January 17, 1901] 



NA TURE 



289 



must have been across the Brahmaputra Valley than over the 

 great plain of the Ganges. This difference alone would give the 

 Transgangetic fauna of Burma an advantage over the Cisgangetic 

 fauna in a race for the vacant Himalayas, even if the latter had 

 not been driven farther to the southward than the former, as 

 it probably was during the Glacial epoch. 



The theor)', however, is only put forward as a possible 

 explanation of some remarkable features in the distribution 

 of Indian vertebrates. At the same time it does serve to 

 account for several anomalies of which some solution is 

 necessary. If thus accepted, it will add to the evidence, now 

 considerable, in favour of the Glacial epoch having affected the 

 whole world, and not having been a partial phenomenon induced 

 by special conditions, such as local elevation. 



SCIENCE TEACHERS IN CONFERENCE. , 



"POR the third time the Technical Education Board of the 

 ■^ London County Council has arranged and held a con- 

 ference of teachers of science from all parts of the kingdom. 

 Since their inauguration, these annual meetings have steadily 

 grown in popularity. At the first conference, in 1899, there 

 was an attendance of eighty persons, in 1900 the number had 

 grown to 200, while at the meetings held last week the atten- 

 dance reached the total of 350. These satisfactory results are 

 largely due to the efforts of Mr. C. A. Buckmaster, of the Board 

 of Education, and Dr. Kimmins, the Inspector to the Tech- 

 nical Education Board, who have steadily worked during the 

 three years in encouraging lecturers, demonstrators and inspec- 

 tors to meet together for the discussion of methods of teaching 

 different branches of science. The addresses and papers brought 

 before the conference at the South-Western Polytechnic, Chelsea, 

 on January 10 and 11, dealt with subjects of great importance 

 in an interesting and instructive manner ; but the discussions 

 were not entirely satisfactory. It is useless to expect teachers 

 to contribute anything valuable to a discussion at a moment's 

 notice. It should be possible at future meetings to obviate in a 

 large measure the desultory speeches on more or less general 

 topics which this year followed the addresses and papers. If 

 half a dozen well-known, practical teachers were given an 

 abstract of the paper before the meeting, they would be able, 

 with a few days' preparation, to place succinctly before the 

 meeting the results of their own practice, and besides putting 

 the discussion on right lines, they would lead other teachers 

 with experience of the matter in hand to help forward a com- 

 plete presentation of the subject. 



One more preliminary remark is necessary. Too much was 

 attempted at separate meetings, at some of which as many as 

 three papers were read and put down to be discussed in two 

 hours. The consequences were unfortunate. To name one 

 instance only : at the third meeting, not only was Prof. 

 Armstrong unable to deliver the whole of the paper he had pre- 

 pared on the teaching of domestic science, but though the dis- 

 cussion was continued some fifteen minutes after the proper time, 

 he was not called upon to reply to the points raised by different 

 speakers. It is to be hoped that next year fewer subjects will 

 be taken up at each meeting, and more pains taken to secure an 

 ample discussion, rigidly kept to the matter in hand. 



. Instrument Making. 



At the first meeting of the conference, Mr. T. A. Organ, the 

 Chairman of the Technical Education Committee of the London 

 County Council, presided. In his introductory remarks the 

 Chairman insisted on the need there is still for improved 

 science teaching in our schools, and directed attention to a 

 growing danger of doing too much for students. What has 

 been called in America " peptonised " education seems to be 

 on the increase, and is much to be deprecated. Addresses 

 were given on "Instrument-making for schools and technical 

 classes," by Mr. W. Hibbert, of Regent Street Polytechnic ; 

 and on the '* Co-ordination of workshop and laboratory instruc- 

 tion," by Mr. T. P. Nunn, of William Ellis's School, and Mr. 

 A. G. Hubbard, of Raine's School. During the course of his 

 remarks, Mr. Hibbert described, with the aid of lantern slides, 

 a large number of simple pieces of apparatus for use in the 

 teaching of electricity and magnetism, amongst which his 

 magnetometer, which can be easily converted into an astatic 

 galvanometer, his electroscope, capable of detecting one-tenth 

 the potential difference recognisable by the ordinary forms of 



NO. 1629, VOL. 63] 



instrument, and his" standard magnets are particularly worth 

 mention. The remaining addresses described successful at- 

 tempts to make the work of the manual instruction teacher 

 assist the practical study of physics. In the subsequent dis- 

 cussion, Dr. Gladstone, F.R.S., referred to the efforts he had 

 made on the London School Board in the direction of supplying 

 the teachers of the schools of the Board with simple, inexpensive 

 apparatus which would satisfactorily demonstrate the elementary 

 principles of physics and chemistry. 



