554 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



tary was impracticable. As a conse- 

 quence, the income accrued faster than 

 it was consumed, and, as the money 

 had been fortunately invested, it at 

 length accumulated to so considerable 

 an amount as to make some change 

 desirable in the policy to be further 

 pursued. It became apparent that the 

 purpose Professor Tyndall had in view 

 could be better accomplished through 

 the agency of permanent educational 

 institutions, having among their objects 

 the promotion of higher scientific study. 

 The trustees corresponded with Pro- 

 fessor Tyndall, who concurred with this 

 view, and it was then resolved to ter- 

 minate the existing arrangement by 

 transferring the Tyndall fund back to 

 the possession of the donor, to be dis- 

 tributed to such institutions as he might 

 select. The original amount thirteen 

 thousand dollars had increased to 

 thirty-two thousand four hundred dol- 

 lars ; and Professor Tyndall decided to 

 divide this sum in three equal amounts, 

 to be given, one to Columbia College, 

 of New York ; one to Harvard Uni- 

 versity, of Cambridge ; and one to the 

 University of Pennsylvania, at Phila- 

 delphia, for the foundation of three 

 permanent scholarships in physical sci- 

 ence, and for the benefit of students 

 desiring to prepare themselves for the 

 work of original research either at 

 home or abroad, as the authorities of 

 the respective institutions might decide. 

 This princely benefaction to Ameri- 

 can science will thus be memorable in 

 future times, not only for its magnitude, 

 but from the impressive circumstances 

 of its origin. The money represents 

 the contributions of the American peo- 

 ple, given for the enjoyment of one 

 of the most striking and instructive 

 courses of scientific lectures ever de- 

 livered in this country. It represents 

 also the earnings of one of the most 

 gifted and high-minded scientific men 

 of this generation, who contributed half 

 a year's labor to the preparation and 

 delivery of the lectures. The fund is 



consecrated to the perpetual carrying 

 out of the scientific conceptions and 

 principles inculcated in these discourses, 

 so that the intellectual influence so strik- 

 ingly initiated thirteen years ago will 

 be an enduring power in the higher 

 scientific education of this country for 

 all time. Three of our leading colle- 

 giate institutions will be in competition 

 with each other to administer these 

 scholarships in the spirit in which they 

 have been founded, to maintain their 

 high - class character, which will be 

 evinced by the quality of the men they 

 turn out, and who, by their accomplish- 

 ments, will do lasting honor to the illus- 

 trious scientist whose name and fame 

 are treasured in the hearts of many 

 thousands of the American people. 



OFFICIALISM IN EDUCATION. 



The Boston " Journal of Education " 

 complains of the persistent assaults 

 made upon " the graded school system " 

 of this country, and attributes very 

 evil motives to those by whom the al- 

 leged assaults are conducted. It finds 

 " a considerable class of the clergy of 

 all sects laced up in the mediaeval Eu- 

 ropean notion that the priest has a di- 

 vine right to supervise all schools, over- 

 riding even the claim of the family, 

 and resenting the claim of the whole 

 people to supervise education as a god- 

 less presumption." It mentions also 

 " a growing class of scientists, scholars, 

 and literary people" as "putting on 

 European airs, and claiming the exclu- 

 sive right, as educational experts, to con- 

 trol the schools." Next, there is an 

 exclusive social class bent on "forcing 

 its own lines of artificial distinction 

 into the school-room." The moneyed 

 class, again, wants to regulate educa- 

 tion with a view to keeping the " com- 

 mon herd" out of the poor-house; 

 while labor-reformers want to have the 

 interests of the mechanic and operative 

 classes specially considered. 



Now, we must confess that we fail 



