Education and Science. 4J3 



iustice of the Slates return demand that he jhall adopt his profes- 

 sion in the proper spirit, and shall seriously set himself to be trained 

 for his life-work. The old delusion that he who has learned can 

 teach has been an unconscionable time in dying, but there is not 

 much life in it now. Even the most conservative bodies have during 

 recent years changed their front in regard to the matter, and surely 

 the last word on the subject has been said at the Conference which 

 assembled at Cambridge in December last. The Conference was 

 fully representative of the Universities, of the various teachers' asso- 

 ciations, and even of unprofessional educationists ; and the first 

 words of the chairman, Sir Oliver Lodge, in summing up the points 

 upon which all the members were agreed, were : Training is necessary 

 for teachers of all grades, in the last three words, " of all grades,'' 

 there is much \irtue. No stopping short at the elementary teacher, 

 on whom for many \ ears training has been obligatory ; nor at the 

 secondary teachers, whom even the English Head Masters' Associa- 

 tion would now like to see moderately trained ; but embracing all, 

 even those who have to teach within the walls of a college. 



Another point which has to be noticed in regard to teachers has 

 a closer bearing upon our present meeting. This is, the fast grow- 

 ing conviction that the teacher who wishes to be effective in his 

 daily professional work must keep up a living interest in his subject, 

 and according to his opportunities must be a contributor tn its ad- 

 vancement. The latter obligation, of course, increases in weight 

 with the rise in grade of the teacher ; in the case of a university pro- 

 fessor the will and the capability tO' do- research work should be con- 

 sidered indispensable, and should be valued at least as highly as the 

 power tO' interest and to teach. One of the great functions of a 

 University, everywhere recognised of late years, even in the most 

 utilitarian centres of population, is to enlarge the boundaries of 

 knowledge : in other words, every University worth}- of the name 

 should have in essence the same aim as this association, viz., the 

 advancement of science. With the removal of all school work from 

 certain of our colleges, and with the consequently increased aid 

 available for higher education and the increased interest taken l)y 

 the public in their endowment, we may surely hope with confidence 

 that an aim of this kind will be kept steadily in view in the future. 

 In regard to (^ertain recent appointments. I am greatly pleased to say 

 that the Council of the South African College entirely agreed with 

 me on this point : the fruits of the Council's action should be .seen in 

 Section B at future gatherings like the present. The plea of want 

 of originality which has sometimes been set up in England, as an 

 excuse for no researrh output, shows a complete misunderstanding 

 of the nature of the demand made. There are whole fields of need- 

 ful work which requires no originalitv of mind for its accomplish- 

 ment. With merely a fair knowledge of his subject, with a fair 

 knowledge of languages, and with a reasonably trained intelligence, 

 anv man can do such work, for example, as I have tried to do in a 

 communication to^ another section of this association. And vet the 

 importance of work of this kind. bil)liographi(\al, is undeniable : 



