214 HULL SCIENTIFIC AND FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB. 



the life of a butterfly, and of the protective colouration and 

 adaptation to surroundings of the birds, insects, and shells, 

 is a lesson not soon to be forgotten. 



There is, perhaps, a difficulty in conveying to the public 

 mind the proper function of a museum, but to some extent 

 this has been surmounted by the delivering of lectures to the 

 members of various societies who have visited the Museum. 

 In future, however, there can be no question that the public 

 of Hull will be able to appreciate to the full the purpose for 

 which a museum exists. Visits to museums by school 

 children during school hours are now allowed, providing 

 children are accompanied by their teacher, and receive proper 

 instruction in the museum. This is, without doubt, a step 

 in the right direction. 



Unquestionably the knowledge the young gain for them- 

 selves and the cultivation of their own reasoning abilities 

 are far more potent in the formation of character and culture 

 than the useless cramming of the brain more by memory 

 than by reason. Sir John Gorst, in his address to the 

 Section of Educational Science at the British Association 

 Meeting in igoi (see British Association Report pp. 858-863), 

 clearly explains the position as under: "The power of 

 research — the art of acquiring information for oneself — 

 on which the most advanced science depends may, by a 

 proper system, be cultivated in the youngest scholar of the 

 most elementary school. Curiosity and desire to find out 

 the reason of things is a natural, and to the ignorant an 

 inconvenient, propensity of almost every child ; and there 

 lies before the instructor the whole realm of Nature-knowledge 

 in which this propensity can be cultivated." 



What more suitable opportunity could possibly be found 

 for carrying out this ideal than by a properly conducted visit 

 to a museum ? The children are there told how to examine 

 the collections, how they are arranged, and how best to derive 

 instruction from the specimens. 



With a view to encouraging these visits, the writer 

 prepared a syllabus of lectures, which was circulated amongst 

 the schools in the town and district. The necessary per- 

 mission was obtained from the Educational Authority, and 

 the result has been far more satisfactory than was anticipated. 

 For some time past five mornings each week have been 

 occupied in delivering lectures to scholars. The following is 

 a list of the lectures : — 



Lecture 1.— "How to see a Museum."— Classification of Objects — 

 Labels — Comparisons, &c. 



