1868.] SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS. 259 



boys who leave our Schools for the Universities consists undeniably 

 of those who have advanced furthest in classical studies, and judg- 

 ing the existing system of education by these boys alone, we have 

 to confess that it frequently ends in astonishing ignorance. This 

 ignorance, often previously acknowledged and deplored, has been 

 dwelt on with much emphasis, and brought into great prominence 

 by the recent Royal Commission for Inquiry into our public schools. 

 We need not fear that we shall do great damage by endeavouring 

 to improve a system which has not been found to yield satisfac- 

 tory results, xlnd we believe, further, that the philological abilities 

 of the very few who succeed in attaining to a satisfactory know- 

 ledge of classics will be rather stimulated than impeded by a more 

 expansive training. 



Lastly, it may be objected that an undue strain will be put 

 upon the minds of boys by the introduction of the proposed 

 subjects. We would reply that the same objections were made, 

 and in some schools are still made, to the introduction of mathe- 

 mathics and modern languages, and are found by general experience 

 to have been untenable. A change of studies, involving the play 

 of a new set of faculties, often produces a sense of positive relief; 

 and at a time when it is thought necessary to devote to games so 

 large a proportion of a boy's available time, the danger of a general 

 over pressure to the intellectual powers is very small, while any 

 such danger in individual cases can always be obviated by special 

 remissions. We do not wish to advocate any addition to the hours 

 of work in schools where it is believed that they are already as 

 numerous as is desirable ; but in such schools some hours a week 

 could still be given up to science by a curtailment of the vastly 

 preponderent time at present devoted to classical studies, and 

 especially to Greek and Latin composition. 



5. To the selection of the subjects that ought to be included in 

 a programme of scientific instruction in public schools we have 

 given our best attention, and we would make the following remarks 

 on the principles by which we have been guided in the selection 

 that we shall propose. 



There is an important distinction between scientific information 

 and scientific training ; in other words, between general literary 

 acquaintance with scientific facts, and the knowledge of methods 

 that may be gained by studying the facts at first hand under the 

 guidance of a competent teacher. Both of these are valuable ; it 

 is very desirable, for example, that boys should have some general 



