2354 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



educational and ethical values of the study of botany, zoology and physiology. ^ 

 Do these subjects demand as much time from teacher and pupil as language 

 work or other sciences ? Do they need as carefully prepared teachers ? Do 

 they deserve as good equipment ? 



First. What amount of biology teaching (botany, zoology and physiology) 

 do our schools provide ? 



Of one hundred twenty-six schools reporting, seventy-one give one year's in- 

 struction. A few of these make it one year of botany, a few divide the year be- 

 tween botany and zoology, but the large number, eighty-three per cent., divide the 

 year between botany and physiology. Forty-six of the one hundred twenty-six 

 schools offer one and one-half year's work, of which the far greater number, eighty 

 per cent., divide the work among the three subjects and give one-half year of 

 botany, one-half year of zoology, and one-half year of physiology. Only six of the 

 one hundred twenty-six schools give two or two and one-half year's biology 

 teaching. In these schools the subjects are partly elective. 



Is it not true that this amount of time is less than for any other group of 

 closely allied subjects ? However, if all or most of this time were used in the 

 laboratory there would be less cause for complaint. The fact is, practically all 

 of the physiology work has to be thrown out of consideration because the texts 

 used are so antiquated and because the subject is not presented by laboratory 

 methods. It is and has been a dry, uninteresting, dead, " snap " subject. Note 

 that the university does not now make physiology an entrance requirement. If 

 then we consider only the botany and zoology, the amount of time and the 

 teaching force devoted to biology are inadequate. 



Second. What proportion of the student's time is given to the study of these 

 subjects ? How many terms' work has your high school graduate had in biology, 

 the science of life ? Compare this amount with the amount of time he has given 

 to the languages, to mathematics, or to the physical sciences. The university 

 requires for entrance that the applicant shall have had one full year's work in 

 either botany or zoology, or one-half year of each. This causes the school that 

 wishes its graduates to enter the university without examination to require at 

 least one year's work in botany or zoology, so we find in most of the schools that 

 are up to the standard, this amount offered as a minimum. When more than 

 this is offered by a school it is made elective, but it is impossible to always judge 

 from the reports what range of choice is allowed the student. The university 

 fixes the minimum amount of biology required for entrance upon university life ; 

 is this amount enough for the boy or girl high school graduate who proposes to 

 enter upon active life ? Ought they not to have a deeper knowledge of the inev- 



1 References to the subject of the value of the biological sciences : 



1. Home Study Review, September, 1896 (out of print). "The Educational Value of 

 the Biological Sciences." Jacob Reighard. 



2. Proceedings of the National Educational Association, 1897. "Zoology in the High 

 School Curriculum." H. B. Ward. 



3. The Forum, vol. xiv, page 411, December, 1892. " Wherein Popular Education has 

 Failed." President Eliot. 



4. Popular Science Monthly, vol. xiv. " Scientific Relation of Sociology to Biology." 

 Jos. LeConte. 



5. Social Evolution. Kidd. Chap. i. 



6. New Miscellanies. Chas. Kingsley. " The Study of Natural History." 



