700 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tributor, it is -where he suggests gov- 

 ernmental interference to check certain 

 apparently unhappy results of private 

 enterprise. We do not see how the 

 Government is going to help us in the 

 least; and, as it happens, the inter- 

 ference that our contributor invokes is 

 actually for the purposes of restoring 

 competition in cases where he supposes 

 it to have been arbitrarily arrested. He 

 thinks that all trusts whose object is 

 eimply to raise prices by restricting 

 competition should come under a legis- 

 lative or judicial ban. To us the idea 

 of forcing people to compete by legisla- 

 tive authority, whether they wish to do 

 so or not, is a trifle extravagant. To 

 our apprehension the best thing the 

 State can do is to let the whole busi- 

 ness alone, and leave individuals to find 

 out for themselves under what circum- 

 stances competition is the only possible 

 regime^ and under what circumstances 

 co-operation will serve a better purpose. 

 It is not in the least likely that man- 

 kind at large is going to pay tribute to 

 any serious extent to great corporations. 

 Even an increase in prices is not a sure 

 sign that the public is suflTering, since 

 the consolidation that has rendered the 

 increase possible may have liberated a 

 vast amount of capital and thrown it 

 into more productive channels. Ex- 

 tremely low prices are too often the 

 concomitant of business disorganization 

 and the destruction of capital. The 

 regime of freedom is the one that will 

 suit us best. Give us freedom, and we 

 can take care even of the trusts. A 

 community that has been taught to de- 

 pend on private initiative, and where 

 legal privilege is unknown, has nothing 

 to fear from any quarter. 



The article by Mr. J. M. Arms, 

 on " Natural Science in Elementary 

 Schools," in this number of the " Month- 

 ly," contains a notably clear and vigorous 

 statement of the worth of real science- 

 lessons to young pupils, together with 



some practical aid for teachers in giving 

 such lessons, and a sketch of the growth 

 of the sentiment in favor of science- 

 teaching. This growth was undoubt- 

 edly aided by the attitude on the matter 

 taken by the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, which, at 

 its meeting in 1879, appointed a com- 

 mittee, of which the former editor of 

 this magazine was chairman, to con- 

 sider the subject of "Science-Teaching 

 in the Public Schools." 



The report of this committee was 

 presented to the Association at the Bos- 

 ton meeting in the following year. It 

 was drawn up by the chairman, and 

 takes the ground that the quality of the 

 science -teaching, where there was any 

 in the public schools at that time, was 

 generally so unsatisfactory that it ought 

 to be entirely recast before any exten- 

 sion of it would be desirable. A point 

 to which Prof. Youmans called special 

 attention is, that science was being 

 taught by the old methods devised for 

 other subjects, which were entirely un- 

 suitable for the new study. In the 

 words of the report, "Through books 

 and teachers the pupil is filled up with 

 information with regard to science. Its 

 facts and principles are explained as far 

 as possible, and then left in the memory 

 with his other school acquisitions. He 

 learns the sciences much as he learns 

 geography and history. Only in a few 

 exceptional schools is he put to any 

 direct mental work upon the subject- 

 matter of science, or taught to think 

 for himself." The deceptive quality of 

 oral lessons, alluded to by Mr. Arms, is 

 thus pointed out in this report : " Instruc- 

 tion in elementary science is now," when 

 the pupil enters the grammar school, " to 

 be carried on by what is known as oral 

 teaching. This method, as extensively 

 practiced in the grammar grades of the 

 public schools, is everywhere growing 

 in favor, and we are once more told 

 that it is a successful revolt against 

 book-studies. It is chiefly applicable to 

 the sciences, and its cardinal idea is in- 



