108 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [sh-apr., 1909 



Trafton of the Passaic, (N. J.) wSchools; Miss Emma Sylvester, 

 Principal of P. S. 35 ; and Miss Margaret Knox, Principal of S. P. 



The section now has many more than the one hundred mem- 

 bers necessary for representation in the council of the A. N. S. S., 

 and Mrs. A. R. Northrop was elected the delegate of the section to 

 represent it in the council of the A. N. S. S. for the years 1909- 

 19 10, as provided for in the constitution of the society. 



DISCUSSIONS 



[Editor's Note. — These two interesting letters arrived in December, 

 but the special issues delayed publication.] 



Economic Biology in Schools. May I offer a few greatly be- 

 lated suggestions apropos of Professor Hodge's article in the 

 September, 1908 number of the Review and Professor Ganong's 

 in the November number? 



It has for a good while been evident that in the work of gram- 

 mar and secondary schools there is a decided trend towards 

 emphasizing the practical or economic side of most biological 

 subjects. Comparing most school "physiologies" of today with 

 those of a decade or two ago, the amount of bone-counting and of 

 memorizing of physiological constants is considerably less and the 

 amount of matter relating to personal, domestic and civic 

 hygiene is notably greater in the recent text-books. In zoologies 

 there has come about a similar, though less marked change. In 

 botanies, too, much space is now often given to many kinds of 

 economic topics, ranging all the way from the rudiments of 

 agriculture to the discrimination of edible fungi. One of our 

 leading botanists lays it down as a principle that plant anatomy 

 and physiology should be discussed in secondary school text- 

 books mainly with reference to the structure and functions of 

 familiar plants of the farm and garden. 



Before saying anything in praise or blame of this economic 

 direction given to biology teaching one must first decide what is 

 the object of the teaching. I heartily agree with Professor 

 Ganong that both the information and the training to be derived 

 from the well directed study of zoology and botany are exceed- 

 ingly valuable and that both subjects must be studied in a broad 

 and culturing way. As regards the study of the human animal 



