1360 LIFE : OUTLINES OF GENERAL BIOLOGY 



that greatest of Socrates' wise sayings (beyond even the psychologic 

 "Know Thyself"); "Labour, and make Music!" In short and simple, 

 here was the education of "the three H's"; by way of Heart, to Hand, 

 and thus to Head. This last — when not mistakenly taken first by 

 blundering mis-instructors and their "educational authorities" so- 

 called, and dulled by "the three R's" — in due season veritably 

 "explodes" — into real use of these too; as Montessori has so well shown. 

 So in the above case, one of the ten appointments mentioned seemed 

 beyond the reach of any youth, and especially one far more trained by 

 practical work than by reading — the direction of an important new 

 scientific Ubrary — and was thus naturally deprecated by parent and 

 teacher, on grounds of his inexperience and limitation. But the 

 responsible official replied — "Never fear: I can easily get my skilled 

 assistant-librarians; but the head I want is one who can more really 

 help the readers — like this young fellow, who knows the real things 

 that the books are about." 



So much then for regional and occupational education, starting 

 from their vital, their biotechnic side, and thus soon coming to true 

 technic skill, science, and even art; as too much so-called "technical 

 education" still fails to do, since still too mechanistic in method 

 and too simply pecuniary in aim. It is time for real "education for 

 life" — by the way of Life in Education. 



UNIVERSITIES IN PROGRESS.— Yet in any social period, and 

 perhaps particularly our own, it is only the very exceptional teacher, 

 parent, or child who can have much of his own way in education. 

 For that is everywhere regulated in the main by the predominant 

 social conditions and their authorities, temporal and spiritual, and 

 these in varying dominance or compromise; and so it is that educa- 

 tion has had as yet in the main to follow, far oftener than to lead. 

 For, as every teacher knows and feels, the conditions of the vState 

 especialh^ dominate him on one side, and those of the Universities 

 on the other; and these substantially combined into that vast and 

 elaborate institutional sieve-series of examinations, which holds 

 him and his pupils alike so firmly between its meshes, and forces 

 them on from one stage of instruction-drudgery to another. Yet 

 even in difficult times, pioneers have found openings for initiative 

 and impulse, as from Socrates to Rabelais, and again from Rousseau, 

 Pestalozzi and Froebel, to contemporary endeavours now rapidly 

 increasing over the world. 



So is it not plain that from kindergarten onwards, and from 

 university downwards, there are freshening signs of hope, and 

 encouragements to endeavour? Yet also that these now need to 

 meet and co-operate before much adequate and general progress can 

 be made, and this clearly presented to parents and public, and to 

 their State authorities in control? Here, then, instead of citing any 

 of the now many schools of good initiatives, let us look for examples 



