SCIENTIFIC DRAWING AND DESCRIPTION 



Supplementary to the drawings, and necessary to cor- 

 relate these, and to bring out features which they do not, 

 are the notes or descriptions. These should be as con- 

 densed as possible, both for the effect upon the student's 

 composition and also for the convenience of the teacher 

 who has to examine them. They should not contain 

 anything that can be clearly shown in the drawings. 

 They should usually be complete sentences, and perfect 

 in their English, terse and expressive. Whenever pos- 

 sible they should be thrown into tabular form. Draw- 

 ings and notes should of course be mutually intelligible 

 and consistent, which is the more easy if abundant 

 cross-references are used. The two are much more 

 effective if kept opposite one another, as they may be 

 in such a book as has been recommended. 



Of great importance for review, for generalization, and 

 for securing correctness of proportion are synoptical 

 essays, which should be called for under each topic as 

 soon as it is completed. These essays should be strictly 

 limited in length, yet required to include all phases of 

 the subject of any importance; thus is conciseness 

 and directness cultivated. It would probably be found 

 advantageous to make arrangements whereby these 

 essays could also count as work in English composition. 

 It is not at all intended that the essay shall simply 

 repeat what is already carefully recorded in the labora- 

 tory books ; it is rather a comprehensive but synoptical 

 outline of the entire subject based upon all sources 



