PLACE OF BOTANY IN EDUCATION 23 



a very first duty of teachers is to find out what each 

 student is best fitted for and to set him in the way 

 of it. As to the second point, the expense of addi- 

 tional courses, it is true that scientific courses are ex- 

 pensive, though by no means to the degree popularly 

 supposed. Without question, however, no system of 

 Education, no matter how complete, will ever expect 

 that any considerable number of the Sciences must be 

 taught in every school, but will simply expect from 

 the smaller the thorough teaching of one or two. It 

 is the scientific method or spirit which is important, 

 and for this, one Science is about as good as another. 

 All advocates of the value of the Sciences in Educa- 

 tion agree that one or two, well taught, are of far 

 more worth than fragments of several ; and the newer 

 college entrance requirements offer a wide selection 

 of subjects, but expect thorough preparation in the 

 one or more selected. The least, however, the schools 

 will be expected to offer will be a thorough course 

 equal to the elementary courses in college, so that 

 the student may there enter upon second courses as 

 he now does in Languages and Mathematics. 



It may seem an objection to this specialization in 

 the Sciences that they are more or less interdepen- 

 dent, and one cannot be understood without some 

 knowledge of facts and principles of the others; but 

 this should be, and no doubt will be, met by continu- 

 ous and ample elementary scientific study (of which 



