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ON LECTUEING 401 



Explain that the philosophy of [the great divisions of 

 plants] can only be understood when they know what a 

 seed and its germination is, an axis and the arrangement of 

 its parts, an ovule and its ovarium. 



The course being for medical students : 



Illustrate as many Nat. Orders as possible by Medical 

 plants, showing the drug but alluding only to its preparation 

 and uses. 



Finally, the less preparation you personally make, except 

 in the way of diagrams, &c., the better ; be certain that 

 he who has read up for an elementary course is either unfit 

 to give one, or will fly over the heads of students. 



Of existing handbooks, he remarks that Lindley's, dating 

 from 1830, ' are capital as guides, but antiquated,' and * Hen- 

 frey's rudiments not bad,' but the work of another popular 

 writer 



the worst I know, containing every fault elementary books 

 can have, loose, inaccurate illogical, bad Enghsh, without 

 distinction of what is useful and useless to the beginner. . . . 

 Impress on the men the folly of attempting to go beyond 

 [these] elementary books except with specimens in their 

 hands ; and in conclusion din for ever into their ears that 

 the principal Nat. Ords., properly studied and rightly under- 

 stood, are the exponents of all branches of Botany, embrace 

 a knowledge of all, are the application of the results of 

 aU to practice, and are synonymous with ' Botany ' in its 

 highest signification. 



Finally : 



I have been talking a good deal about lecturing, since I 

 wrote to you, with Huxley, who has come to absolutely iden- 

 tical conclusions, and is going to alter his course accordingly 

 at the Govt. School of Mines ; this entre nous at present. 

 He and I have often talked over the subject, and he is quite 

 of my opinion that the present mode of teaching is worse 

 than useless. 



The contrast between the old style Botanist and the new 

 was forcibly brought home to him when in July 1862 he paid 



