NATURAL OR SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN EDUCATION. 23 



Why not get the points of the compass fixed in the natural way 

 by reference to those great guides which alone are of any service 

 to a mariner or explorer ? Why not draw a map of the yard, and 

 thus beget some real, tangible notion of the purpose of a map ? 



As all sciences involve the same methods and employ the same 

 faculties, the choice of one to be studied in any particular case 

 should be determined by such consideration largely as the loca- 

 tion of the school, the qualification of the teacher, the extent of 

 the equipment, and perhaps the tastes of the pupils. That branch 

 will produce the best results which is most pleasurably and thor- 

 oughly pursued. 



All pupils should at some period learn something of physics, 

 though not necessarily mathematical physics. All require some 

 knowledge of the properties of matter as such, and some idea of 

 the forces and mechanism by which the results of industrial life, 

 as well as those of Nature, are accomplished. Practical physics, 

 as illustrated by what is going on around us, and by simple ap- 

 paratus devised by scholars and teachers, will often serve every 

 purpose. The cost of a chemical equipment depends on the size 

 of the class and the extent of the work. Chemistry is more suit- 

 able for more advanced pupils and the better endowed schools. 



But of far more importance than all other questions is How ? 

 We may have a teaching of so-called science that is a mockery of 

 the reality. 



It is surely now clear that any mere book teaching is worse 

 than useless. It leads to no real knowledge, can give no healthy 

 training of the faculties, and can lead to no sound development. 

 He who can teach only by the book had better not begin. For 

 pupils just commencing science it is doubtful whether it is not 

 better for a while to avoid the use of text-books altogether. From 

 first to last the student should be an investigator. This implies a 

 great deal. It means that he shall desire to know and aim to learn 

 the facts by one method and one only, viz., by seeking for them, 

 as all that have ever found did, by the use of his natural facul- 

 ties — i. e., by the use of his senses. All that any one can ever 

 really know of any branch of science, let me repeat, is what he 

 acquires by his senses — by feeling, seeing, etc. Whatever subject 

 is pursued, this must ever be kept in mind. The teacher's guid- 

 ance is invaluable in saving the pupil's time, economizing his 

 energy, assisting in the comparison of results, and aiding in all 

 the higher mental processes that lead to those generalizations 

 which constitute the essence of science. But no teacher can be 

 eyes and hands for any pupil, and to deprive the student of these 

 organs, as all book teaching pure and simple does, is to cut at the 

 very root of all true progress in development. 



Nor should the investigating spirit be confined to the school 



