opinions of Continental Foresters and Professors. 839 



in the nature of things that more liad heen done for the extension 

 of natural history beyond what related exclusively to forests by the 

 numerous teachers of it, in Hochsclialcn and universities, than by the 

 lesser number of teachers of it in forest academies ; but that, with rare 

 exceptions, these were not trained foresters, and had not in this 

 respect any original advantage over their brethren in the more general 

 educational establishments. In regard to the assertion that the teach- 

 ing of the fundamental sciences can be more completely concentrated 

 upon the instruction absolutely requisite to the forester in the forest 

 academy than in the more comprehensive institutions, it may be asked, 

 said he. Who is to effect the limitation ? The teachers of these, 

 mathematics, botany, &c., might not, and would not, feel any particular 

 disposition to do so. They are, according to a statement made else- 

 where by the introducer of this discussion, too much birds of passage 

 to acquire a thorough acquaintance with the relation to the forester's 

 aims of the subjects on which they teach. The general schools, said 

 that gentleman, and pre-eminently so the universities, exercise upon 

 those teachers a more powerful attraction than do the special institu- 

 tions. Skilled men of superior attainments do, indeed, betake them- 

 selves to the forest academy that they may without any loss of time 

 secure a name or title, and a maintenance ; but these attained, they 

 without hesitation turn their back upon the academies to get an ap- 

 pointment in a university, if there be a prospect of attaining there 

 one as good or better. The speaker said he could confirm these state- 

 ments ; and he would add that the teachers of the accessory sciences 

 were ready enough to do the same so soon as tliey felt the pressure of 

 the director. But the director of the institution could not see to it that 

 the proper measure of attention was given to each department of study 

 embraced by the course, inasmuch as he could himself only possess an 

 encyclopsedic knowledge of the field embraced by the accessory sciences. 

 The director, who had never once, perhaps, himself studied a plant 

 with a microscope ; never once, perhaps, wrought in a chemist's labora- 

 tory, could not possibly instruct the botanist or the chemist how far 

 he should go in teaching the science he was called to impart. And as 

 a matter of fact, the accessory sciences were not taught otherwise in 

 the isolated forest academies than they were in the Allgcmeine Hoch- 

 schulcn, as one may satisfy himself by comparing the Stundcn 'jj^cinc, or 

 published arrangement of lectures on each day in the two kinds of 

 institutions. 



The speaker said he hoped he had thus shown that the advantages 

 alleged to be connected with study at isolated forest academies had no 

 existence in practice, and that these institutions could not in any instruc- 

 tion compete with the Allgcmeine Hochschulcn. The special professional 

 schools did not turn out better practical men ; they were not supplied with 



