362 ■ NATURAL SCIENCE. June. 



not only instructed but also so trained that all the mental faculties 

 may be cultivated together, and thus enable " men and women to 

 carry on the work of their lives with the greatest possible advantage 

 to themselves and the community." We quote from a little book^ 

 that has recently come before us, in which are discussed by various 

 experienced teachers the methods of handling those subjects usually 

 included in the curriculum of Secondary Schools, 



It is interesting and most encouraging to find that the insistence by 

 the scientific on the paramount importance of practical work has not 

 been without effect on the devotees of the " humanities." Well do 

 we remember in the days of our childhood learning by heart rules 

 and exceptions to rules of gender, syntax, etc. — can we not reel off 

 pages of them even now after years of disuse and application to other 

 things ? and, pray, to what purpose ? However, tempora mutantuv, 

 and now we find Mr. Paton, when speaking of Latin, using such 

 language as — " It is a good thing to take first selected Latin sentences, 

 to go through these with the class, giving them sufficient clue to 

 discover the proper meaning, and then making them deduce the rule 

 for themselves. What they have thus found out and formulated for 

 themselves is far more likely to impress itself upon the memory than 

 if they are told, ' This is the rule, here is an example, now apply it to 

 the sentences given.' " The advice is excellent ; — we rather wonder 

 how many classical masters and mistresses make any endeavour to 

 work on such lines. 



To pass on to those subjects with which we are more nearly 

 concerned. Professor R. W. Stewart, in the article on " Physical 

 Science," while advocating methods with which we agree, introduces 

 the subject of the proper mental attitude of the beginner, and pro- 

 nounces against the "research attitude," saying "until the scholars 

 have acquired a little knowledge of the subject it is useless to expect 

 them to reason for themselves in the way necessary to follow out even 

 the simplest research." With this we venture to disagree. Pupils 

 cannot begin too young to find out for themselves, and to become 

 aware that by employing their senses they can acquire knowledge and 

 power. An instance will make our point clear : the differences be- 

 tween solids, liquids and gases will probably come early in any 

 elementary course ; now if specimens of each are placed before a class 

 and the teacher points out the differences, truly the class will learn 

 what he tells them and repeat their lesson more or less correctly. But 

 surely the " research attitude " is possible here, and on every account 

 to be preferred. A teacher who is worth his salt will assuredly by 

 the form of his questions lead the class to notice what differences 

 exist in this particular and that, and finally get the entire class, each 

 pupil for himself, to set down in writing a formulated expression of 

 the facts ascertained, in response to queries, by the united observa- 



1 "Aims and Practice of Teaching." F. S. Spencer, M. A., Cambridge Univer- 

 sity Press. Price 6s. 



