V NOTES OF AN AFTER-DINNER SPEECH 129 



young people in science are apt to forget another 

 very inij^ortant condition of success — important in 

 all kinds of teaching, hut most essential, I am dis- 

 posed to think, when the scholars are very young. 

 This condition is, that the teacher should himself 

 really and practically know his suhject. If he does, 

 he will be able to speak of it in the easy language, 

 and with the completeness of conviction, with 

 which he talks of any ordinary every-day matter. 

 If he does not, he will be afraid to wander beyond 

 the limits of the technical phraseology which he 

 has got up; and a dead dogmatism, which op- 

 j^resses, or raises opposition, will take the place of 

 the lively confidence, born of personal conviction, 

 which cheers and encourages the eminently sym- 

 pathetic mind of childhood. 



I have already hinted that such scientific train- 

 ing as we seek for may be given without making 

 any extravagant claim upon the time now devoted 

 to education. AYe ask only for " a most favoured 

 nation " clause in our treaty with the schoolmas- 

 ter; we demand no more than that science shall 

 have as much time s^iven to it as anv other single 

 subject — say four hours a week in each class of an 

 ordinary school. 



For the present, I think men of science would 

 be well content with such an arrangement as this; 

 but speaking for myself, I do not pretend to be- 

 lieve that such an arrangement can be, or will be, 

 permanent. In these times the educational tree 



