168 SCIENCE AND ART AND EDUCATION vii 



pointini:^ as tlic head-master said it was, and I liave 

 no doubt that it ouglit to have been as disappoint- 

 ing, and far more disappointing too; for, if this 

 kind of instruction is to be of any good at all, if it 

 is not to be less than no good, if it is to take the 

 place of that which is already of some good, then 

 there are several points which must be attended to. 



And the first of these is the proper selection of 

 topics, the second is practical teaching, the third is 

 practical teachers, and the fourth is sufficiency of 

 time. If these four i)oints are not carefully at- 

 tended to by an3'body who undertakes the teaching 

 of physical science in schools, my advice to him is, 

 to let it alone. I will not dwell at any length 

 upon the first point, because there is a general 

 consensus of opinion as to the nature of the topics 

 which should be chosen. The second point — 

 practical teaching — is one of great importance, 

 because it requires more capital to set it agoing, 

 demands more time, and, last, but by no means 

 least, it requires much more personal exertion and 

 trouble on the part of those professing to teach, 

 than is the case with other kinds of instruction. 



When I accepted the invitation to be here this 

 evening, your secretary was good enough to send 

 me the addresses which have been given by dis- 

 tinguished persons who have previously occupied 

 this chair. I don't know whether he had a 

 malicious desire to alarm me; but, however that 

 may be, I read the addresses, and derived the 



