1868. J SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS. 263 



mathematics and modern languages, and is necessarily taught 

 to all boys. 



2. A voluntary system may be encouraged, as has been done 

 for many years at Harrow, where scientific instruction on such 

 subjects as have been enumerated above, is now given in a systematic 

 series of lectures, on which the attendance of all boys who are 

 interested in them is entirely optional. 



Of these systems it is impossible not to feel that the compulsory 

 system is the most complete and satisfactory. The experience of 

 different schools will indicate how it may best be adopted, and 

 what modifications of it may be made to suit the different school 

 arrangements. It will often be very desirable to supplement it by 

 the voluntary system, to enable the boys of higher scientific 

 ability to study those parts of the course of experimental physics 

 which will rarely, if ever, be included in the compulsory school 

 system. Lectures may also be occasionally given by some non- 

 resident lecturer, with a view of stimulating the attention and 

 interest of the boys. We add appendices containing details 

 of these two systems as worked at Rugby and Harrow, and we 

 believe that a combination of the two would leave little or nothing 

 to be desired. 



The thorough teaching of the physical sciences at schools, will 

 not, however, be possible, unless there is a general improvement in 

 the knowledge of arithmetic. At present many boys of thirteen 

 and fourteen, are sent to the public schools, almost totally ignorant 

 of the elements of arithmetic, and in such cases they gain only 

 the most limited and meagre knowledge of it; and the great 

 majority enter ill taught. It is a serious and lasting injury to 

 boys so to neglect arithmetic in their early education ; it arises 

 partly from the desire of the masters of preparatory schools to 

 send up their boys fitted to take a^good place in the classical school, 

 and from the indifference of the public schools themselves to the 

 evil that has resulted. 



7. With a view to the furtherance of this scheme, we make the 

 following suggestions : — 



1. That in all schools natural science be one of the subjects to 

 be taught, and that in every public school at least one natural 

 science master be appointed for the purpose. 



2. That at least three hours a week be devoted to such scientific 

 instruction. 



3. That natural science should be placed on an equal footing 



