102 First Conference 



view appears to depend on a mistaken analogy with 

 language. It is little use to know a little of a number 

 of languages, however well taught, unless indeed one 

 is going into the countries where they are spoken. 

 But it is important to know the rudiments of all 

 sciences, and it is in reality impossible to go far in 

 any one without knowing something of several others. 

 So far as children are concerned, it is a mistake to 

 think of astronomy and physics, geology and biology, 

 as so many separate subjects. For the child, nature 

 is one subject, and the first thing is to lay a broad 

 foundation. We should teach our children something 

 of everything, and then as far as possible, everything 

 of something. Specialization should not begin before 

 17, or at any rate 16. 



Everyone would admit that it is a poor thing to be 

 a great ichthyologist or botanist unless a man has 

 some general knowledge of the world he lives in, and 

 the same applies to a mathematician or a classical 

 scholar. Before a child is carried far in any one 

 subject, it should be explained to him that our earth 

 is one of several planets, revolving round the sun, that 

 the sun is a star; that the solar system is one of many 

 millions occupying the infinite depths of space; he 

 should be taught the general distribution of land and 

 sea, the continents and oceans, the position of Eng- 

 land, and of his own parish ; the elements of physics, 

 including the use and construction of the thermometer 

 and barometer; the elements of geology and biology. 

 Pari passu with these should be taken arithmetic, 

 some knowledge of language, drawing, which is almost, 

 if not quite as important as writing, and perhaps 

 music. When a child has thus acquired some general 



