52 THE TEACHING BOTANIST 







cases. He diplomatically makes use of all devices for 

 arousing interest and holding attention. Especially is 

 he ever investigating, experimenting, and improving in 

 his teaching, reading newer books upon it, and keeping 

 in touch with educational progress as shown in the 

 educational journals. It is, indeed, only by constant 

 advance that he can escape that mental drying-up, 

 which is the greatest danger, and too often the most 

 obvious badge, of the teaching profession. And he 

 has a deep respect for his profession, views it as his 

 life work, and upon every possible occasion cham- 

 pions its interests. 



There are one or two practices in general teaching 

 which I think are not only bad in themselves, but 

 particularly so in scientific teaching. Of these, one 

 of the worst is the devotion of a larger amount of 

 time and energy to the dull students than to the 

 brighter ones, a practice rendered almost inevitable 

 by the systems of grading now widely in use. It is 

 always to be remembered that education cannot under- 

 take to make a new man, but only to make the best of 

 what man there is, and the good student is as entitled 

 as is the poor one to have the very best made of him. 

 Children are born most unequal in mental powers, 

 and to attempt to bring dull pupils up to near the 

 standard of the bright ones is not only a sad waste 

 of energy upon an impossibility, but is as well a great 

 injustice to those who are brighter, for they are de- 



