AMERICAN NATURE-STUDY SOCIETY 385�»,

were retained on the committee and instructed to continue the work. Andit was suggested that a large part of the next program deal with this subject.The question of a time of meeting that would be more favorable was freely

discussed and a majority of those present favored a change of time.The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:President, William P. Holt, Central High School, Toledo.Vice-President, Ralph W. Buck, Stivers Manual Training School, Dayton.Secretary-Treasurer, Miss Harriet E. Glazier, Western College for Women,,

Oxford.Assistant Secretary, R. 0. Austin, School of Commerce, Columbus. -

CHARLES T. PROSE, Secretary.

MINNEAPOLIS MEETING OF THE AMERICAN NATURE-STUDYSOCIETY.

The fourth annual meeting of the American Nature-Study Society, heldFriday, December 30, 1910, attracted a considerable number of membersfrom several different states. The morning session was devoted to thegeneral topic, "The School Garden as a Nature-Study Laboratory." Gardenwork in Minneapolis was presented by Mary D. ,La Rue, principal of thePierce School, who gave an interesting account of work done under herdirection. She exhibited views of the children’s gardens and displayedpupils’ hand-work in nature-study, art, and language. She was followedby Mr. Leroy J. Bo’ughner, editor of the Minneapolis Tribune, who gavethe experience of that paper in encouraging vacant - l(yt gardens. Mr. D.Lange, principal of the Humboldt High School, St. Paul, and author of"Handbook of Nature-Study," ’then told of garden experiences in the St.Paul public schools, from which interesting conclusions were drawn.

"South Chicago School and Home Garden Work" was presented by Pro-fessor Otis W. Caldwell, president of the American Nature-Study Society,whose admirable stereopticon views and graphic description of backyardgardens in poor districts carried a message to all interested in childhood..1. A. Drushel of Teachers’ College, St. Louis, outlined "School Garden andGreenhouse Work in St. Louis." His talk was illustrated. Several membersparticipated in the discussion of the general topic.At the business session the secretary-editor reported that the close of

the year 1910 showed a paid-up membership exceeding 1,100 and a small:balance in the treasury.The following officers were elected:President�B. M. Davis (Ohio).Vice-presidents�G. H. Trafton (N. J.) ; S. Coulter (Ind.) ; F. L. Steven»

(N. C.) ; F. L. Holtz (N. Y.) ; and D. J. Crosby (D. C.).Directors�Ruth Marshall (111.) ; E. B. Babcock (Cal.) ; J. Dearness?

(Ontario) ; Otis W. Caldwell (111.) ; and Anna B. Comstock (N. Y.).The following directors hold over: L. H. Bailey (N. Y.) ; 0. F. Hodge

(Mass.) ; C. H. Robison (N. J.) ; S. C. Sehinucker (Pa.) ; Delia Griffin(Yt.) ; Grant Smith (Chicago section) ; and J. A. Drushel (St. Louissection).The afternoon session considered two topics. The first, "Natural History

Museums in Relation to Nature-Study Instruction," was discussed by I. B.Meyers, who briefly presented "The University of Chicago, School of Edu-cation Plan," and J. A. Drushel, who outlined in detail "The St. Louis Plan,"showing lantern views. Mr. Drushel’s paper was a very complete state-ment of the organization and work of the St. Louis Educational Museum,,an institution which, dating from the World’s Fair of 1904, has developed

386 SCHOOL SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS��

into one of the most prominent and useful features of the educational sys-tem of that city. A general statement of the work of this museum ap-peared in the Nature-Study Review for April, 1910, and it is hoped thatMr. DrusheFs paper may be published in full in an early issue of theReview.The second topic, "The Organization of Nature-Study," was discussed by

1. B. Meyers, Fred L. Charles, and Otis W. Caldwell. Mr. Meyers read a-very carefully prepared paper on "Our Present-Day Outlook into the Teach-ing of Nature-Study." Mr. Meyers has been devoting the year to the in-vestigation of special problems in nature-study teaching. Mr. Charles madea plea for "The Standardization of Nature-Study," urging that the AmericanNature-Study Society has an important though difficult function to per-form in endeavoring to define nature-study aims and principles and workingtoward the establishment of acceptable standards in the wide field it has tocover. The closing paper of the meeting was given by Professor Otis W.Caldwell, who spoke on "The Organization of the Course in ElementaryScience for the Grades." His talk was most helpful, consisting of generaliz-ations based upon experience and regarded as fundamental to any elementarycourse in the materials of nature-study. His paper will appear in a forth-coming number of the Nature-Study Review as the second .of a series, thefirst of which appeared in the Course of Study Number, October, 1910.

FRED L. CHARLES.

^ The first of a series of articles, later to be issued in book form, by Dr.George Bruce Halsted, so well known to our readers, appears in February^Open Court under^ the striking caption, "The Prehuman Contributions toArithmetic." To Dr. Halsted alone has been given the power to transmutethe dry bones of arithmetic into a fascinating serial.

BULLETIN OF THE MASS. AGE. COLLEGE, DEPT. OF AGR.,ED. CIRCULAR 10, 1910.

In August, 1910, the Third Annual Conference on Agricultural Educationwas held at Amherst, Mass. School and Home Gardens proved to be sub-jects of such extensive interest that the Massachusetts Agricultural Collegehas brought together seven of the papers upon the above topic and has issuedthem as Bulletin 10 of the Department of Agricultural Education. Thefirst and last of these papers deal respectively with the place of garden workin education, and suggestions as to how the work should be done. All theother articles are descriptions of what has already been accomplished, andbecause of their direct, concrete statement of actual occurrences in gardenwork are of much value. It is one thing to have springtime enthusiasmabout garden work, and quite another to have the same kind of enthusiasmat the close of the season’s work. For this reason especial value attachesto the many records of experience, to the details of practice, and the prod-ucts that were secured. Several accounts that were written by pupils offergood measurements of work from their point of view.A statement of educational value "after the fact" is of more significance

than a prognostication. For example, one teacher, at the close of her reportsays: "The value of our garden was twofold. First, it put new life andinterest into every subject in the school, and second, it enabled us to reachout through the garden to a small degree at least, to the community. Herein,I believe, lies the real value of any school garden." The entire pamphlet isvaluable, and is a fairly good measure of the present stage of development ofthe school-garden movement. 0. W. CALDWELL.