424 



Supplement to ''Nature^' September 15, 1923 



imc stn 1 



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W'olliii 



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.1 !;!■■ 1' >rni;\t > , ■ , , -; .1 n;' Mr 



oil (lilti rent 1:' - .' ' ' III. iiuU-j ' 



cular lili- c Miiditions. 



Tlu Ml i;ill((! " Neo-Darwinian " account of evolu- 

 tion is tin n Ntalcd. and its weak jmints indicated : 

 and a di'Mii[)tii»ii ol' the < lianucs linuiL:lit almiit 1)\' 

 the work of Mcndrl and liis lolluwcr-. I.' hi \ ri( > and 

 of Johannsen, leads to an altcnipt lu lurm a iJicturc- 

 of the origin of species in the light of present knowledge. 

 It is shown that the problems of phylogenesis and 

 ontogenesis are necessarily interlinked, and it is 

 suggested that in the causal study of development of 

 the iiidixidiial lies tlif lust hope of determining 

 eventually the real nature of the " genes " which 

 geneticists must postulate to account for the observed 

 phenomena of inheritance. . 



Emphasis is laid on the \ itw that the central and 

 vital part of biology is, and must be, the study of 

 process, and it is suggested that onlv by stressing this 

 point of view, especially in elemi iUar\ tcarhin-, will 

 it be possible to retain the power ol looking at the 

 science of plants as a whole and thus of cheeking tlu 

 disruptive tendencies which have led to the segrega- 

 tion of different branches of the subject. 



The Education of the People. 



Prof. T. P. Nunn, in his address to Section L 

 (Educational Science), pointed out that the aim of 

 popular education is to train the young to conserve and 

 develop those elements in the tradition of national life 

 and activity which are consciously judged or instinct- 

 ively felt to be of most worth. Its content will, there- 

 fore, always express the distinctive ethos of a nation, 

 and, in particular, will reflect the prevalent view as to 

 the proper relation between the individual and the 

 social body. Assuming that in Great Britain we are 

 committed to the ideal of equal citizenship for all, the 

 ultimate aim of our schools must be to bring all children 

 effectively under the influence of those currents in our 

 cultural tradition which have the greatest and most 

 enduring value. Consideration shows that these must 

 include, in addition to our typical traditions of char- 

 acter and manners, the traditions of creative activity 

 represented in literature, science, and the fundamental 

 arts and crafts. The aim thus indicated cannot be 

 achieved so long as education ends for most boys and 

 girls at fourteen ; but it does not necessarily imply a 

 " grammar school curriculum " for all. A technical 

 training, provided that it embodies some dignified 

 tradition of intellectual, aesthetic, or practical activity, 

 satisfies the criterion laid down. It is, however, 

 essential that all education should be liberal in outlook 

 and scope. 



Science 



The main purpose 1 



., I._ (I. ._!... (■-■ 



al address delivered 



i'< .-<•' iKjn M (A;-' •- -.^ 

 directions in which 

 tJie alleMalion of the agricult 

 n by the man of science, and v. 

 lines uhvug which development of our 

 efluffitional organisation is more espt > 

 juncture. 



most fundamental *.! all knuis of assistance that 

 scuiHc (an 'jiNf tlie farmer is that furnished by wa;. 

 of resiarili. hut this mn-t ,,f TirTe.ssity be slow ii 

 de\elo[iTnent, and depend iie dis.semination <■ 



its re.^ult^ throi;-'*'"* •'■( ,i,,i.i,.i, v upriH an extensi\' 

 and (tlu lent ad misation in ( lo^e touch wit; 



tiie larnier. 



.Similar!) also any raising of the standard of farmin' 

 through formal education can only be effected 

 and the conclusion is reached, therefore, th.-' 

 hopeful way ot • assistance qui' 



advisor^' work. ot difficulty ' 



educational work \w the pa^t lias been to secure . 

 suffirientlv intimate and \\id(-iirtad contact with tli' 

 farmer, and for tlii> 1 -icy at our commari' 



is so valuable a> a(iNi-.i\ *> ■lr^. involving as it dot 

 a conta( t witli tlie indi\idual farmer which is Ixji 

 direct and sympathetic, originating indeed in most 

 cases out of a dire( t request for help. 



Rapid ])ro-ress through advisor}" work \ 

 howe\er, a far more numerous staff of ad', 

 arc available at present, some counties being . 

 totally unprovided for. while in many other 

 ad\ isor^ st man in the ] 



of the Couii! , . r. It is lure • 



the next exten- In 



relation to the oi\_....,.^ciI,.m, w,,v.i.ii.._ ... >....^ i ..<nta( ' 

 with the farmer, research and organised education a* 

 for the time being adequately developed — the latti 

 indeed producing now a considerable .surplus of train* 

 men for whom emplo\Tnent in educational work is n^ 

 a\ailal)le. This in itself implies a certain loss of pr 

 portion in the development of the whole agricultur. 

 educational organisation, and is to be remedied by tl 

 extension of the base upon which the whole structur 

 rests, which is constituted of advice, elementar- 

 agricultural education, and propaganda. At the sanv 

 time a closer degree of co-ordination and co-operatif : 

 between tlu- \arious elements of the education.'. 

 organisation is desirable. 



In conclusion, although ad :k ma} be our 



most effective means of renderiiv^ immediate help, .' 

 more permanent contribution to the future prosperity 

 of P)ritis!i agriculture will lu' made through our educ;-. 

 tional system in the trainim: of the farmers of tV- 

 future. As vet we lia\e not succeeded in persr 

 the general inuiy of farmers that technical edu' 

 is an essential element in the training of the youn 

 farmer. The nafr d d. \ elopment of such a convicti< ' 

 must perhaps be . might be greatly accelerate • 



if more importaiu., >>> .. attached to scientific trainir 

 as well as practical experience in the letting of farm-^ 



I 



fruited M Grtat Britain ^j* R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edimtur^h, 



