are not only perfectly harmless, but which are really very
 useful in  every respect, and might be made still more so but for
 our prejudices.  A teacher in Natural  History should early at-
 tend to show  that Turtles,  Lizards, Snakes and  Frogs belong
 together  in one class of animals, notwithstanding the great differ-
 ences in their external  form.  In the first place, the extraordinary
 form of Turtles must  excite great interest, and the frequent re-
 currence  of  several species  in various parts of this country will
 make it very easy to show living specimens to the class, to illus-
 trate the  remarkable form of the body, its flatness, its shield-like
 form, the extraordinary size  of what may be considered the chest,
 in comparison to the thin neck, and small head, and small tail; the
 power they have to retract the head and legs, and to  some  de-
 gree, also, the tail under their shield ; all these points  make Tur-
 tles exceedingly interesting, even to one who is not very familiar
 with  them.   Something of the large Turtles which occur in the
 sea, and which are used as food or from which the tortoise shell
 is derived, cannot fail to  be known, and  might be introduced in
 connection with this illustration of the small native species, the
 body of which is equally covered with horny  shell, and some of
 which have also very palatable meat; such  as the Terrapin.
   But what should particularly be mentioned, is the ability of these
 animals to spend the  cold season in a kind  of torpor  under the
 ground, during which most of the functions of life are suspended,
 no food is digested, and respiration and circulation almost cease,
 so much are  they reduced in their activity;  nevertheless, year
 after  year, at the returning  heat of  Spring and  Summer, they
 come out  to lay their eggs.  The slowness of their motion should
 be contrasted with the quick powerful activity of Birds, and the
more  energetic movement of Quadrupeds. 
8
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
  After  speaking of Turtles, Lizards  might properly be intro-
duced, when it could  be shown  how closely they resemble Tur-
tles, and how much they differ from our  domesticated quadru-
peds, though they also are provided with four legs ;  but instead
of hair, they have scales covering their skin;  they  lay eggs in-
stead of bringing  forth living young ;  the  young, hatched from
the eggs, are not nursed with milk, but left to  find their food by
themselves.  Their body feels cold, whilst the higher quadrupeds
are warm blooded ; so that  we have  here an  instance  of  ani-
mals, apparently very similar in form and  external appearance,
which, by their internal structure and mode of living, are scarce-
ly related ; while others, which  apparently differ far more, such
as the Bats and domesticated Quadrupeds, are really related  by
their structure and mode of living, though their external form
be widely different.
  A child who has understood these differences and the possibili-
ty of such connections, is prepared to go on with any subject in
the investigation of Natural  History;  for  these facts  and  their
correct understanding, are among the  fundamental  facts in this
science, and the  sooner they are understood the  better the pupil
will be prepared  to make further progress.   And though consid-
erations of  a far higher order may be introduced upon these
subjects, an intelligent teacher will  perceive how early he may
prepare his pupils for the higher and highest education in Natur-
al History.  He himself will soon be deeply interested by these
suggestions; for, if after examining Turtles and Lizards, he take
up a Snake, he will find that an animal of a widely  different
form, may still preserve the same general character, and be close-
ly allied with beings, which, at  first  sight, seem totally differ-
ent.   For Snakes and Lizards are hardly distinct, excepting in
the circumstance, that the legs  are  almost entirely wanting in
Snakes, or exist  only  in a very rudimentary state.
  The harmless kinds of Snakes should  be well  known; the more
so, as they may  be ranked among the most useful which  destroy
large numbers of injurious Insects, and in no way do  any injury
to men or animals.   It is very unwise, I may say, wrong to al-
low the horror with which we are impressed by the sight of  the
Rattlesnake and other most  poisonous serpents, to be transferred
to those pretty, harmless and even beautiful varieties which feed
in our gardens, or along our brooks, and  may be handled with
perfect impunity.   We may even learn a great moral lesson from
these facts, as the ordinary way of dealing with these animals is
as injurious as would  be the deportment of a man who, knowing
the bad character of some  neighbor, should curse all mankind,
and avoid any connection with all men because he has known bad
ones.