The Fitting up of Laboratories. 



Sir W. de W. Abney, K.C.B., F.R.S., took the chair at the 

 second meeting, and lectures were given by Messrs. J. B. 

 Coleman, A. Schwartz and W. W. Pullen, describing the 

 fittings and apparatus of the chemical, physical and mechanical 

 laboratories, of which they respectively have charge at the 

 South-Western Polytechnic. After the addresses, which were 

 profusely illustrated with lantern slides, a discussion was opened 

 by Prof. Armstrong, F.R.S. Referring to the provision which 

 Mr. Coleman has made for the proper writing of notes in the 

 laboratory itself at the time the practical exercise in science is 

 actually performed, Prof. Armstrong urged that one of the most 

 valuable results from intelligent science teaching is the excellent 

 progress the pupil makes in his ability to express himself in a 

 literary manner when called upon to systematically describe the 

 work he has performed. He also urged that it is a great mis- 

 take to suppose that palatial establishments, such as those 

 described by the lecturers, are really necessary for teaching 

 science to boys and girls. Pretentious " drawing-room " 

 laboratories are by no means desirable ; what is wanted is not 

 so much a laboratory as a workshop, which need be little more 

 than a shed, such as a contractor about to put up a lai-ge 

 building erects for the use of his workmen. Students who work 

 in the sumptuously-fitted places now provided are not suitably 

 trained for the work of life ; nobody in commercial undertakings 

 gets a place anything like as good as a school laboratory in 

 which to do his professional work. The thing of importance is 

 the spirit with which the work is undertaken, not the number 

 of appliances at the disposal of the teacher and pupil. 



In acknowledging a vote of thanks, and at the same time sum- 

 marising the papers and discussion. Sir W. Abney explained that 

 his experience in connection with the Board of Education at 

 South Kensington has shown him what a great deal can be done 

 with very simple apparatus. He had, he said, again and again 

 met, in different parts of the country, teachers using the simple 

 pieces of physical apparatus they had made in the laboratories 

 of the Royal College of Science during the courses of instruc- 

 tion arranged for them there during the summer vacation. The 

 teacher of science who has learnt how to make and devise 

 these simple pieces of apparatus can, with the aid of his pupils, 

 easily turn out apparatus quite suitable for satisfactorily demon- 

 strating the important laws of chemical and physical science. 



Domestic Science. 



The third meeting, over which Mr. Bousfield, Chairman oi 

 the Girls' Public Day School, presided, was devoted to a con- 

 sideration of the science teaching in girls' schools, especially as 

 to what form of instruction in domestic science is desirable. 

 The first paper was read by Miss Aitken, of the North London 

 Collegiate School, who gave it as her opinion that the best 

 practical teaching in science for girls is given in the now well- 

 known schools of science held in connection with the South 

 Kensington branch of the Board of Education. The generality 

 of girls' schools are not. Miss Aitken finds, properly provided 

 with necessary and suitable accommodation for the pupils to 

 themselves make experiments with simple apparatus, the classes 

 in science are too large, and the amount of time placed at the 

 disposal of the science mistress is ludicrously inadequate. 



Prof. Armstrong, in a paper on the teaching of domestic 

 .science, laid it down that the object of their instruction should 

 be the formation of habits, not the accumulation of knowledge. 

 Elementary work, in what Prof. Armstrong prefers to call vous 

 or " knowingness " rather than science, should throughout aim at 

 developing and strengthening a young pupil's mother wit. Any- 

 thing may be taught and in any way, provided it leads to the 

 cultivation of vovs. All teaching in domestic science must be 

 guided by considerations of this kind, and the fundamental 

 subjects of a suitable course will be measuring work, which 

 will not be unduly prolonged, but give place at an early stage 

 to continued exercises with the balance ; thej study of the 



