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Commerce, formed his judgment that “for 60 per cent. of first 
year students biology does not function,” I believe he might be 
influenced to alter this judgment after a study of the question- 
naires to which I have referred. The answer papers of over 
4,500 boys and girls apparently show that no subject in the cur- 
riculum is taught with Jess inequality of results (e. g., the per 
cents. of those liking biology best in 1915, 1918, 1919, show a 
range of only 2 per cent., while the percentages in English show 
a divergence of Io per cent.). 
The second question I wish to discuss is this—“Is general 
science, as organized at present, better adapted than biology to 
the needs and interests of first year students in the high school?” 
In the preliminary report of our N. E. A. Committee, published 
in 1914, and in the revised report of 1916, we unanimously 
recommend that at least two years of elementary science should 
be possible for every boy and girl. We urged that the interesting 
facts of general science should be taught in the seventh and eighth 
grades, and that biology be studied in the first year of the high 
school. The growing demand for the Junior High School in our 
judgment makes such a curriculum possible and most desirable. 
The Washington conference, and the final report of the Science 
Committee of the N. E. A., which is soon to appear, specially em- 
phasizes this plan. 
Principal Clark, of the Flushing High School, has so well ex- 
pressed my feeling relative to general science that I beg leave to 
read one paragraph from his letter. “My principal objection to 
general science is that it is so general that it does not go into any 
one subject with sufficient thoroughness. Biology has been taught 
so long that there is a definite content. Pupils do derive from it 
considerable benefit in investigation, experimentation, and the 
drawing of conclusions.” May I add that it seems to me far more 
difficult to carry on real laboratory work in large classes in a gen- 
eral science course than it is in biology, and that for me any 
science course that doles out mere text-book information, how- 
ever interesting it may be, is badly oUt if christened as 
high school science. 
I come now to my third and final question—*“ Will the sug- 
gested syllabus in community civics appeal strongly to first year 
