May 30, 1895] 



NATURE 



105 



follow tliat condition A, bein;; now satisfied, will continue to be 

 satisfied for all time ? 



If the answer be Yes, then of course , will continue to be 



negative, until at length H reaches its niinimuni, and the system 

 attains to perfection in the form of the Maxwell-Boltzmann law. 

 If that is necessarily the future of our system, then, as Dr. 

 Watson says, the Maxwell-Boltzmann law is not only a sufficient, 

 but a necessary condition for permanence. 



I am not aware, however, that this doctrine of (so to speak) 

 final ])erseverance has ever been proved to be true. I do not 

 think it can be regarded as axiomatic. 



It seems to me that if we are to make our finite system reach 

 perfection with any certainty, we must resort to the principle to 

 which I apjiealed in my first letter on this subject — that every 

 material system is constantly receiving disturbances from 

 without, the effect of which is to keep condition A in working 



order, and so to make generally negative. Otherwise we 



must regard our system as only part of an infinitely extended 

 system, the parts of which, when not too distant, mutually 

 influence each other. S. H. Bt;RBfRY. 



Research in Education. 



Ir is quite unnecessary tor -Nlr. U. S. T. Grant to suffer 

 " dialectic aiuiihilation " (see p. 5) in order to discover Prof. 

 .\rmstrong's definite scheme of scientific education, inasmuch 

 as in 1889-90 such a scheme was published by a Committee of 

 Ihe British Association, of which Dr. Armstrong was an active 

 member. 



As I believe many schools are still waiting for evidence as to the 

 practicaljilily of the scheme before adopting it, I venture to quote 

 my own experience. I have been engaged for some time in prac- 

 tically a|)plying this method to the teaching of girls of various 

 ages, and am in a position to state that the scheme is perfectly 

 workable. 



It is not, of course, suggested that students should find out 

 every known fact in chemistry or physics by a process of personal 

 research — life is not long enough ; but, if their early training be 

 on the-e lines, they are in a much better position later on to 

 accept, or if necessary reject, the work of others. A scientific 

 method of thinking is of far more value than an accumulation of 

 facts, and so it is extremely important that children should begin 

 Ihis kind of work before their logical perceptions have become 

 obliterated by a continued application to irregular verbs. The 

 problems set to young children are naturally of a very simple 

 nature, ami I do not leave the girls to themselves to " struggle 

 to the truth by a process of trial and error." I state the problem 

 to the class, and I usually find the girls have plenty ot suggestions 

 to ofl'er as to its solution ; these suggestions I criticise, .and as soon 

 as a practicable method has been found, the girls work it out for 

 themselves. The early problems involve measurements of length, 

 area, volume, and weight, an<l naturally the use of each new in- 

 strument is explained and illustrated. Simple physical problems 

 follow these, such as experiments on relative density, and thus 

 children are led to realise anil appreciate the common properties 

 of matter, .\fter this training they are nuijh more ready to solve 

 elementary chemical problems. Certainly they could never work 

 long enough to discover Dalton's laws for themselves, but they 

 can quite appreciate classical experiments, and see how theory 

 su[)plies an explanation of the facts. I am quite aware that if 

 children are to work in this way they cannot be expected to sit 

 .still in their places with the loi)k of passive receptivity on their 

 faces, which is conventionally regarded as the proper appearance 

 of well-disciplined scholars. They must move about, and should 

 l)e encour.aged to talk to each other about their work. I am 

 convinced that a class of about eighteen is quite large enough if 

 sound work is to he done ; and if at any time their excitement 

 becomes noisy, I find that a threat of numerical problems is 

 <iuite sufficient to make them continue their ])ractical work more 

 peacefully. 



It seems to me that physiology and hygiene, as usually taught 

 ill girls' schools, are absolutely pernicious and unscientific. 

