THE PLANT WORLD 281 



but is forced to regretfully withdraw these studies for the present. In all 

 advances temporary retreats are unavoidable, and, in the long run, the 

 optimism of the Chicago professor will be rewarded. But, — and here is 

 the issue to be faced, — the fight is not yet won. To win, we must con- 

 stantly re-examine with all candor the conditions in the schools, and 

 direct attention to better them. 



The chiefest condition for teaching botany well in everj' sense is to 

 be found in the good teacher, and our schools must meet this fact by pro- 

 viding a salary for such a teacher in botany equal to that of teachers in 

 other branches. Nor can the circumstance that laboratory studies make 

 demands on the time and strength of a teacher in other ways than in 

 instruction alone be disregarded, as is largely now the case. When 

 these two conditions are rightly understood, if botany is taught at all, it 

 will be much better taught than at present. Such understanding may 

 however not be had unless it is clearly seen that botany has a real and 

 peculiar value second to no other subject in importance. Study of this 

 point and constant reiteration and clarification are necessary, not only by 

 those who are concerned with botany as such, but much more by the 

 teachers who, from their daily contact with pupils in secondary schools, 

 are in a position to use inductive methods. This has been done up to 

 the present time only in a cursory way, and botany will be assured of 

 its position only when this shall have been done carefully and with a 

 large degree of completeness. 



The general grounds upon which the acceptance of botany rests are 

 stated by Professor Coulter to be in brief as follows : 



1. Plants enter very largely into humaii experieyice. Much common 

 experience can not be interpreted without some knowledge of plants. 

 Their ' ' enormous importance to human welfare ' ' is incontrovertibly 

 significant. 



2. Plants reveal the fundamental laws of life. Plants and animals may 

 be used to illustrate the same biological principle. Plants have advan- 

 tages of availability, of being easier and more pleasant to handle, of 

 being simpler illustrations of biological phenomena and illustrate a 

 peculiar physiological feature of overwhelming importance to human life, 

 the process of food manufacture. 



3. Plants are favorable for biological experiment. Since any sort of 

 adequate knowledge is impossible without the study of living organisms 

 under experiment, it is evident that plants offer important advantages in 

 this direction. 



4. Plants aloTie can give what are known in biology as mass phenomena. 

 The arrangement of plants into associations, and the inter-relations and 

 adjustments of these are possible of observation by elementary pupils. 



