NOTES 631 



may repeat the blunder, forgetting that in every school there are not only 

 future scientists, whether academic or industrial, but also others — future 

 citizens, in fact. The many can no longer be sacrificed in the interests of 

 the few, and clearly it is the schools that must look after futvire citizens, 

 future cabinet ministers, members of Parhament, and labour leaders. The 

 general aim of science teaching for the average citizen must be the inter- 

 pretation of Nature ; its particular aim must be the inculcation of scientific 

 method and a critical faculty, the stimulation of the imagination and the 

 EEsthetic sense — not, let it be added, without the appreciation of the value 

 of science through its appHcations. 



A Retrograde Movet>ient. — There is another aspect of Science for All. 

 Under the stress of war good resolutions were made, and science masters 

 seemed well on the way towards gaining an important point, namely, that 

 ever>' boy capable of profiting by it should at least have the opportunity of 

 doing a reasonable amount of science during his school career. But, as was 

 clearly foreseen by some and forcibly expressed by Sir Harry Johnston in 

 his presidential address to the S.M.A. in 1918, now that peace is restored there 

 is a tendency to shp back again into the old ways, and " time allotted to 

 science is already being fiJched back for Greek." The fight for adequate 

 science teaching in schools is not yet won ; in fact, in Mr. Vassall's opiaion 

 it is only just beginning. 



Danger from the Specialists. — The specialist, whether geographer, historian, 

 mathematician, or scientist, is a source of grave danger in schools, particularly 

 if he lacks the humanities (not necessarily Latin and Greek) and a sa\'ing 

 sense of humour. A man may have a full and adequate knowledge of a 

 subject -without being a specialist in a narrow sense ; he may be an enthusiast 

 without being a latter-day saint. For the majority of boys school science 

 is the only introduction to the subject that they are going to get, and it is 

 folly, or worse than folly, to confine these, at any rate, to the narrow path of 

 the future specialist, even if it is not wrong to narrow down the preliminary 

 education of any boy to the point that it is indistinguishable in a moral sense 

 from vocational training. 



Supply of Science Teachers. — The future supply of adequately trained 

 scientists depends on the demand, and also on the prospects that a scientific 

 career has to ofier. If industry' requires first-class scientists, it will make 

 for them an attractive career. In the near future the new Civil Service 

 regulations may greatly affect the distribution of trained scientists. Academic 

 science will probably claim its own as heretofore. With all these more attrac- 

 tive prospects, it is difficult to see how schools will be adequately stafied 

 if science masterships are not also made more attractive. 



For the remainder of the meeting Oxford did the talking, and most 

 deUghtful talk it was. The Master of BaUiol, the Warden of Wadham, and 

 Prof. Sir Charles Oman, M.P., conducted parties round some of the colleges. 

 Prof. T. R. Merton, F.R.S., lectured on Spectroscopy to a large and critical 

 audience, which was ob\-iously dehghted. Mr. J. S. Huxley made a fascinating 

 but difficult subject — the control of growth — clear, even to the non-biologist. 

 Brig. -Gen. Hartlev snatched an hour from his most arduous labours as organiser 

 to give a most suggestive lecture on Indicators and the Law of Mass Action, 

 while Mr. D. G. Hogarth brought the proceedings to a close with a singularly 

 clear and attractive lecture on the Hedjaz. 



The university laboratories were thro\vn open during the meeting, and 

 demonstrations were arranged in all. These demonstrations not only indicated 

 many possible improvements in the laboratory technique of schools, but 

 showed also the lines of future progress. Whatever may be happening 

 elsewhere, it is abundantly clear that the Natural Science School at Oxford 

 is vigorous and well equipped %'.-ith inspiring teachers. 



