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“Reminiscences of a Semi-Jubilee of Natural History Progress”
After 25 years of work in the province of British Columbia, John Davidson gave a presentation on the progression of knowledge regarding the flora and natural history of British Columbia from 1911 to 1936. Examine John Davidson’s notes from his speech to the Vancouver Natural History Society.
The following text is a faithful and precise transcription of the original text and includes errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation present in the original.
– 19th Presidential Address – 21 of October, 1936 –
CONDITION IN 1911 as I found Vancouver. No nature study in Normal School. No interest in nature study in schools. Botany in High Schools out-of-date. Real Estate boom, vacant lots and bill boards. Real Estate man and collecting in South Vancouver. Horticultural Society by florists, exhibition, failed. Horticultural show by landscape architects failed.
PLAN FOR FUTURE, Lay lasting foundation, difficult to interest people unless there was money in it. Summary of plans: 1. Help teachers with Nature Study, Meeting of Principals. 2. Instructor required in Normal School. 3. Summer School to increase efficiency of teachers. Interviews with Hon. Dr. H. E. Young, authorized to do anything I could to promote Nature Study.
Beautify Lots and make houses into homes. Nobody wanted to beautify homes which might be sold in 24 hours.
Beautify School Grounds and boulevards. School Board and Municipal Council Interviews.
NATURE STUDY. Authorized by Minister of Education to write all schools in Province enlisting co-operation and offering help to teachers. Got in touch also with many surveyors, prospectors, and foresters. Maintained correspondence with 200 or more. Brought in many specimens from all over Province (one Mrs. Kerr, Kelowna); carried on Botanical Notes. Suggestion to Surveyor General at Victoria. Appointment of John Spouse to Normal School. Appointment of J. W. Gibson, Agr. Ed. Supervisor. Opening of Summer School for Nature Study and other subjects in Victoria. Classes in Nature Study, Flora and Entomology Excursions, Classes for Manual Training Teachers, in Identification of trees.
University Summer School at Fairview. Classes in Methods of teaching for High School Teachers of Botany. This has now got to a stage when its importance is recognized by Department of Education, and Nature Study Course has been drafted for various grades of classes, and more or less seasonal. This assures arousing an interest, or intensifying the interest of the children, so that our future citizens will be aware of some of the interesting nature topics around us.