Feb. 27, 1890] 



NATURE 



387 



an apathetic House, has fallen flat, while the English 

 Act, badly drawn as it is, is arousing a great and in- 

 creasing amount of interest in the country, and within 

 the first six months is already in full swing in several 

 districts. 



But this is a digression. The recasting and improve- 

 ment of the system of class subjects in Scotland is in- 

 teresting not only in itself but as indicating a probable 

 change of a similar kind in the English Code. Underi 

 these circumstances we must not fail to note the paralle' 

 change carried out in the schedule of " specific subjects.' 

 Almost the whole of the schedule which relates to 

 science subjects — chemistry, mechanics, electricity, light 

 and heat, physiology, botany, and physical geography — is 

 entirely cancelled, and for the detailed syllabuses of these 

 subjects is substituted a simple invitation to school 

 managers to submit graduated courses in subjects not 

 mentioned in the schedule. At first sight this seems a 

 loss —as though the Department were moving in the direc- 

 tion of paying less instead of more attention to science. 

 The alteration, however, must be read in conjunction with 

 the reforms in class schedules and the observations on 

 class and specific subjects in the last Report of the Scotch 

 Education Department. Commenting on the fact that 

 '' the general development of class subjects tends to restrict 

 the specific subjects," the Report proceeds : " this is a 

 result not altogether to be regretted, as the influence of 

 the class subjects is general, while that of the specific 

 subjects is restricted to a few selected scholars." 



Again, in the instructions to inspectors just issued, Mr. 

 Craik explains one of the objects of the Department to 

 be " to spread the beneficial results of any such higher 

 teaching as may be given, to the whole school, instead of 

 <:onfining it to a few selected scholars." 



It is clear, therefore, that the changes in the fourth and 

 fifth schedules (which are probably the precursor of 

 similar changes in the English Code) are dictated by a 

 •desire to extend class instruction in science, even if at the 

 expense of specific subjects ; in other words, to transfer 

 natural science from its former position, as a smattering of 

 a few special branches of physics imparted to a few 

 pupils, to its proper place as a course of general stimulat- 

 ing instruction in the elements of "nature knowledge,'' 

 given as an integral part of the school course to the 

 school as a whole. More specialized science teaching 

 can still be provided if desired in the form of specific 

 instruction framed to suit local wants by the various 

 school managers, or it may be given, as is already the 

 case in many elementary schools, by means of science 

 classes in connection with the Science and Art De- 

 partment. 



We cannot doubt that the Scotch Department is right 

 in its policy, but the probable extension of class teaching 

 under the new and more elastic rt'gime suggests a doubt 

 whether the proper way of introducing manual instruction 

 is by means of including it among the class subjects, so 

 long at least as the possible number of class subjects is 

 restricted. Drawing — the only form of manual training 

 previously recognized for boys— has already been put out- 

 side the range of class subjects. Needlework — the only 

 other manual subject in the Code — may be taught either 

 as a class subject or as part of the ordinary curriculum of the 

 school. Is there not a chance that in including manual 



instruction among the class subjects an unnatural rivalry 

 may be set up between this subject and elementary 

 science, which may restrict the spread of both ? All this, 

 however, is a matter for the future. Meanwhile we have 

 only to congratulate the Scotch on the improvement of 

 the conditions under which in the future their schools 

 will be carried on, and to express the hope that England 

 will not lag behind. 



One word in conclusion. It may be wondered why in 

 this article, dealing with scientific and technical in- 

 struction in elementary schools, so little reference is 

 made to the Technical Instruction Act of last session, 

 either in respect of the powers which it confers on 

 elementary school managers, or of those which, much to 

 the regret of many politicians, it appears to withhold. 



The real fact is that we have our doubts as to the 

 need of any general Technical Instruction Act for ele- 

 mentary schools, and have a suspicion that their exclu- 

 sion from the late Act was in reality a blessing in disguise. 

 Of course, if the opinion of Sir Horace Davey (and now 

 we are glad to be able to add, of the Scotch Education 

 Department) should be upset in the law courts, it may 

 be necessary to rectify the anomaly by a short Act of a 

 single clause recognizing the legality of manual instruc- 

 tion. But, with this possible exception, no new powers 

 are required by School Boards, and no new rate need be 

 imposed. Mr. Mundella, in complaining of the exclusion 

 of elementary schools from the late Act, compared the 

 scheme to an educational ladder with the lower rungs left 

 out. Let him be reassured — no rung is wanting so far 

 as legislation is concerned. As at present advised, we 

 feel clear that the managers of a public elementary school, 

 so long as they comply with the requirements of the De- 

 partment, may teach what extra subjects they please. 

 The rating power possessed by a School Board is limited 

 only by the wishes of the ratepayers. What really retards 

 the introduction of technical and manual instruction is 

 the want of imperial grants (which may and ought to be 

 given through changes in the Code), the want of time, the 

 pressure of other subjects,- the ignorance of the public, 

 and the parsimony of the ratepayers. But none of these 

 obstacles can be removed by legislation. What legislation 

 could and probably would do, would be to restrict the 

 present powers of School Boards by defining them ; and, 

 perhaps, even to confine the rate for technical instruction 

 within the limit of a penny in the pound. But this can 

 hardly be'what Mr. Mundella wants. 



A DICTIONARY OF APPLIED CHEMISTRY. 



A Dictionary of Applied Chemistry. By T, E. Thorpe, 

 B.Sc. (Vict), Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. Assisted by Eminent 

 Contributors, In Three Volumes, Vol. I. (London : 

 Longmans and Co,, 1890.) 



THE first volume of the "Dictionary of Applied 

 Chemistry," edited by Prof. Thorpe, is a welcome 

 addition to our scientific books of reference, and forms an 

 admirable companion to the " Dictionary of Theoretical 

 Chemistry," the second volume of which was reviewed 

 some weeks ago. 



In the preface Prof. Thorpe points out that, as this 



