1895.] on the Physical Work of von Helmholtz. 495 



what is best when the teaching is of university rank, and the 

 students are men and women. Make it easy for whoever has given 

 some proof of knowledge, and wants to teach, to try his hand ; make 

 it easy for the student to go to the teacher from whom he gains the 

 most. Look for the best educational results, not necessarily from the 

 best lecturer, but from the man who is in closest contact with his 

 subject. Do not force your teacher on his audience, but do all you 

 can to establish a bond of sympathy between them. Trust, in a 

 word, to the free play of living forces, and not to the hampering 

 restrictions of " necessary subjects " and " compulsory lectures." 

 This is a paraphrase of the views which Helmholtz held, and he 

 illustrated them by the history of this Institution itself. 



" I have often," he said, " wondered that the Eoyal Institution of 

 London, a private society which provides for its members and others 

 short courses of lectures on the progress of natural science, should 

 have been able to retain permanently the services of men of such 

 scientific importance as Humphry Davy and Faraday. It was no 

 question of great emoluments ; these men were manifestly attracted 

 by a select public, consisting of men and women of independent 

 mental culture." And then he goes on to show that in a German 

 university the teacher is attracted to his work, because he has to 

 deal with a body of students who are capable of forming opinions, 

 and of judging what is best for themselves. 



And this leads us to another point. Von Helmholtz insisted that it 

 is useless and dangerous to crowd the universities with students who 

 are not capable of taking advantage of the opportunities they offer. 

 " The majority of students," he says, " must come to us with a 

 sufficiently logically trained judgment, with a sufficient habit of 

 mental exertion, and with a taste sufficiently developed on the best 

 models to be able to discriminate truth from the bubbling appearance 

 of truth .... It would be very dangerous for the universities if large 

 numbers of students frequented them who were less developed in 

 [these] respects. The general self-respect of the students must not 

 be allowed to sink. If that were the case, the dangers of academic 

 freedom would choke its blessings. It must, therefore, not be looked 

 upon as pedantry, or arrogance, if the universities are scrupulous in the 

 admission of students of a different style of education. It would 

 be still more dangerous if, for any extraneous reasons, teachers were 

 introduced into the faculty who have not the complete qualifications 

 of an independent academcal teacher." * 



It would be out of place on this occasion to attempt to apply these 

 views to existing circumstances in London ; but with the knowledge 

 that the final constitution of a Teaching University for the metropolis 

 may be decided within the next few months, I cannot but feel that 

 London will be happy if it escapes from the fetters which some of its 

 so-called friends are forging for learning ; and if, on the other hand, 



* < Popular Lectures,' vol. ii. 1881, p. 264-5. 



