382 On the TeacMng of [July, 



frequently be the means of saving life. In every occupation in wliich 

 the human being can be employed, he must act in accordance with 

 laws which have been discovered and understood by others, and 

 every one must be directly benefitted by possessing such knowledge. 

 To leave such a precious possession as this to the mere accident of 

 a man fi.nding out its value in after-life, is to play with the mercies 

 of Providence, and to merit the punishment that attends the infrac- 

 tion of Divine laws. 



In the last place, we may speak of the high intellectual pleasure 

 afforded by that special exercise of the mind which attends the 

 pursuit of natural science. There is, no doubt, pleasure aflforded 

 in poring over the beauties of ancient poets, and satisfaction given 

 in the perfectly accurate results that follow the solution of mathe- 

 matical problems ; but we question if the gratification in either 

 case is so great as that of contemplating the truths of physics, 

 of chemistry, or of life. Especially are these studies ennobling in 

 the highest degree when they are pursued with the feehng that all 

 the great facts and phenomena of the universe are revealing the 

 mind of God to man. The mind of the human being who has not 

 studied the great laws by which Grod is governing and upholding 

 the natural world, cannot be so capable of understanding the 

 questions of man's responsibility and relation to God as he whose 

 mind has, in the feeblest way, been led to contemplate God's nature 

 in his works. 



But supposing the point settled of the desirableness of intro- 

 ducing the study of natural knowledge into our schools, to what 

 extent ought we to teach it, how ought it to be taught, and where 

 are the teachers to come from ? 



With regard to the first question, a distinction ought to be 

 made in the beginning as to the object of teaching the natural 

 sciences at all. On the one hand, we may teach one branch or all 

 these sciences for the sake of imparting desirable knowledge to the 

 mind ; or, on the other hand, we may use them with the object of 

 training and strengthening the mind for action in the pursuit, 

 generally, of the facts of the external world. It would not be 

 impossible, we tliink, consistently with the time boys spend at our 

 higher schools, to carry them tlirough the chief branches of natural 

 science in the course of their studies ; and especially could this be 

 done if the teachers were themselves skilled in science generally, and 

 understood the relation of one subject to another. Unfortunately, 

 the way in which science is pursued in England aflfords Uttle chance 

 at present of our seeing a body of skilled teachers who, whilst they 

 could take a class successfully through one branch of subjects, 

 should understand their relation and lx?aring to another class of 

 subjects. The only profession that could supply this class of men 

 is the medical : but then the man thus educated and fitted for 



