Corratpomlence with Aljthouse de Candolle 



166 



The last chapter in (lalton's Ixxik deals with education and endeavours 

 from the replies of iiis coirespondents to construct a scheme which wouhJ 

 have favoured scientific development. 



"As n';{nr(Is the |ir<'cis<r Hul)j(<cts for rifjonm.s iiiMtructioii, the t'ollnwin;; s«mmii to nic in itrict 

 acconlii.ni'('. with wlml would Imvc Ik'sI picnHod tliosi- of the scictitific men, wlio hnvi> wiif m«> 

 returns: - I. Matht'niaticH |inMhc<l oh fur iis the ciijMicity of the h'urner nilniitN, und i' <i<«t 



utiliwd lis fur iis poHsihle for interest inj{ ends and pnii-tieiil a|>|iiicutioM. '.'. !,•■: ilm 



jKrounds iilrejuly stilted, Imt on tlio.se only). ■'<. Ol>s<>rviition, theory and ex|MTiinent, in at leiuit 

 one branoh of Hcience; some Iniys taking one hraneli and some anotlier, to ensun) variety of 

 int<Tests in the seliool. \. Accurate drawing; of obji'cts conneeted with the branch of science 

 pursued'. 5. Mechanical manipulation, for the reasons alreiuly given, ami also hecauito me- 

 chanical skill is occusionally of great use to nenrly all scientific men in their investigations. 

 These five subjects must Ik; rU/oroiisI i/ taught. They are anything but an exct^ssive programme, 

 and there woidd remnin plenty of time for that variety of work which is so highly pri/e«l, lui — 

 ready access to iMMjks; much reading of intt^resting literature, history and p<K'try; languagos 

 learnt prolmbly Ir-sI during vacations, in the easiest and swiftest manner, with the .sole object 

 of enabling the Itiarners to read ordinary l>ooks in them. This set>ms sufficient, iH-cause my 

 returns show that men of science are not made by much teaching, but nither by awakening 

 their interests, eiicouniging their pursuits when at home, and leaving them to teach themselves 

 continuously throughout life. Much teaching tills a youth with knowle<lge, Imt t<'iids prema- 

 turely to satiate his apjietite for more. I am surprise<J at the metliocri- degrees which the 

 leading .scientific men who were at the universities have usually taken, always excepting the 

 niatheinaticians. Being original they are naturally less receptive; they prefer to fix of their 

 own accord on certain subjects, and seem averse to learn what is put before them as a task. 

 Their independence of spirit and coldness of disposition are not conducive to success in compe- 

 tition ; they doggedly go their own way and refuse to run races." (p 257.) 



It is in reafling sucli a statement that one realises how much Galton 

 gained by staiuliiig outside science as a profession, and one feels that science 

 as a pursuit must always stand higher than science as a profession. 



"If we class energy, int<»llect and the like, under the general name of ability, it follow* 

 that, other circumstances In-ing the same, thase able men who have vigour to spare for extra 

 professional pursuits, will U; mainly governed in the choice of them by the instinctive tiistes of 

 their manhood. The majority will address them.sclves to topics nearly connected with human 

 interests; a few only will turn to science. This tendency to almndon the colder attractions of 

 science for thi>ae of political and social life, must always be powerfully reinforce«l by the very 

 general inclination of women to exert their influence in the latter direction. Again those who 

 select some branch of scienct5 as a profession, must do so in spite of the fact that it is more 

 unreniunerative than any other pursuit. A great and salutary change has undoubt«<lly come 

 over the feeling of the nation since the time when the hvuling men of science were boys, for 

 education was at that time conducted in the interests of the clergy, an<i was strongly opposed 

 to science. It crusheil the inquiring spirit, the love of ol)8ervation, the pursuit of inductive 

 studies, the habit of independent thought, ami it protected classics and mathematics by giving 



them the nionop)ly of all prizes for intellectual work This gigantic monopoly is yielding, 



but obstinately and slowly, and it is unlikely that the friends of science will Iw able, for many 

 years to come, to relax their efforts in e<iucational reform". As regards the future provision 



' There is a passage bearing on drawing on p. 142 worth citing: "There is an exact parallel 

 between truthfulness of expression in sj)eech and that of delineation in drawing. In the earliest 

 sketch it is far better to Ix^ hard in outline than inaccurate. Sub.se<iucnt touching up can 

 smooth away the hardness; but there exists no proper material to work upon when there was 

 carelessness in the first design." 



' It is painful to read how little of their success many Victorian scientist's attribut«><l to 

 their eiiucation. Darwin's etiucation omittetl mathematics, modern languages ami all training 

 in habits of observation and reasoning. He considered that all he had learnt of any value had 



80—2 



