SCIENCE AND THE AVERAGE BOY 515 



" stinks " and the masters who taught it were regarded as 

 inconvenient charlatans. 



Another unfortunate effect of the universal adoption in 

 schools of systematic lectures on chemistry as the main method 

 of teaching science was that this course helped to shape and 

 stereotype examinations in science along the lines which even 

 nowadays are considered suitable by outside examiners for 

 public school boys. 



But in spite of the handicaps, the early science masters and 

 their successors proved to be true pioneers. As conditions 

 changed and opportunities offered, reforms were effected and 

 progress has been made steadily till the present day ; now an 

 entirely different state of affairs prevails. 



In the last few years, the larger public schools have spent 

 over £200,000 in building and equipping laboratories. Improved 

 facilities are offered for the study not only of chemistry but also 

 of the other physical sciences and in many cases even of biology 

 or at the least of some form of biological nature study. Most 

 important of all, the ideal kept in view has been that the boy 

 should have the opportunity of doing the work himself. The 

 laboratory accommodation provided is such that experimental 

 work done by the boys themselves is now the rule, this being 

 supplemented by lectures to any extent that is desirable. 



Simultaneously, in the case of senior boys, the drafting of 

 whole forms en bloc to "science " has ceased. Only selected boys 

 nowadays pursue the systematic study of science and these boys 

 come in divisions, so that they can be graded according to their 

 ability and attainments in the different branches of the subject. 

 A sequence of studies is possible and many boys are granted 

 adequate time for the study of science in its elementary stages. 



Hand in hand with this movement the social position of the 

 subject has changed. Formerly the boy who had an uncanny 

 knowledge of the salts of silver or the compounds of chromium 

 was looked on as a freak in his House and as a nuisance at 

 home ; even nowadays perhaps it is not the scientific training 

 nor the scientific attitude of mind, if it have been acquired, which 

 are appreciated but a high value is certainly attached to the 

 scientific knowledge and information acquired incidentally to 

 these. In his House, the boy possessing this knowledge is 

 likely to be able to give interesting information about motor 

 cars and aeroplanes or even hints of economic value as to 