   The Fishes are so numerous along all our shores, and along all 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
9
 our brooks, and rivers, and  lakes  that  the  opportunities of be-
 coming acquainted with these inhabitants of the waters, will be suf-
 ficiently ample and favorable ; and every child should early in life
 become acquainted more intimately than most men are, Avith ani-
 mals which are so extensively useful to man ; which afford him such
 wholesome food, such precious products for his trade, and which
 are diffused in such  variety all  over  the world.   Let  a single
 fish  be examined  carefully, its scales be looked at  minutely, its
 fins be examined, their  respective position ascertained, their us-
 es in motion be satisfactorily investigated, the mode  of breathing
 through gills  be contrasted with the  respiration through lungs,
 the extraordinary  power of  moving the  jaws and other  bones  of
 the head be ascertained ; let the easy motions of these apparent-
 ly clumsy bodies be  watched, and I  should  be very much sur-
 prised if a student would  be willing  to end his study with the
 first examination, and if  he  were not to  make it a point to  com-
 pare the different Fishes with each other, to  satisfy  himself that
 not only their colors vary extensively, but that their forms also are
 greatly diversified, that the position of the fins is different in the
 different kinds of Fishes, and that there is such a variety among
 them as  to interest the mind in  their study  as extensively as we
 may be interested in  the study of the Birds or the gayest Insects.
   But the great thing to interest  pupils in  these matters, is,  to
 bring natural specimens before them ;  not those poor illustrations
 and the meagre accounts which are found in our elementary books,
 but the living  nature itself.   There is as much difference in the
 impressions thus derived, as there  is between the sight of a flock
 of Birds flying through the air or a herd of animals playing  in
 the fields or upon the prairies, and the sight of some wood-cut  in
 a picture book.  I am aware that  most teachers will be, in the
 beginning, diffident from want of personal acquaintance with these
 subjects ;  they will hesitate  to speak of what  they do not know
 themselves.  But let one go to the fish-market and ask a fisherman
 to point out to him a codfish or a pickerel, or an eel, and with the
 knowledge of the name he gets there, let him apply his senses and
 intelligence to see what can be noticed at first sight, of the external
 characters of such an animal, and  tell it to his class; and if he
 fails to interest them, I should be satisfied that such  elementary
 instruction of Natural History is out of  place in our  schools. If
 the teacher be still diffident, and does not trust himself in  this  new
 path, let him question sportsmen and  hunters about Birds  and
 quadrupeds, and his market-man about  Turtles and  Fishes,  and
 he will  soon find that his  store of information is  worth communi-
 cating ; but I entreat him to avoid the learned language  of the
 books, which would be utterly out of place  with children,  and
 should be  reserved for the  systematic  instruction of more ad-
vanced  pupils. 
10
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
  It is really my deliberate  opinion that the study of Natural
History should be undertaken as early as any other instruction,
with the youngest children ;  that they should learn to play with
natural objects, and  derive from them both amusement and in-
struction in a far more rational way than by mere toys ; for they
will be the more amused as the objects which will thus be  placed
in their  hands are  more diversified, and  they  will be more in-
structed as these objects teach them  more  extensive  lessons at
the same time that they educate their senses.  In this way, chil-
dren learn to see and compare most diversified objects, they learn
to appreciate different forms ; to distinguish colors and all their
different tints ;  to form for themselves general  ideas  embracing
various things, more or less closely related to each other; indeed,
they are  trained in thinking, and seeing, and  using also their
hands; and such a practical training cannot be introduced too
soon in the education of  children.   I may say that it should pre-
cede all other instruction, and be carried on simultaneously with
the ordinary  studies of common schools, and should be introduced
also in Latin and Grammar schools, and be continued as far as pos-
sible, before the young student enters upon his professional stud-
ies, or begins to devote himself with more care to any particular
branch of study.  Brought up in that way, a pupil will have  a
broader foundation for any farther instruction ; he will understand
more readily the more abstract instruction in Arithmetic, Geog-
raphy and the Languages, for having learned to  deal with special
facts, with isolated objects, with unconnected phenomena ;  and,
with this better preparation for any kind of studies, whenever he
is allowed in more mature years to receive also special instruction
in Natural History,  he will make  more  rapid  progress, and be
prepared to form more correct ideas  about the physical world.
He will enter with a better spirit into the study  of the philosophy
of Human Nature, for having known something  of its physical or-
ganization compared with that of animals.
