69 
Those who are in touch with the administration of municipal 
high schools will be impressed at once by two rather unusual 
features in this plan: First, that it is looked upon at all favorably 
by the local board of education; second, that the school admin- 
istration finds it not only entirely feasible, but satisfactory and 
profitable, to allow these classes double periods for their labora- 
tory work. ‘This is worthy of note, because both these features 
have been time and again pronounced entirely impractical 
and unwise by school authorities, and especially by the makers of 
the programs of daily recitations. Probably the hardest fight 
that the various sciences have had since their struggle to secure 
any recognition at all in the high school curriculum has been 
the contest to secure double periods for laboratory or field work. 
It has been held in many quarters to be not only undesirable, but 
quite impossible without entirely upsetting the daily program of 
classes. However, as the Pittsburgh plan clearly demonstrates, 
when all concerned are in sympathy with such a plan it proves to 
be both practicable and desirable ; it can no longer be considered 
problematical and debatable. The co-operation of the Pittsburgh 
board of education in this plan is locally attributed chiefly to 
the efforts of Mr. William Falconer, who is greatly interested in 
the teaching of botany, and also to the breadth of view of the 
individual members of the board. 
One of the classes goes directly to the Hall of Botany in the 
morning at 8:45, and thence, at the close of the double period, 
to the high school building. Another class leaves the high school 
in time to spend the last two periods of the day at the Hall, from 
which they return to their homes. ‘he other classes go from the 
school and return to it during the hours of session. Experience 
has shown the maximum time required to pass from the Hall of 
Botany to the various school buildings, and the pupils are held 
strictly to keeping within this time. If, as is the case with 
some of the schools, it is necessary to ride, the pupil pays his 
own carfare. Classes seldom go in a body, and seldom under the 
immediate charge of the teacher. 
Of course, there has been some opposition to this plan. Good 
things always find some opponents. Now and then a disgruntled 
parent, or one with restricted outlook, objects to paying car- 
