1 96 Introduction. [4 



ment of truth. Familiarity with these studies can be 

 better acquired by the prolonged study of a single subject 

 like chemistry or physics or astronomy than by ambulat- 

 ing the 'circle of the sciences' or endeavoring to get a 

 smattering of all the 'ologies." 



During the year, the American Society of Naturalists 

 formulated its views as follows: " Instruction in Natural 

 Science should commence in the lowest grades of the 

 primary schools and should continue throughout the 

 curriculum. 



"In the lower grades the instruction should be chiefly by 

 means of object lessons and the aim should be to awaken 

 and guide the curiosity of the child in regard to natural 

 phenomena rather than to present systematized bodies of 

 fact and doctrine. 



"More systematic instruction in the natural sciences 

 should be given in the High School." 



During the year, school superintendents in their annual 

 reports have had much to say upon this subject and some 

 school courses of study have been entirely remodeled for 

 the sake of introducing instruction in natural science. 



During the year, the New York College for the Training 

 of Teachers has been making a careful study of the best 

 methods of teaching natural science in the common schools 

 and has put many of its conclusions into active operation. 



II. THE NEED OF TRAINING IN SCIENCE. 



That training in natural science is much needed in the 

 education of the citizen is very evident. 



The scientific method may be briefly formulated as 

 follows: (i) careful experimenting, (2) careful observing, 

 and (3) careful reasoning. 



i. Careful experimenting. Life is full of experiments 

 and it is also full of errors by careless experimenting. 

 Nearly all of our conflicting opinions claim to be founded 

 upon the experiences and the experiments of men. . Faulty 