   The question might be raised  against  so extensive an intro-
duction of the study of Natural objects into the  schools, on the
ground of want of'time.  But if the  first aim of all education
and instruction, is  to develop the various faculties of  pupils,
is it not plain, that  the  objects which address  themselves so di-
rectly to our senses must have a very powerful  influence in that
very direction, and  tend effectually to promote this object ? and,
far from being a drawback  upon other branches of instruction,
the proportion of time allowed to these Natural studies, will only
increase the power of attention paid to the others; and the vari-
ety of topics thus  introduced into the schools, will be a power-
ful help  in  exciting the interest of the  young, and  a great
inducement for them to apply themselves to all the subjects which
are taught:  especially if those more  interesting objects are in- 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
11
  troduced as a sort of reward for the  attention  bestowed  upon
  those which have less interest in themselves.
    Another objection will be raised, on the ground of the difficul-
  ty of securing the specimens for illustration.  But this difficulty
  may  easily  be obviated;  collections sufficient for such an ele-
  mentary instruction can be made  during the  vacation, by every
  intelligent teacher, and might be obtained at little expense, from
  dealers in objects  of Natural History.   There  are even large
  numbers of these objects  which every pupil might collect for
  himself, in his leisure hours, or  procure from  his more advanced
  school-mates.   And, as it  has been so extensively the practice
  for the students of our Colleges to teach school during certain
  months of the year, I do not see why the students of  Scien-
  tific Schools,  also,  should not be  induced to teach what  they
  have  learned in their respective  departments of Science; and
  why Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Geology, Botany, and Zool-
  ogy cannot have their turn in the instruction given in the ele-
  mentary schools, by students  already advanced in these studies.
   I have already spoken of instruction  in the Natural History of
  the larger animals,  and have, I  trust, shown how easily this sub-
 ject might be illustrated in schools; but I may now add, that all
  branches of Natural  History  are  equally adapted to such ele-
  mentary instruction, and that perhaps some branches will excite
  even more interest than the study of the larger animals.  I need
  only allude to  the  study  of  insects or shells.   Whoever has
 watched the  transformations of a caterpillar into a chrysalis and
 butterfly ;  whoever has seen such a worm-like animal, assuming,
 finally, the brilliant appearance of a flying moth, whoever has
 witnessed the  economy of a beehive, or of an ant-hill, will know
 that these wonders, well understood and  narrated in a simple
 manner without display of learning, will  be capable of fastening
 the  attention of the youngest child.  Whoever has walked along
 a beach with children, however young, must remember with de-
 light, their excitement at the sight of so many beautiful shells, five-
 fingers, and other productions of the sea, and how they have been
 puzzled at their hundred questions, by which the children display
 their interest and desire of learning.  And where, as is the case of
 the animals of this State, we possess upon them so  full and inter-
 esting works as the Report of Dr. Harris upon the Insects inju-
 rious to Vegetation,  or the Report upon the Shells by Dr. Gould,
 there cannot be the  slightest difficulty for a teacher to take hold
 of these works and prepare himself fully, with little  trouble, to
 illustrate  these matters in a very satisfactory manner.  And why
 should not such books be used as reading books, alternately with
those commonly used,  which are too extensively of  a  literary
character, and, indeed, exclude so  completely the  study of Na-
ture, that a youth may almost go  through the entire course of 
12             THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
 his education, without being once taught that there is an  exter-
 nal  world, the work of an  intelligent and wise God, who  has
 provided for the wants of man in all  directions, and surrounded
 him with so thousandfold evidence of His goodness and power ?
   The  lower animals are  particularly suited to this elementary
 instruction, for the very reason that  they are so numerous,  and
 occur in so great plenty everywhere, and  may be  picked  up in
 all seasons, and preserved with the greatest  care,  and  be kept,
 without  occupying much space.  Aided  by his pupils, making
 occasional  walks with them  during  the pleasant  season, every
 teacher may, in a short time, have, gathered in his school-room,
 a  valuable collection, to illustrate the  Natural History of  the
 country where he lives, and  not  only make himself in  that way
 more useful to his class, but even contribute to the advancement
 of Science, by collecting a  great variety of objects which usual-
 ly escape the attention of  those  who are noj;  permanent resi-
 dents in that district.
