March 29. 191 



/ J 



NATURE 



95 



logy, etc., are all drawn upon in such teaching; and 



; ience is taught in a general manner by directing 

 e attention of pupils towards objects rather than by 

 aking them learn "subjects." In other schools the 



-:udv of science is approached through its applications 

 engineering or agriculture. 



Now that science is becoming recognised as an 

 -sential part of a liberal education, it is probable that 

 e kind of teaching indicated above will be more 

 nerallv adopted. The inevitable effect of making 

 ience compulsory in examinations would be to hinder 

 vperimenting in educational methods, at a time when 



this is most important. 



Exciminatioii for Entrance to Public Schools. 



The work recommended to be done in the prepara- 

 tory schools is not systematic science, but rather 

 a preparation for this. The kind of nature-study and 

 observational work adopted in the various schools 

 should differ according to their locality and other 

 circumstances. This makes the subject a difficult one 

 for examination purposes, and anything of the nature 

 of a rigid syllabus would have a deadening influence. 

 But so important is this preliminary work that unless 

 preparatory schools will adopt it without compulsion 

 through examinations, the subject should form an 

 essential part of the Common Entrance Examination. 

 The questions set should cover a wide range and offer 

 plenty of choice to the candidate. 



It is of the utmost importance that every candidate 

 for scholarships on entering a public school should be 

 examined in such work, and that a high proportion 

 of the total marks should reward him for good worK 

 in this subject. The reason for this is obvious. So 

 long as science forms no part of the examination for 

 scholarships, the cleverer boys at the preparatory 

 schools will be tempted to neglect the subject, even 

 when provision is made for teaching it, in order to 

 specialise in more paying subjects. Having found 

 these subjects pay, and having attained a certain 

 proficiency in them, they are unlikely to wish to 

 change to science, or to be allowed to do so if they 

 wish. Thus the most clever boys are diverted from 

 science quite early in their lives; it is not putting it 

 t09 stronglv to say that in the large majority of public 

 schools only those boys who show no signs of becom- 

 "g scholars in other subjects can take up science 

 -eriously. We see here the evils of early specialising 

 'n their most pronounced form. 



Entrance Examinations to Universities and Equivalent 

 School Certificate Examinations. 

 Compulsory Greek must be abolished. Science 

 -hould take at least as important a place as Latin. 

 One of the worst things that can be done in these 

 xaminations is to group science with mathematics 

 IS is suggested in recent Board of Education circulars 

 ind in the reports of the Previous Examination Syn- 

 dicate). That means filling the upper science divisions 

 of the schools with boys who are weak at mathe- 

 matics, merely because of that weakness. 



Entrance Scholarships offered by the Universities. 



The work of schools is affected greatly by these 

 examinations. In their present form these encourage 

 boys to specialise too early. This statement applies 

 to all the subjects of e.xamination. There is little 

 doubt that at present scholarship examinations are 

 exerting a bad influence on general education. 



With regard to science in particular, the examina- 

 ':ons often have the effect of making boys specialise 

 too strictly within the limits of the subject itself, to 

 the detriment of their general training in science. If 

 a boy knows, for instance, that he may get a scholar- 

 ship in chemistry alone, he is tempted to neglect the 

 NO. 2474, VOL. 99] 



study of kindred subjects. Scholarship papers should 

 test the candidates' general knowledge of science more 

 thoroughly than they do at present. 



Fees. 

 Laboratory work is expensive. It is customar>' to 

 make special charges for this. In schools where 

 science is compulson.' for all boys, the charges do not 

 keep the boys from doing some science ; but in some 

 schools where science is not compulsor\' the charges 

 do have this effect. In certain instances the charges 

 are grossly unfair (in view of the small expenditure 

 on laboratory equipment), and the boys who learn 

 science are robbed in order to provide cheap education 

 for those who do none. 



Organisation. 



In nearly every school the rate of a boy's progress 

 through the various forms is controlled to an unfair 

 extent by his proficiency in classical subjects. This 

 might be improved by giving a better range of marks 

 for science, but the real remedy is that boys should be 

 grouped for science and mathematics separately from 

 form subjects. Otherwise the logical sequence neces- 

 sary for science must be broken. 



The Teaching of Mechanics. 



This is in a most unsatisfactory position. The sub- 

 ject is fundamental for a right study of science. But» 

 as a rule, it is in the hands of mathematicians, who 

 too often do no experimental teaching and treat the 

 subject deductively. Laboratory- work in mechanics is 

 essential. 



Laboratory Equipment. 



During the past twenty years great improvement 

 has been made with regard to equipment for science 

 teaching. Laboratories for the teaching of practical 

 mathematics, including mechanics, are now the most 

 general need. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUC.U'IONAL 

 INTELUGENCE. 



C.\.MBKiDGE. — Mr. D. Keilin, of Magdalene College, 

 has, with tne consent of the \'ice-Chancellor, been 

 appointed assistant to the Quick professor of biology. 



The next combined examination for entrance scholar- 

 ships and exhibitions at Pembroke, Gonville and Caius, 

 Jesus, Christ's, St. John's, and Emmanuel Colleges 

 will be held on Tuesday, December 4, and following 

 days. Mathematics, classics, natural sciences, and his- 

 torj- will be the subjects of examination at all the 

 above-mentioned colleges. Forms of application for 

 admission to the examination at the respective colleges 

 may be obtained from the masters of the several col- 

 leges, from any of whom further information respecting 

 the scholarships and exhibitions and other matters con- 

 nected with the colleges may be obtained. 



London. — The following doctorates were conferred 

 by the Senate at the meeting heW on March 21 : — 

 D.Sc. in Chemistry : Mr. Frank Tinker, an external 

 student, for a thesis entitled "The Colloidal Mem- 

 brane : its Properties and its Function in the Osmotic 

 System," and other papers. D.Sc. (Engineering) in 

 Metallurgy : Mr. Andrew McCance, an internal 

 student of the Imperial College (Royal School of 

 Mines) and the South-Western Polytechnic Institute, 

 for a thesis entitled ".A Contribution to the Theorv of 

 Hardening." D.Sc. (Economics): Mr. J. F. Burke, 

 an internal student of the London School of 

 Economics, for a thesi> entitled "The Reform of Irish 

 Land Tenures." 



The Carpenter medal for the period 1913-16 has 

 ! been awarded to Dr. P. B. Ballard for the thesis 



