mgelow] ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PHYSIOLOGY 69 



No doubt that in the hands of a thoroughly trained teacher this subject 

 might be repeated for several successive years and the interest of the 

 pupils still kept at high tension. However, the facts are. that investi- 

 gations of the present teaching indicate that very few teachers possess 

 the special training which will enable them to develop the work from 

 year to year so as to avoid the appearance of almost complete repeti- 

 tion of the really important facts which pupils readily remember. 



It may be urged that this repetition has value in impressing the 

 facts upon the pupils. In fact the original reason for the requirement 

 of physiology in a series of years was for the purposes of emphasizing 

 " temperance instruction" by constant repetition. But we ques- 

 tion whether the great important facts and principles of elementary 

 " physiology "need repetition in successive years if intensively taught 

 in one year. 



The above must be taken not as a sweeping criticism of all separ- 

 ate books in series of "physiologies,' but primarily as a protest 

 against the system which makes gradation of the subject in a series 

 of books necessary. Many of the books considered apart from the 

 series to which they belong are excellent in contents, and would be 

 useful for the school ages to which they are adapted, provided that 

 they were not preceded or followed by other books, covering similar 

 ground with identical methods. 



It appears, then, that a careful examination of the subject-matter 

 of " physiology " indicates the undesirability of the attempted grada- 

 tion and repetition of the subject in several years of the school curric- 

 ulum. Accepting such a conclusion, we may make our criticisms 

 constructive by stating that the teaching of " physiology " should be 

 limited to fewer years of the elementary-school course and made more 

 intensive. 



Accepting tentatively the proposition that " physiology " be limited 

 to fewer grades, suggestions regarding such limitations, and also con- 

 cerning the consequent rearrangement of the subject-matter 'may be 

 considered in this connection. Such suggestions are, however, given 

 chiefly for the purpose of directing attention to the problems concern- 

 ing the present teaching of " physiology." So long as the laws in 

 many States place decided limitations upon freedom in science teach- 

 ing, suggestions for radical changes cannot be put into application ; 

 but they may point the way to improvement in the future. Many of 

 the following suggestions could not be generally accepted for practise 

 in public schools at the present time : but it seems that they inch- 