   There is, no doubt, a particular charm in the study of animals,
 in the investigation of their  mode of living,  and  habits.   The
 greater facility we have  of understanding them,  for  the very
 reason that they in some degree partake  of the same nature with
 ourselves, will, at all  times, make them the most appropriate ob-
jects of elementary instruction in Natural History.  Neverthe-
 less, the study of plants should not be neglected;  and there  are
 many topics which might, with as much propriety, be introduced
 early, and  be made very interesting,  even to children.   Why is
 it, for instance, that in the first springs of  their  life, their  atten-
 tion is not called to the growth of plants, and the  wonderful re-
 newal of their verdant covering,  which  spreads  over the  whole
 surface  of our globe ?  Why are they not prepared  for such a
 sight during the winter ?  Why are the leafless trees not pointed
 out to them at an age when they can hardly remember  to have
 seen them  in their  full foliage, covered with blossoms, or hang-
 ing with fruit?  If that was  done, how  they would be amazed
 to see the change going on,  and for months to witness the opening
 of buds, the  growth of leaves, the  formation  of  flowers, their
 sWt duration, the  succession  of  fruit-buds,  and finally  the
 growth and ripening of fruit.   It requires no knowledge of Bot-
 any to teach such things; it only requires a sense for  the beau-
 ties of Nature, and a mind unwilling to shut one's eyes to the
 most  wonderful phenomena in Nature.   Let, then, towards  the
 fall,  the changes again be witnessed ; let the change in the color
 of leaves be watched; let their fall be noticed ;  let it be known
 that after this brilliant exhibition of life —for plants live, though
 they live in a different  way from animals — that, though most
 plants lose  all  their lively  appearances during  winter, they
 are  not dead, but  only  asleep, like   so many  animals that 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
13
 spend the winter in torpor, motionless, buried under the ground.
 Let  it  be known  that, in these  respects,  different parts of
 the world do not present the same phenomena; that there are
 countries so far remote towards the poles that an almost  perpet-
 ual winter  prevails there, and  that few plants grow  during
 their few summer  days; let it be  known  that  there are other
 countries  over which a perpetual  spring and  summer prevail,
 and  thus  introduce the first elements for the  study of physical
 geography; let it  be said, at the  same time, that animals  also
 vary in different countries, and that a more extensive acquaint-
 ance with all the  inhabitants of our globe, shows a wonderful
 adaptation of the different tribes to the zones in which they live.
 But from such a general survey, we turn to look more minutely
 into the peculiarities exhibited by the different plants.  How in-
 structive and interesting must it not be for a child,  to see that
 every plant  has  peculiarly formed leaves!   Let one  day be de-
 voted to this subject;  and  a bundle of boughs of different trees
 and other plants be gathered and shown ;  compare the leaves of
 the various Oaks with those of the Maples, of the Poplars, or with
 those of the Ash, or the Rose-bush, and what beautiful diversity
 of forms  will  be  displayed!  What elegant  outlines  will  be
 found among them  ! Let then the children try to draw these forms
 upon the slate, to fix more precisely in their memory this diversity,
 which cannot fail to impress them most vividly ;  and they will not
 only  have learned  all  these facts, but they will attempt to draw
 them for themselves, whenever they can lay their hands upon a
 pencil, or a slip of paper.  The imitative disposition of this age is so
 great, that it would be more difficult to prevent a child from going
 on by himself in this sort of amusement, than to induce  him to
 take  up other studies.   Let another day be devoted to the inves-
 tigation of some flower, and select for that purpose,  in the be-
 ginning, the larger ones, such  as a  Tulip, or  a Rose.  Let  the
 flowers of  different plants be compared, the differences pointed
 out, the resemblances  shown;  for instance, the flower of Apple
 and Pear trees, and the flower of Roses and Strawberries ; and a
 child will soon know, what it has cost Botanists so many centuries
 to learn, that plants, apparently the most different  in their as-
 pect, may  have flowers  of  the same  structure;  for Strawberries,
 Rose-bushes and Apple  trees, belong to one and  the same class.
