BIOLOGY IN ITS WIDER ASPECTS 1361 



of university progress, and it must be confessed these are as yet 

 hard to find. Here, however, is one pecuharly notable and promis- 

 ing — that arising from the formation of a "Curricuhim Committee" 

 by the students of a great American University a few years ago. 

 For students —in our day docile beyond all preceding ones to 

 teaching and examination — to form such a Committee at all, was 

 no small pioneering; for where in history, since the medieval origin 

 of our University system, shall we find the like before ? Their Report, 

 too, was well worth reading; and, briefly condensed, came to this: 



Cur elder authorities insist that we should begin our higher education 

 with the classic languages, literature and history: yet now some tell us 

 that after all, our own vernacular is the main thing; and yet others point 

 out that we also need modern languages. All very good; we admit the 

 arguments of each; yet next comes the mathematician, who assures 

 us, and with cogent argument, that it especially needs his training to 

 develop our minds. Behind him rises the logician, who offers us "the 

 Science of all sciences, the Art of all arts". All doubtless true; yet an 

 alarmingly vast programme: so more of us enter the simpler schools of 

 mechanics, physics and chemistry, which at once continue our school- 

 laboratory experiences and promise us industrial careers. Yet the 

 biologist asks us how we can afford to remain ignorant of life, in its 

 struggle and its evolution; while next the psychologist assures us his 

 is the booming American subject, since the study of mind is the essential 

 way to exercise one's own mind, and to reach those of others. No, it 

 is in my department you should begin, says the historian; and when 

 we ask him — well, what history? — he confidently replies — My period, 

 of course ! So too the economist calls us to the burning questions of our 

 present day — and when we ask him — what economic school and 

 system should we follow — individualistic, socialistic, or what? — he 

 confidently replies — You will naturally see the truth of mine! And so 

 on for yet other teaching and subjects — so thus we are but more and 

 more bewildered, and see nothing for it but to think over things afresh 

 for ourselves. With all respect to our teachers, we yet cannot but see 

 that they were educated in the past generation, and mostly offer us 

 what they then learned: whereas we are looking forward to life in the 

 opening generation; and so we feel we need to understand more of the 

 present to prepare for that. Looking about us then, we begin to realise 

 that we are all enveloped within an immense and complex web of 

 human inter-relations and affairs, called Civilisation. So we look round 

 for the professor of that, but cannot find him, to ask our (questions — 

 of what it is, and how it has arisen and developed until to-day— and 

 especially what is wrong with it, since it has so many evils, up to the 

 Great War, and to this present discouragement in after- War as well ? 

 Again, we see this vast labyrinth of Civilisation is after all included 

 within the vast Universe of Nature: so we look round again for a pro- 

 fessor of Nature, but cannot find him either. Disappointed as we 

 doubly are, we yet are clear that it is Nature and Civilisation, Civilisa- 

 tion and Nature, that we have to understand, and in which we must 

 seek and find our education. So, to make the best of it, we now and 



VOL. II SS 



