113 
of his information, he replied that he formed his judgment from 
debates he heard while Principal of the High School of Com- 
re. 
The latest “shell shock” comes with the appearance of the 
“Temporary Outline for Community Civics.” I have gone over 
each of the 45 main topics in this syllabus and have called Dr. 
Tildsley’s attention to the fact that at least twenty of these sub- 
divisions can be taught by biology teachers better than by any 
other instructors. Surely this is something of a tribute to a de- 
cadent and non-functional subject! 
I wish now to raise three questions and to state briefly my 
answer to each. 
First—Is it true that biology has not and is not making good 
in our high schools? In order to determine from students them- 
selves their opinions relative to the content of the biology course, 
I have conducted several distinct questionnaires and have care- 
fully tabulated and compared the results. The first series of 
figures were obtained in January, 1915, in preparation for a paper 
given at the Cincinnati meeting of the N. E. A. Department of 
Superintendence. All the first year students in the Morris High 
School and in the High Schools of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, 
Yonkers, and White Plains were asked to state which of their 
four prepared subjects was easiest, which was hardest, which 
they liked best, and which they liked least. Two subsequent ques- 
-tionnaires were tabulated last year, and I have the figures from 
more than half the high schools in which, during the past month, 
all those who had completed a year of science in January were 
asked to record their judgments relative to their first year sub- 
jects. A summary of the results of these questionnaires is given 
on pages that follow. 
Dr, Tildsley, in his letter of acceptance to Dr. Gager—a letter 
which the Associate Superintendent asked me to read—makes this 
statement: “I am not especially for or against high school biol- 
ogy. I have seen some work that impressed me as having great 
value; I have seen a great deal of work that impressed me as 
having little value. I think there is no subject in the high schools 
taught with more inequality of results.” 
Since Dr. Tildsley, from debates heard in the High School of 