 Let, again, a Tulip be compared with a Lily, or a Hyacinth, or with
 the flower of an Onion; and here, again, the resemblance  will be
 very  striking, and  the  close  relationship  between these latter
flowers  will appear as  obvious, as that between the  former.   It
will then also be seen that those plants which have only one sort
of leaves in their flower, equally colored, as the Lily and Tulip,
have leaves of an entirely different structure, with nervules run-
ning  all in the same  straight  direction, while  those flowers in 
14
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
which there are external green leaves, and colored ones within,
as the Rose, the Apple, and the Strawberry, have a strong mid-
dle rib  in  their leaf, from which  other  ribs branch, at various
angles, and combine in various ways into a network.   Let, after-
wards, these comparisons be traced in plants with smaller, and less
conspicuous flowers, and the great contrast with the former will
soon take  hold of the imagination of our young students, and
transform  them early  into careful  observers.  They will  be
struck with the fact that the Oak, though a large tree, has very
minute  and very imperfect flowers, while so many small plants
are adorned with the most beautiful flowers which exist among
vegetables.  They will  thus learn that the size of a plant does
not indicate  its superiority in  the vegetable kingdom, but that
it  must  be known  by  its flowers and  fruits.  If attention  is
further  called  to Mosses, Lichens, and Seaweeds,  still other
structures, still other forms will become known, not the less in-
teresting for being  simpler, not less attractive for  being more
humble, not less worthy of our  attention for producing neither
flowers nor fruits.  After such an illustration of the vegetable
kingdom, it should be shown how easily plants can be preserved,
how they may be dried between the leaves of a book, and how,
with some care, part of their  beauty,  and,  at least, all their
distinct characters can be preserved; and, within a few quires of
paper, every boy and girl may have a nearly complete collection
of the plants  growing  within many miles around their  house.
And, no doubt, if he  shows so much interest for plants as  to be
willing to take the trouble of preserving them, he will occasion-
ally meet with some  Botanist willing to give  him the  names of
all his  plants,  anxious  to impart to others the knowledge for
which a desire is shown in such  a  way.
   It were  almost useless to add, that an acquaintance with plants
at large, is the best  preparation for the farmer to improve upon his
agricultural pursuits,  to introduce  in  his fields new varieties of
seeds, of grasses, of  vegetables of all kinds ;  to stock his nur-
sery with new varieties of fruits, and adorn his garden with new
kinds of ornamental  flowers.   For my own part, I should con-
sider myself highly rewarded,  should  it be found  after half a
century, that  a number of intelligent men have been benefited
through life by the  knowledge they had acquired in Natural His-
tory, in consequence  of these suggestions to introduce this study
throughout our  schools as a fundamental  branch of elementary
education.
   But this is not yet the  end of the topics which can be usefully
introduced as an elementary branch  of  instruction.   The  Min-
eral Kingdom has its treasures worth knowing, and even setting
aside the  strong inducements  there are for our improvement
in  practical life,   and in comforts  of every  kind,  in taking 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
15
 advantage of the  large  amount of wealth, of the  inexhaustible
 resources buried  under the surface of our globe in the form of
 mineral  coal, of various metals, of precious stones, if we con-
 sider only the rough materials of which solid parts of our earth
 are built up, I  ask, should not every intelligent inhabitant of this
 globe know what are the rocks which form our mountains, what
 is the solid foundation of  our oceans,  what  are  the various
 materials which constitute  the  soil upon which we  live ?   The
 knowledge  of these things  is so easily acquired, that  children
 might be made familiar with  these objects  as  early as they are
 with  the ABC.   And I have no doubt  they would be as  wil-
 ling to receive that sort of  instruction.  But here, again, I fore-
 see an objection which might appear insuperable:  " Can we ex-
 pect," it will be asked, " that all our teachers should be Geolo-
 gists ?   That they should all be Mineralogists ? That they should
 all be ready to explain the  true structure of our globe ? "  No
 such thing is expected in this plan of instruction, but simply a de-
 sire among them to learn something about these matters, while com-
 municating the next day what they have learned the day before.
 Every stone-cutter knows what stones  he works; and a fragment,
 broken  from his  load, while  he is driving his wagon along the
 street,  with some occasional questions about the use  of such
 stones, will be a sufficient preparation for a teacher to lay before
 his class such a fragment, and repeat what he has learned him-
 self an hour before from a  common workman.  He will be able
 to express in words, the differences he notices between granite
 and slate ;  between limestone and sandstone ; between pudding-
 stone and clay.   He will find that  some of these rocks form lay-
 ers, while others occur in large masses ; that some consist of a uni-
 form paste, while  others are composed of heterogeneous ingredi-
 ents ;  that these  heterogeneous ingredients are regularly crys-
 tallized  in the granite, but  are  rolled-up particles,  cemented to-
 gether in sandstone and pudding-stone; and will thus soon prepare
 to work up for himself a natural classification of rocks, as valuable
 as the methodical arrangements which we find in most of our books.
