Shaler, who had grown up in Kentucky, had read an article by Agassiz on turtles.  This article had inspired Shaler to become a naturalist.  When he arrived at Harvard he went to a wooden shed-like building where Agassiz had his laboratory.

    Agassiz immediately began to question him to find out what he knew.  He was pleased to learn that Shaler had read carefully the article on turtles, plus other books to which the article had referred.  The young man could also read French and German.  This was necessary because at the time many books on natural science were written in those language.  He also knew enough Latin to understand scientific terms.

    Agassiz was satisfied with Shaler's background knowledge, but this alone was not enough to admit him to the school.  A  young man must also be strong and healthy.  This was especially important in natural science because students often took long, demanding field trips to obtain specimens.  In Agassiz's day the sport was fencing, so he challenged Shaler to a bout.  Shaler had been taught to fence in Kentucky and felt he was quite good at it.  In face, in his opinion, he won the bout.  What Sahler didn't know was that Agasszi had never had any lessons in fencing.  What the teacher knew he had taught himself.

    Agassiz now knew that Shaler was intelligent and physically capable of the work. There was one more test to pass, but at first Shaler did not know it was a test. This was the beginning of Agassiz's unusual teaching method.

    The young man was seated at a table in Agassiz's laboratory.  Around him many students were busily working.  Agassiz placed in front of him a smelly fish.

    "What do you want me to do?" Shaler asked the teacher.

    "Oh, just look at the fish." Agassiz replied.  "Don't read any books or talk to the other students.  Learn what you can without damaging the specimen.  Later I will ask you what you have seen."

    Shaler sat staring at the ugly fish. How was he to begin?  He picked it up and turned it over.  He looked at it from behind, beneath, above, and sideways. In half an hour he felt that he knew all there was to know about the horrible creature. The teacher paid no attention to him. Shaler looked some more time. Finally he decided it was time for lunch. For an hour he was free.

    When he returned he found that Agassiz had left the laboratory for several hours. Slowly the young man drew forth the loathsome fish. Perhaps he could write down the things he noticed. He counted the number of fins and scales. Then he saw that the scales had an odd shape and changed in size. They were larger near the head and grew smaller toward the tail. The tail—it was forked! He wrote that down, too. All afternoon he took notes on that little fish. Still Agassiz did not approach him.

    Another day passed and then a whole week. All he heard from Agassiz each day was a friendly "Good morning." At last Shaler began to draw the ugly creature. In doing so he discovered many new things. Finally on the seventh day came the question, "Well?"

    Shaler talked for an hour while Agassiz listened attentively. At the end of the hour's talking Agassiz turned away saying, "That's not right." Shaler was left to figure out just what had not been right.

    Angrily he tore up his notes. He was ready to quit right then and there. Then he noticed that Agassiz was watching him. He realized that here was another test. Wearily he began all over again.

     Late that afternoon Agassiz approached him again. "Do you see it yet?" the teacher asked.

    "No," replied Shaler, "but I see how much I missed before."

    "That is next best," Agassiz said seriously. And for another week Shaler was left alone with his fish.

    The next time the young man was asked what he had seen, Agassiz was pleased with his reply. But Shaler did not receive any praise. Instead, he was given a pail of fish bones and told to see what he could do with them. They were skeletons of six or seven different fish. Shaler began to try to sort them out like a jigsaw puzzle—a head here, a tail there, and now a piece of rib. Sometimes Agassiz would look over his shoulder and say, "That's not right." But even that was a help. Sorting all those little bones was the hardest task Shaler had ever tackled, but finally the job was finished. Now he could work on other animals, including turtles, for he had learned to observe and compare as he went along.

    Now, too, Shaler was allowed to read books and discuss his work with the other students. This he did eagerly. Agassiz cautioned him, though, that the books might not be right. He should be loath to take someone else's word as fact. First he should observe for himself, do his own research, and then see if his findings agreed with those in the books. He must always think for himself.

    Shaler also attended Agassiz's lectures, and though he found them fascinating, they were a less important part of his work. He learned more from conversation with the teacher. They often talked together for hours.

    During the four years that Shaler studied under Agassiz he was never given a single test, but the teacher often questioned him as he went along. Shaler felt that he was now ready to graduate and begin his own work as a naturalist. When he approached Agassiz on the subject the teacher said in surprise, "Why, you haven't learned half enough!" Agassiz always felt a student could learn more. Nevertheless Shaler was determined to get his degree.

    To do this Shaler must be questioned by seven teachers, including the president of Harvard. Many of the teachers had criticized Agassiz's new method of teaching, saying it wasn't thorough. So of course Agassiz wanted his students, including Shaler, to perform well.

    On the day of the questioning, Shaler was seated on a platform. For five hours he talked, answering questions put to him by Agassiz and the other men. At the end of the time, Shaler was told that he had graduated with highest honors. Both he and the other teachers seemed to realize that the degree had been earned not only by Shaler, but also by his teacher.

    Nathaniel Shaler went on to become a teacher at Harvest and then Dean of the Lawrence Scientific School.

    Many students today would not find Agassiz's method of teaching foreign or unusual. This is because his students found it worth while and later used it themselves. For the next fifty years most of the outstanding natural science teachers in the United States were pupils of Agassiz or one of his students. Now this method of independent study is often used in all levels of education.

    Were Louis Agassiz alive today he would be pleased to see so many young people learning about natural science and then going out to use their eyes. He taught his students to observe, and in so doing opened many doors to the fascinating world of natural science.

(1,517 words)

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