372 



NA TURE 



[March 9, 1876 



the circumstances are which affect it, and understand 

 where pressure can effectively be brought to bear. 

 The position of science at schools is dependent on — 



1. The Public Schools' Commission. 



2. The Statutes and Regulations of each School ; i.e., 

 the Governing Bodies. 



3. The Indirect Influence of the Universities and other 

 Examining Bodies. 



4. Head-Masters. 



5. Parents. 



1. The Public Schools' Commission enforce the teach- 

 ing of science by requiring (Reg. 3) that " In any exa- 

 mination of a boy (not being one of the senior boys) in 

 the school, or in any report of a general examination, the 

 proportion of marks to be assigned to Natural Science 

 shall be not less than one-tenth nor more than one- 

 fourth, as the Governing Body shall think fit." Also that 

 (Reg. 6) "There shall be one Mathematical Master, at the 

 least, for every 100 boys in the school, and one Science 

 Master, at the least, for every 200 boys learning Natural 

 Science in the school." Also that (Reg. 7) " Every boy 

 shall learn Natural Science continuously from his en- 

 trance into the upper middle form, Div. II., until he 

 become one of the senior boys in the school.'' Further, 

 that (Reg. 8) Senior boys may pursue special subjects 

 of study and discontinue other subjects for that purpose : 

 and that (Reg. 11) "Any boy in the school who may 

 evince an aptitude for Natural Science shall have facilities 

 for that study." Also (Reg. 10), " Any boy entering the 

 school shall have the opportunity of showing acquaint- 

 ance with Botany, Physical Geography, or some other 

 branch of Natural Science." 



It is evident that the all-important question here is, who 

 are senior boys .'' Regulation 5 says " the Governing 

 Body shall from time to time determine the point in the 

 school list above which the boys shall be reckoned as 

 senior boys for the purposes of these regulations." 



These regulations are dated Aug. 4, 1874. 



I do not think any reasonable faulc can be found with 

 these regulations from Prof. Roscoe's point of view, unless 

 he finds fault with Regulation 7, which does not give 

 natural science equality " as regards range," with classics 

 and mathematics. To this I shall recur again. 



2. The Statutes of Rugby School order that three 

 Major Exhibitioners shall each year be elected — to pursue 

 their studies elsewhere — for general proficiency in the 

 studies ol the school ; and that four Minor Exhibitioners 

 shall be elected, for proficiency in Classics, Mathematics, 

 Natural Science, and Modern Languages respectively. 

 The Regulations (37) order that " Natural Science shall 

 be obligatory on every boy in the middle school, and 

 either Natural Science or German on every boy above 

 the middle school." Also (40) that " two Major and three 

 Minor Scholarships shall be given for proficiency in 

 Classics ; one Major and one Minor for proficiency in 

 Mathematics ; one Minor for proficiency in French, and 

 one in Natural Science." These are open to all boys 

 between twelve and fifteen years of age. 



I think it cannot but be felt that Natural Science has 

 not been ignored in these regulations ; it is not indeed 

 put on an educational equality with Classics, but it is 

 respectfully treated. 



3. The Universities and other examining bodies affect 

 us greatly. We at Rugby are principally influenced by 

 Oxford and Cambridge, and it is of their influence only 

 that I proceed to say a few words. It is plain that at 

 the Universities some subjects must be universal, and some 

 optional. The compulsory subjects are Latin, Greek, 

 Mathematics, and Scripture Knowledge; optional subjects 

 are numerous enough. Science ranks there with Law, 

 History, Moral Science, Medicine, &c. Does Prof. 

 Roscoe think that this is wrong ? I really wish to know 

 whether any thoughtful man who has considered the 



subject will say that science ought to be a sine qud non 

 for admission or for a degree at the Universities ? / 

 certainly think that science has its right position among 

 the optional subjects. The point in this system that is 

 more doubtful is the position of Greek, whether it might 

 not be ranked with the optional subjects, and so give fair 

 play to those schools and portions of schools which teach 

 Science instead of Greek, and which are practically rele- 

 gated to the rank of middle class schools (whatever they 

 are called), because they have no outlet into the Universi- 

 ties. This is a change that has been already discussed 

 more than once, and the opinions are, I believe, so nearly 

 balanced, that the existence of a few more such schools, 

 and a little pressure from without, will probably soon 

 cause the change to be made. There is no doubt that 

 the ready sympathy between the Universities and the 

 educational needs of the country will be shown in this 

 as in other things. 



This is a digression, however. To return. Such being 

 their system, the Universities are asked to examine 

 schools and award leaving-certificates. I have reason 

 for thinking that it was felt that this was not a time foi 

 fettering schools, or preventing educational experiments ; 

 they therefore declined to lay down any universal subject 

 of education. They grant certificates without requiring 

 a knowledge of even Latin and arithmetic. Every school 

 may select its own studies. They will not, however, grant 

 a certificate without a certain variety of attainment : four 

 subjects must be taken, speaking generally, from three 

 groups. Language, Mathematics, Literature, and Science 

 form the groups. 



It seems to me, therefore, not fair, not a statement of 

 facts, to charge the University examination for certificates 

 Avith " placing the science subjects in a distinctly inferior 

 position to the older studies." The position is exactly iden- 

 tical. As a leavifig' examination nothing can be fairer. 



What I pointed out in my first letter (Feb. 24) was that the 

 /mt////^ examination from school was in fact, to our boys, an 

 entrance examination to the Universities ; and in it they 

 select, of course, the compulsory subjects of the Univer- 

 sities, for otherwise the certificate has no value. Science 

 is not one of these compulsory subjects, and therefore 

 the indirect action of these examinations is adverse to 

 science. But I do not see how it can, or ought to be, 

 otherwise ; only I wish that their examination in science 

 was a little more carefully arranged, with a view of form- 

 ing at schools a sound method of teaching science. 



The Universities of course affect us greatly by their 

 scholarships in Natural Science, which do more to guide 

 the teaching than anything else, and by their traniing 

 masters. The influence of men like Maxwell and Clifton 

 in inspiring teachers of Physical Science is very great ; 

 and when this influence is wanting in any subject at the 

 Universities, the schools are the bodies which suffer. The 

 Professors of Chemistry and Physics at the Universities 

 are masters of the situation. 



4. Head-masters have, of course, the chief power at 

 schools of making science teaching effective or the reverse. 

 This is a delicate matter for an assistant-master to speak 

 of; and I have no right to discuss in this place — nor 

 indeed elsewhere — how far the Regulations of the Com- 

 mission and Governing Body are carried out in letter or 

 in spirit, here or elsewhere. 



But I may point out that, except in rare instances, 

 head-masters follow, and do not lead, public opinion on 

 educational points. The competition between schools is 

 close ; their prosperity depends on their meeting the 

 demands of the public ; and few men are bold and clear- 

 sighted enough to make with success a move in anticipa- 

 tion of a demand from the pubhc. At present a BalUol 

 Scholarship, or other University Scholarship, are the 

 grand advertisements ; got at whatever cost to boy or 

 school, they pay. And head-masters, being but men, are 

 influenced by this. To get one such scholarship, except 