 He will, perhaps,  occasionally  pick up  some Fossil found  be-
 tween these layers, an  impression of a plant, some shells; by
 chance,  a bone, or some other thing, which he will not be able to
 recognize, but which he may just as well show as a curiosity, until
 he himself learns more about it, and until he finds opportunity to
 notice the subject again with improved information.  He may even
 go so far as to call attention to  the arrangement of these  rocks
 in Nature, if he  happens to have  in his vicinity large  quarries
where rocks of different  kinds are brought into connection, in or-
der to show how massive rocks have displaced, upheaved, and con-
torted those, which, from their structure, and their  position, may
be supposed to have been deposited in horizontal layers, and so on. 
16
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
   But even should this not be attained, how much of interesting
 detail may be introduced respecting the different minerals, their
 regular  crystallization, their  mathematical forms, their angles,
 edges, surfaces, their weight; contrasting the metals with earthy
 minerals, showing their peculiar colors, their  taste, &c, or con-
 trasting, for instance,  crystals of salt, of alum,  with  those  of
 quartz,  and so on.
   Again, taking a wider range, how  easily he  may show that
 these substances change their  appearance under different circum-
 stances  ; how some, which are hard and solid at the usual temper-
 ature, may be  melted  if great heat  be applied to them,  as
 metals;  or volatilized, as sulphur;  how others may  become
 hard  and solid  under the influence of intense cold, which are
 liquid under  ordinary circumstances,  such  as quicksilver,  or
 water, which  crystallizes into ice;  how  again  water  may be
 changed by heat into steam ; and thus he may introduce those dif-
 ferences which we notice between the solid, and liquid, and air-
 like substances which form the mass  of  our globe,  or surround it
 as an ocean, or envelop it as  an atmosphere.   Then speaking of
 the phenomena occurring in the water, notice the subject of tides,
 of currents, of rivers, of clouds, the  formation of  rain and snow,
 of storms, winds, tornadoes, indeed the  whole  range of  Meteor-
 ology in connection with the constitution of our atmosphere and
 the crust of our earth.   It will easily be seen  how upon such a
 foundation still further instruction in Natural  philosophy can be
 acquired and carried, almost without end, into the special phenome-
 na to which heat, electricity, light  &c,  give rise in this world.
  It does not' matter in what order these subjects are introduced.
 It will  depend  upon  the previous  knowledge of the  teacher,
 whether he finds it easier to  begin with the Natural History  of
 Animals and Plants,  or with  that of the  Minerals, — whether
 Chemistry or Natural Philosophy  be more familiar to him than
 Meteorology  or Geology, or even Avhether he fancies one of the
 subjects  more than the others; but an intelligent teacher should
 aim at introducing, early, all the subjects in succession within cer-
 tain  limits, in order that the minds of children may early be im-
 pressed  with the great diversity of things which exist in the world,
 and which man is capable of knowing and understanding. Collec-
 tions should be made to illustrate these subjects as extensively as
 the means and opportunities will allow, and if possible no chance
 of getting information from good sources should be lost.  There
is no saying what would be the change in the welfare  of a na-
tion, if all citizens were to partake of such an extensive elemen-
 tary instruction, how much  more  rapid  improvements in use-
ful arts  might be  made,  and  how  important  discoveries would
follow in the purer sphere of science.   Our school system is yet
untrammelled by routine, unprejudiced  by habits.   Let the com- 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
17
 mittees under whose charge the schools are left, consider mature-
 ly how beneficial such a change in the system of education would
 be, and let America give, in this respect, an example to the world
 at large.
   It were expecting more than can be realized, to imagine that
 such a change can be introduced throughout  the country imme-
 diately ;  for, though I advise every one to look to  Nature for in-
 formation rather than to books, I will not deny their value, on the
 contrary, I know how useful good books are.  But as  our works
 on Natural History have been generally written with a view  of
 advancing science rather than of teaching the coming genera-
 tions  what has  been known before,  I am  perfectly conscious
 of the great deficiency of our  supply in this respect.   But when
 elementary  works upon  Natural History shall be as numerous
 as the spelling-books, the readers,  grammars,  and dictionaries
 prepared  for the use of elementary schools,  then  I hope  there
 will be no further objection to the universal adoption of this sys-
 tem.  The first thing which is wanted, is a picture book with well
 selected  examples of Animals, Plants and Minerals,  illustrating
 all the divisions of  the  three  Kingdoms  in correct outlines,
 cheap, to be accessible to every one, correct, to impart sound
 and precise  information,  and not too extensive, to answer the
 purpose of the most  elementary instruction.
