"From Cruelty to Kindness"

"At Cornell University, it is a well-known fact that those students who turn aside so as not to crush the ant, caterpillar, or cricket on the pavement are almost invariably those that are studying entomology; and in America it is the botanists themselves who are leading the crusade for flower protection.

Thus, the nature study teacher, if she does her work well, is a sure aid in inculcating a respect for the rights of all living beings to their own lives; and she needs only to lend her influence gently in this direction to change carelessness to thoughtfulness and cruelty to kindness."
Anna Botsford Comstock, Handbook of Nature Study, 1911.

I recently read a post that made me start thinking about how we relate to nature once we start looking closely at and understanding the web of life we have all around us. Paula (from Belgium) sent me a link to her post Nature Play II where she talks about how her daughter will give each animal or insect she studies a name, thus helping her to respect it as an individual. I was impressed with this idea and have been thinking about it ever since. (Thanks for the link and post Paula.)

I think this is the same sort of concept that Anna Botsford Comstock is writing about in the quote above. Knowing more about an animal or insect or plant helps us to respect its place in the bigger picture. We become careful observers and see nature not as a whole but as the beautiful intricate balance of life that is amazing testament to a Grand Creator.

If you have not read the section in the Handbook of Nature Study titled "The Nature Study Attitude Toward Life and Death" (page 12 and 13), I highly recommend reading or refreshing your mind with this information.

"The one right way to teach about death is not to emphasize it one way or another, but to deal with it as a circumstance common to all; it should be no more emphasized than the fact that creatures eat or fall asleep."

Barb-Harmony Art Mom