1922] Defense of the General Biology Course 127 



That this is not more often satisfactorily done seems to us to be 

 due both to lack of pedagogical sense and judgment and also to the 

 restrictions imposed by too special an early training. Sometimes, also, 

 a very conscientious instructor makes the mistake of being too thor- 

 ough, overloads his types with too many lessons, or chooses the wrong 

 ones for them, reasonably, to illustrate. For example, on visiting a 

 very good college some time ago, I found the notion manifest that, in 

 presenting Amoeba in General Biology, every possible aspect and 

 viewpoint should be stressed, — occurrence, distribution in time and in 

 geographical range, morphology, taxonomy, habits, behavior, oecology, 

 etc. This would, in our judgment, be a proper method for excluding 

 normal students from the course. Moreover, each of the disciplines 

 referred to above was visited upon all succeeding types, seriatim. 

 This is mechanical thoroughness at the expense of both common and 

 artistic sense, and course-making worth the name demands both. 



In another highly-esteemed college the biologist incorporates in a 

 similar course the notion that it makes no difference at all what par- 

 ticular specimen the student works upon. To begin with one studies 

 an amoeba, another an infusorian, another an alga or diatom or ento- 

 mostracan or annelid. "Why worry?" They each and all embody 

 the principles of Biology ! Moreover, the lectures seem to have nothing 

 to do with the work done in the laboratory. 



/Among many such teachers is the idea prevalent that "it is per- 

 sonality that educates." All ti-ue, but in this case admirable person- 

 ality survived in spite of handicaps. As well say "let us away with 

 mere educational disciplines and converse with our students about 

 what-not." 



Nor can one justify the hodge-podge of throwing in now a few 

 animal forms, now a few plants to insure variety. The brighter stu- 

 dents soon get the idea that Biology is a sort of potpourri, a ' ' footless 

 science, " as a physician once expressed it to me. However, a reason- 

 able sense of the spirit and educational philosophy back of good Gen- 

 eral Biology teaching demands that each type be bulwarked with two 

 sets of defenses, one for its individual justification, the other for its 

 right to its place in the sequence in which it stands. In this inheres 

 what might be called "the dramatic unities," a good course needing 

 to resemble a drama to have human and intellectual appeal. Let us 

 reiterate, also, that there is no such thing in science or literature as 

 a continued climax. The plot must be broken up into divisions which 

 are climactic in their sequence. 