   I cannot conclude these remarks upon the importance of the
 study of  Natural History as a branch of elementary education,
 and the  simplest methods of introducing it as  soon  as possible
 into our  schools, without  adding some  further  considerations
 upon  the  moral influence of the study of Nature  upon men  in
 general.   The most extensive  knowledge of natural phenomena
 would, after all, be of little use to mankind, had not  these  stud-
 ies an important influence upon the moral education of man, — an
 influence, which shall presently  be felt throughout the civilized
 world, though  it is scarcely perceived now, even  by those who
 devote themselves specially to this study.   I refer to the candor
 with which a sincere student  of Nature  is gradually imbued.
 There is  hardly another  study into which it is not possible for
 man to introduce more or less of his own prejudice and partiality.
 The politician may take a particular view upon almost any sub-
ject, and  with talent carry out  his argument with great success.
 The mental or moral philosopher may put a construction of his
 own upon mental phenomena, and ages may pass before his doc-
 trines  will be  questioned and opposed on  grounds sufficiently
 strong to  shake his system.   Not so with the study of natural
phenomena.  There they are  before us,  presenting themselves
daily to our observation, unchanged  and unchangeable, inacces-
sible to our will and  constructions; teaching us that in the hard
struggle for a knowledge of Nature, we have  to submit to her; 
18
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
that she is always right, and  that we  have always to take her
teaching, instead of impressing upon her our views.   And who-
ever has learned this great lesson will  be ready to receive other
lessons from the great Architect of the Universe, with the same
humilitv and simplicity with which  he has been  accustomed to
submit in the case of scientific investigation.   It is true enough,
that Naturalists constantly run  away with facts, and construct
their own systems upon them.   But it is none the less true,  that
we  may now see through  such arbitrary systems,  perceive, and
be satisfied of their vanity.   The natural philosopher in future
must  aim at  depicting natural phenomena as they are, and not
at carrying out  this or that system.   As soon as this study is
understood in this  spirit, its  importance for moral  philosophy
cannot be overlooked.  All the philosophical systems  of cosmog-
ony, all the mere speculative views respecting human nature for
which  a material foundation  can  be substituted  from Nature,
must  be at once given up, as far as they do not agree with  this.
  It would lead .too  far  to hint at  all the various points upon
which the study of Nature will interfere with  the views advanced
by moral philosophers.  Let it only be understood that the study
of the intellectual phenomena can no longer be pursued without
reference to physiological studies, and  without comparison  with
similar  physiological phenomena in the whole series of animals.
There is so intimate  a connection between  the intellectual and
physical phenomena  occurring  in man  and  the  corresponding
phenomena in other parts of the animal kingdom, that it is not
enough to  have studied the intellectual nature of man with ref-
erence to his own physical  structure, but this comparison must
be traced with reference  to other beings throughout the Animal
Kingdom.   The mere assumption that  to the human race alone
belong  certain intellectual privileges over animals ;  that reason
and conscience are privileges peculiar to man, by which he is dis-
tinguished  from animals, does not settle these difficult questions ;
and I foresee  how, for centuries to come, comparative anatomy
and physiology are to be taxed for a solution of this problem, which
will be urged, from naturalists alone, as strenuously as if philosophy
deserved no  blame  for keeping aloof from physiology, and  as if
naturalists had  at  once  to step out of  the  line of investigations
which are  now  in progress, to  wait upon the philosophers  and
supply  their deficiencies.   This much, however, is  understood
already, that men and animals form a natural whole  ; that  they
are linked  together by a common plan of organization; that they
emanate from one common source, and must be considered as
the manifold manifestation in  time and  reality of the  thoughts of
God, to last under His providing care as a considered work of His,
for so long time as it shall please His wisdom to preserve it. 
THE  MASSACHUSETTS  TEACHER.