 Cirls learn a list of the circulatory organs as they do the kings 

 of Knglaixl, and with less advantage. It would he considered 

 criminal in them to d.)ubt any of the facts in their books, 

 although many are wrong, and yet, I take it, scientific training 

 misses a great point if it does not engender a wholesome spirit of 

 <loubt. But the worst feature of all is the way in which girls are 



NO. 1335, VOL. 52] 



taught certain things in iheory of the meaning of which they have 

 not the faintest notion. They can tell one that water is H. 0,but the 

 real significance of the symbol is perfectly unknown to them, and 

 of course they are not able to understand it without some chemical 

 training, in spite of the fact that some schools consider themselves 

 very advanced and practical if the lessons are emphasised by the 

 burning of hydrogen and the manufacture of oxygen. Numberless 

 examjiles kA similarly useless facts could be <juoted, which are 

 Icamt under the name of hygiene — teachers, parents, and girls 

 vainly believing that this is science. But all these facts are for- 

 gotten as soon as some examination is ])assed, and nothing is 

 left behind ; whereas a logical system of scientific training pro- 

 duces an effect on the mind which it is imjiossible to overrate. 

 Surely the aim of education should be to produce not people who 

 are full of facts, but those who can nu\ke the best use of the brains 

 they possess, who are clear-headeil, and able both to perceive 

 and take advantage of opportunities that may be afforded them. 

 Central Foundation School for L. Edna Walter. 



Girls, London. 



The Bibliography of Spectroscopy. 



It will be within the recollection of many of your readers that, 

 in the year 1879, a committee was appointed by the British 

 Association to report on the state of our knowledge of spectrum 

 analysis, and I was asked to undertake the preparation of a 

 bibliography of spectroscopy from the year 1870. It was not 

 thought necessary to begin at an earlier date, for a bibliography 

 of the subject is to be found in Roscoe's " Spectrum Analysis." 

 With the help of several members of the committee, lists of 

 spectroscopic papers were prepared, and appeared in the British 

 .Association Reports for 1881, 1884, and 1889. In that year Mr. 

 H. J. Madan kindly consented to join the committee, and as he 

 was then resident in Oxford he was able to afford valuable 

 assistance in checking the references, and the section of the list 

 that was published last year is almost entirely his work, as I had 

 found it impossible to spare the time to go to London to look up 

 the references in the libraries. Mr. Madan is now living in 

 Gloucester, and therefore out of reach of scientific libraries; he 

 has, notwithstanding, shown his interest in the subject by making 

 frequent visits to Oxford and London to continue the work. He 

 finds, however, that the work is hardly practicable for one so far 

 removed from the great centres ; and my object in writing this 

 letter is to ask if any one will volunteer to relieve him from this 

 duty — that is, on the supposition that the list is of real use to 

 workers on spectroscopic subjects. Many of the readers of 

 NatI're will be able to give valuable opinions on this matter, 

 and probably to suggest improvements in the manner in which 

 the list is drawn up. 



It has lieen suggested that the four sections of the list should 

 be rearranged and published as one continuous catalogue. The 

 advantages of this for the purpose of reference are obvious ; but 

 from an estimate obtained last year, the cost of printing would 

 not be less than ^100. Dr. Tuckermann also very kindly pro- 

 posed that the "Bibliography of Spectroscopy " drawn up by 

 him and published by the Smithsonian Institution in 1888. should 

 be incorporated with the British Association lists ; this would 

 very materially increase the expenditure. 



Mr. .Madan is quite willing to undertake gratuitously the 

 literary work involved in the collection and rearrangement of the 

 various sections. But the expense of publication is so great that 

 the British Association can hardly be expected to bear the whole 

 of it, although it is quite likely that a liberal grant might be 

 made. I'robably also grants might be obtained from other 

 societies interested in the work, if it appears that the catalogue 

 would be of special utility to those engaged in research. The 

 balance might be met by a moderate charge for each copy sold. 



Cooper's Hill, May 15. Hekhkri McI.kod. 



An Aquatic Hymenopterous Insect. 



No doubt many of your readers are aware that, in 1863, Sir 

 John Lubbock gave an account of an extraordinary hymenop- 

 terous insect which he had observed swimming in a basin of 

 water taken from a pond at Chislehurst. Another observer (.Mr. 

 Duchess, of Stepney) had also found a single specimen about 

 the same time; then, in l88i, Mr. Bostock found one in some 

 pond water at Stone, Staffordshire, since which time it .does not 

 a|ipear to have been recorded by any one. I have searched 

 many ponds for it year after year, but without success. 



On Saturday, May 4, the Queketl MicroscoiijcalClub held one 



