170 SCIENCE AND ART AXD EDUCATION vii 



the least valuable part of it is the preface, in 

 which there occurs this passage: " Those who, 

 reading the words of authors, do not form sensible 

 images of the things referred to, obtain no true 

 ideas, but conceive false imaginations and inane 

 phantasms." You see, "William Harvey's words 

 are just the same in substance as those of Mr. 

 Freeman, only they happen to be rather more 

 than two centuries older. So that what 1 am now 

 saying has its application elsewhere than in sci- 

 ence; but assuredly in science the condition of 

 knowing, of your own knowledge, things which 

 you talk about, is absolutely imperative. 



I remember, in my youth, there were detest- 

 able books which ought to have been burned ])y 

 the hands of the common hangman, for tliey con- 

 tained questions and answers to be learned by 

 heart, of this sort, " Wliat is a horse? The horse 

 is termed Eqinis cahalhis; belongs to the class 

 Mammalia; order, Pachydermata; family, Soli- 

 dungula." "Was any human being wiser for learn- 

 ing that magic formula? Was he not more fool- 

 ish, inasmuch as he was deluded into taking words 

 for knowledire? It is that kind of teachin^]^ that 

 one wants to get rid of, and banished out of sci- 

 ence. Make it as little as you like, but, unless tliat 

 which is taught is based on actual observation and 

 familiarity with facts, it is better left alone. 



There are a great many people who imagine 

 that elementary teaching miglit be pr()])crly carried 