19
    In this intimate union which  has been  ascertained  to exist
 between all  animals, we perceive such a similarity of structure,
 such a uniformity of plan among the most diversified types, that
 we cannot avoid believing that the principles which regulate the
 existence of the one, regulate also that of the others, and that we
 are led  gradually but irresistibly to  assume such a view as Nature
 teaches us most forcibly.   The differences between the differ-
 ent types would be rather differences in degree than in nature,
 and perhaps would exemplify again in one sphere, what we already
 notice in human existence itself, where different individuals show
 the same  differences in the  power and development of their
 faculties,  as  we may  notice  between monkeys  and  the lower
 animals.  It  does  not occur  to any one to deny  the  poor idiot
 his right  to  be  considered as  a man,  to  deny  conscience
 and responsibility,  as  an essential  element of the fundamental
 nature even of  that one who has lost all  control over himself,
 after  he has  once  been  a sound man and  a  useful member of
 society, or to  refuse the power of thinking to that man who has
 gone  crazy, as one of the most prominent  privileges of human
 nature.   So should we acknowledge the unity of  Nature of the
 corresponding faculties in animals, and  guide  them in the exer-
 cise of functions by which they do many things similar to those
 we witness in  man.  Upon  tracing this  comparison further and
 further, we arrive at last at  the perception of a far greater unity
 in the plan of  Creation, than at first would seem to exist.
    We are thus led to ascribe to all living beings an immaterial na-
 ture, similar to that which so eminently distinguishes man ; to con-
 sider their intellectual  powers, though  less extensive, as  of  the
 same nature as those of man; to assign to this, their immaterial
 existence as imperishable a  nature as we assign to the immortal
 soul of man ;  and step by step, we  may be led to  the  consoling
 thought, that,  not man  alone is to survive this  earthly existence,
 and every thing else to perish; that man will not be  separated
 from those innumerable connections with which he is  surround-
 ed in this life,  those  pursuits which  improve his  mind; that
 not all existence will  be gone except  man's  spiritual nature;
 that not the cultivation of his moral nature alone  is to prepare
 man for  future existence, and to benefit him  there, but that the
 study of other beings in Nature, of natural forces, of the rela-
 tions of the systems of worlds scattered throughout the Universe,
 is to form  also part of  the preparation of man for another life;
 that the  study of the  revelation God has  made  of Himself in
 Nature, is as essential to the future happiness of man as is his mor-
 al education,  and that a  more perfect  knowledge of all these
 things is to be, in connection with  the  moral perfection of our
being, the reward of eternity and part of its blessings.
                                                     L. A. 
20
THE  MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER.
                        GEOGRAPHY.

    Perhaps, after  reading and writing,  no branch of study haa
  been more poorly taught in our common  schools, than Geography.
    Text books have contained a mass of  isolated facts.
    Recitations have been answers to disconnected questions.   Too
  frequently, no distinction has been made  between what was merely
  information, — interesting, it is true, as the facts contained in the
  newspaper are interesting, but not worthy to be studied, commit-
  ted to memory, and treasured up for future use,— and the essential
  facts of Physical Geography,  in  the most limited sense of the
  term.
    The pupil commits both with the same  scrupulous care, and for-
 gets them  with  the same readiness.  His progress  is slow and
 toilsome.   He is encumbered with what  is irrelevant, unsystema-
 tized, and so presented, that he proceeds but a little  way during
 each term.  At  the commencement of the next, not having seen
 the connexion, bearing, and value  of these facts,  he has  forgot-
 ten them.   He goes over the same  ground.   All beyond is an
 unknown  region, terra incognita.    The  first  part  of his text
 book is worn  out  ere  he  knows aught  of  the rest,  except the
 pictures.
   This  need not  be.  The facts of Geography  are simple, inter-
 esting,  closely connected, and easily taught.
   The  child, after being taught what a map is, and what it does
 represent, e. g. the difference between a  real and imaginary line,
 that while  the one represents a mighty river, the other stands for
 nothing visible, and after being made conscious that the world is a
 sphere, that it does exist in free space without visible  support, is pre-
 pared at once, almost with the telling, to grasp the foundational facts
 of the science.   The actual existence, and forms of existence of
 lands and waters having been learned, the  prominent features of
 each of the continents should next occupy his attention.  In rec-
 itation,  he should draw upon the blackboard the continent to
 be recited, and with a list op topics before his eye (or mind)
 commence  with the more  prominent objects  of  attention, and
 proceed to those less so.  With the  same list of  topics, let him
 study each  of the divisions of each continent, and then each of
 the  subdivisions,  until  the subject has  been pursued with the
 minuteness required.
  In this way, whatever has been  learned will exist in the mind
 in  a definite,  tangible form, so  associated as to be  available,
 easily retained, and readily recollected ; it will be viewed  in its
 relations, and will have  an actuality, a living power and value, of
which the mere question and answer scholar has no  conception.
This mode of teaching will render  the  study which was the most