1 84 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION 



disregard practical teaching, trusting that if the principles of 

 science are correctly understood sound application will follow as 

 a matter of course. Placed between these two extremes, I would 

 side rather with the man of science than with the man of trade. 

 The principles of each science are few, positive, permanent, and 

 such as can be learnt from lectures and books. The applications 

 are innumerable ; their results cannot be made the subject of 

 absolute calculation. The methods vary from year to year and 

 from month to month ; they can neither be learnt nor taught in 

 the lecture-room. I say these things dogmatically, having no 

 fear that any teacher of experience will contradict me. Are we 

 to conclude, then, that no practical teaching of importance can 

 be given in our universities ? Far from it. There is no teaching 

 more practical, more immediately fertile in results than that 

 which can be given by the man of science in his laboratory. 

 This teaching is of two kinds each valuable. That which is 

 most popularly known and most appreciated is practical instruc- 

 tion in research. The teacher is himself engaged in the research 

 of some scientific truth, and he finds in the best of his students 

 a willing band of workers, ready to devote their whole energies 

 and time to the prosecution of minute and prolonged inquiry ; 

 the young men are inspired by the teacher with his own ardour ; 

 they imitate his methods, sympathise with his aims, and emu- 

 late his success. In a few years these generous and unknown 

 assistants will themselves be leaders. The process is natural, 

 healthy, and successful, but it is incomplete. It reaches only 

 those who are born with a great natural aptitude for scientific 

 inquiry. The rank and file of the students cannot be employed 

 in this manner by the teacher ; they would waste their time, 

 spoil an indefinite amount of apparatus, hinder the advanced 

 student, occupy the attention of the teacher unworthily, and 

 perhaps try his temper ; and yet the rank and file the ordinary 

 well-meaning student who will never become a leading light in 

 science is worthy of our attention. If he is well educated he 

 may become a successful manufacturer, contractor, engineer, or 

 farmer, and sensibly increase the power and wealth of our 

 country. It seems to me that this student is not so well provided 

 for in our scientific teaching as is desirable. And the main 

 question I propose for discussion is, how we are to improve the, 

 education of this second-best young man. My own answer put 



