BIOLOGICAL WORK IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 635 



pleasure in the exercise of its powers." Laboratory work upon 

 any given object should always precede, never follow, the class 

 discussion of it. If it is impossible for the teacher to supervise 

 laboratory work previous to each recitation, then at least three 

 recitation periods of each week should be thus spent, with draw- 

 ing as a regular part of the work. 



In the study of neither plants nor animals should the work be 

 confined to the highest groups. After trying various methods, I 

 am fully satisfied that the plan in general should be to study the 

 simpler forms of life first, and proceed from these to more com- 

 plex ones, until the highest forms are reached. I find that 

 even young pupils enjoy following Nature's order in the study of 

 living things. To do this to good advantage it is necessary to 

 have the use of at least one good compound microscope ; but I 

 take it that most teachers of science are now agreed that to at- 

 tempt to do biological work without this instrument is not using 

 time to the best advantage. If it is impossible to equip the school 

 for doing biological work in the right way, it is far better that 

 pupils should spend their time upon something from which they 

 can get good discipline. But a properly trained science teacher 

 will not let a school be long in such a condition. 



As botany is more generally studied in our secondary schools 

 than zoology, and as the method of presenting it is ordinarily so 

 poor, I shall speak of plant study the more fully. It is well known 

 what the usual method is. It is about the same as that which 

 was in vogue when even the oldest of us studied what was called 

 botany. We began in the spring, and learned the names of the 

 different shapes of leaves, stems, roots, and flower parts, with as 

 much seriousness as if this knowledge were really important ; 

 then we "analyzed" (as it was called) a few plants, probably 

 pressed and mounted them, heaving a sigh of relief as the name 

 of each was determined and the plant properly ticketed. There 

 was little discipline in such work. The principal aim was to be 

 able to find the scientific names of a few plants. The result to 

 most of those who pursued such a method was a bundle of dried 

 plants and a bundle of still drier facts. To be sure, the state- 

 ments of the book are often verified or illustrated by specimens 

 brought in by teacher or pupils ; but it seems to occur to few in- 

 structors that the process ought to be reversed, and the pupils be 

 directed in making a careful study of a plant, in drawing and de- 

 scribing its organs, and then be given the names for these organs. 

 The study of plants should extend through the year. There 

 is little to prevent this in any State. Prof. Bessey, of the 

 Nebraska State University, says:* "Remember that plants are 



* Elementary Botanical Exercises. Lincoln, Neb., 1892, p. 3. 



