22 THE TEACHING BOTANIST 



though not a free election such as some colleges find 

 best, nor a possibility of ungoverned specialization, 

 but election by groups, in which the class of subjects 

 from which the student derives the greatest cultural 

 good forms a major about which others, of a kind 

 and in the proportion which experience shows to be 

 most profitable, will be grouped. Thus will a stu- 

 dent's greatest interest become the centre of his 

 education and the point from which other subjects 

 will be approached, to the great advantage of their 

 learning. 



To even a limited elective system in the schools, 

 there are three objections often urged, which I shall 

 here briefly examine : first, a student does not often 

 know while at school what his particular bent is ; 

 second, most schools cannot offer so many courses, 

 especially since those in the Sciences are more expen- 

 sive than other kinds ; third, early specialization is 

 bad. As to the first, it is certainly true that few stu- 

 dents find out their own specialties at school. But 

 is not the discovery of this a chief function of the 

 teacher ? Surely the very first " method ' in teach- 

 ing is the diagnosis of each individual case and the 

 fitting of its proper treatment to it. Every good 

 teacher must notice what each of his students takes 

 up most eagerly and learns most easily, and this 

 knowledge may be made the basis of influence which 

 will determine the student's election. Indeed, I think 



