The boy was Hertfordshire bred and born. Late, but at
last, the Council of this progressive county has given a lead to the counties of Britain in the manufacture of a real " country bias for its young scholars. The phrase has already acquired a certain vogue ; and that is one sign of a good many that we are returning—late but at last—to a due reverence for mother earth. The prodigal returns to the village. The suggested "Syllabus of Rural Education" is a document that ought to be studied by every county councillor and Church education authority throughout Britain. There is no space here to give a list of the various practical suggestions made to the end of stimulating the minds of country children to an interest in their natural and proper surroundings. But in a rather wider reference one would like to focus attention on a particular passage in the fresh and thoughtful introduction :-
" Many teachers have also made use of the natural features and of the historical associations of the locality for enriching their lessons in tho ordinary subjects. The publication of the Natural History of Hertfordshire under the aegis of the Authority and the recent provision of lectures for teachers in Rural Science and in Local Lore were definitely undertaken in order to encourage and develop this aspect of education."
On this subject no county perhaps has been so successful in creating interest in its own natural and social history as Cheshire, thanks to the Chester Natural History Society originated by Charles Kingsley.
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