PHYSICAL SCIENCE IN ENGLISH SCHOOLS. 25 



by the school against " atheistic tendencies," keep down his numbers 

 and wear out his energies, till his enterprise becomes a warning in- 

 stead of an example to his admirers at other schools. In a neighbor- 

 hood of rural squires and clergy, untempered by a large town's neigh- 

 borhood, and unchecked by any man of education and intelligence 

 holding sovereignty by virtue of superior rank and wealth, a school 

 which treads doggedly in the ancient paths, and is flavored with gen- 

 tle " High-Church tendencies," will certainly succeed even in second- 

 rate hands, while a school which under superior chieftainship asserts 

 the claims of science, and whose theology is therefore suspect, will 

 as certainly long struggle for existence, if it does not finally succumb. 



The head-masters, with no inveterate intention, but by the force 

 of circumstance's, are potent allies upon the side of nescience. Their 

 position is peculiar. Enlightened, able, high-minded, and most labo- 

 rious, to speak of them with disrespect would be to forfeit claim to a 

 heai-insr. But of their whole number not more than two or three 

 know anything at all of science ; they have gained honors and 

 supremacy by proficiency in other subjects ; to teach well these sub- 

 jects which they know, forms their happiness and satisfies their sense 

 of duty ; and they feel natural dismay at the proposal to force upon 

 them new and untried work which they have not knowledge to super- 

 vise, and which must displace whole departments of classical study. 

 Bifurcation they do not mind, for they hope that the dunces will be 

 drafted into the modern school, and the clever boys retained upon the 

 classical side ; but the momentous recommendation of the Royal 

 Commission that six hours a week of science-teaching should be given 

 to every boy in every school has taken away their breath ; it was 

 only once alluded to at the last head-masters' meeting, and then with 

 something between a protest and a sneer. They are too clear-sighted 

 not to see that the demand for science-teaching is real, and too liberal 

 not readily to accede to it, if some central authority, which they 

 respect, at once puts pressure on them, and tenders such assistance 

 and advice as they can trust. But, until these two things are done, 

 they will pursue a policy of inaction. 



Nor is there any hope that this reluctance of head-masters will be 

 stimulated by exuberant energy on the part of governing bodies. 

 The instances in which these pet creations of the Endowed Schools 

 Commission have appeared before the public hitherto make it evi- 

 dent that absolute inactivity is the service they are best calculated 

 to render to the cause of education ; but their probable devotion to 

 science may be guessed from an incident reported in our columns 

 some months ago, where a body of trustees, composed of country 

 gentlemen of local mark, having to arrange a competitive examination 

 under a scheme of the Charity Commission, adopted the machinery 

 of the University Leaving Examination, but inserted a distinct pro- 

 viso that no scientific subject recognized by the university regula- 



