March 14, 1895] 



NATURE 



467 



and occasional elementary statements of principles. It 

 is assumed that the student possesses some knowledge 

 of analytical geometry and of the calculus ; also that he 

 has completed a text-book and lecture course in the 

 principles of physics. Here we may at once join issue 

 with the authors. If, as is so frequently and indeed 

 almost always the case at present, the student come to 

 college knowing a good deal of mathematics and no 

 physics, the first assumption is a legitimate one, but it is 

 time that we began to insist that such educational 

 abortions should not be reared, and that girls and boys 

 be no longer allowed to grow up so ignorant that, 

 although they have learnt a good deal of mathematics, 

 they require to be told, when they come to college, how 

 to use squared paper, how to make simple experiments 

 illustrating the principle of the parallelogram of forces, 

 how to roughly determine density by weighing in water 

 and by means of a bottle — all of which, as well as a 

 number of other practical arithmetic exercises for chil- 

 dren, are included by Prof. Nichols in his first volume. 

 The incongruity is made still greater by the appearance 

 in the introduction, ten pages after the description of 

 the graphical method of representing results, of a some- 

 what elaborate discussion of " probable error" and the 

 application of the method of least squares. Surely, also, 

 no student nowadays should be allowed to complete a 

 text-book and lecture course before entering or practical 

 work — are we not seeking rather to invert this order.'' 

 Were it not that the editor tells us that it is not expected 

 that the experiments will be taken consecutively, the 

 book might be regarded as helping teachers in the 

 choice of a properly graduated course of experiments ; 

 and with this confession before one, it is impossible also 

 to take exception to the somewhat extraordinary classifi- 

 cation of the experiments — an instance of which is 

 afl'orded by placing an exercise on the measurement of 

 the curvature of a lens by means of the spherometer first 

 in the course, at p. 26, whilst the determination of rela- 

 tive density " roughly " by weighing in water is relegated 

 to chapter ii. p. 80. Some indication of the editor's 

 experience as to the order in which the experiments are 

 advantageously arranged in a junior course would have 

 been valuable, as even to meet the exigencies created by 

 the simultaneous presence of a large body of students, it is 

 scarcely desirable to take physical exercises in any order. 

 Again, we are told that no attempt has been made to 

 provide a complete and sufficient source of information 

 for laboratory students — on the contrary, it has been 

 thought wise to encourage continual reference to other 

 works and to original sources, so that it is impossible to 

 complain of the book on the score of the incompleteness 

 of many of its descriptions. 



The second volume is more interesting, logical and 

 original, and less fragmentary. It is intended for 

 students who have completed the "course" in vol. i. 

 and who are prepared to take up special work ; in it the 

 needs of those who are in training to become electrical 

 engineers have been specially considered- a sign of the 

 times — and it is for them especially that the parts treat- 

 ing of applied electricity, heat, and photometry have 

 been written. Parts i. and ii. occupy about half the 

 book, and comprise 53 direct and 64 alternate current 

 experiments, the intention clearly being to frame a sys- 

 tematic course suited to those who have gone through a 

 simple qualifying course in general physics. The in- 

 structions are very tersely worded, and but serve to give 

 general guidance — which is very desirable in the case of 

 students in whom it is desired to develop habits of inde- 

 pendence. Immediately after the electrical engineering 

 course, there is a very short section on electric-light 

 photometry. Following this comes the least satisfactory 

 section in the book, that on heat — dealing with the experi- 

 mental determination of specific heats, heat of combus- 



NO. 1324, VOL. 51] 



tion, vapour pressure, vapour density, heat of vapourisa- 

 tion, mechanical equivalent of heat, cubic expansion, 

 and measurement of temperature by means of thermo- 

 electric couples. Much of this might with advantage be 

 placed in the qualifying introductory course, and the 

 engineering student would gain little from the exercises 

 which do not properly find a place there. Moreover, this 

 section is grievously behind the times in many respects 

 — under vapour density, not only is the sole method de- 

 scribed "the classic one used by Dumas," but the pic- 

 ture is that which has figured in every text-book since 

 Dumas' description was published in 1826, showing a 

 stove which it would be impossible to find. Experiment 

 9 is headed, '• Use of the Favre and Silbermann water 

 calorimeter," an instrument which it is difficult to 

 imagine iniiseh-^ students. But Mr. Matthews, who is 

 responsible for this section, is clearly not a Rip 

 van Winkle, as he also describes the Bunsen ice 

 calorimeter and Berthelot's heat of vapourisation 

 apparatus. 



Part. iv. of the second volume comprises outlines of 

 advanced work in general physics, based chiefly on re- 

 searches done in the physical laboratories of Cornell 

 University, written for the use of students who have 

 completed the routine work, and desire to enter upon 

 original investigation. This section will scarcely be of 

 value to outsiders, as every competent head of a labora- 

 tory has problems enough awaiting solution, and a text- 

 book of research is scarcely a much-felt want. Excellent 

 advice is given at the outset of this section, and yet it is, 

 in part, of such a kind as to bring out only too clearly 

 how much we are behind in our conception of what is 

 right and proper in education. At this stage — the com- 

 mencement of original investigation — says Prof Nichols, 

 there is a critical point. Further success depends upon 

 several matters which have been necessarily somewhat 

 neglected during the earlier periods. In the first place, 

 the student must acquire independence and self-reliance ; 

 he himself must face the experimental difficulties of the 

 problem upon which he may be engaged, and must 

 overcome them by devices of his own. Surely, we ought 

 not to wait so long — the first essential in teaching scien- 

 tific method should be to develop habits of independence ; 

 and if from the outset we lead students, as far as pos- 

 sible, always to take up the attitude of the discoverer, 

 there should be no critical point in their career, but 

 they should insensibly escape from leading-strings and 

 walk alone. 



Being prepared specially for students at Cornell 

 University, the book will scarcely be used very widely, 

 and, indeed, is not suited for general use, I imagine ; yet 

 it appears to me to be of considerable interest to teachers, 

 as marking a distinct step forward in the evolution of 

 the text-book of the future. There can be little doubt 

 that those students, at all events, who have a technical 

 career in prospect, will be taught on lines such as are 

 indicated by the arrangement of the subject-matter 

 adopted by Prof. Nichols— that after going through a 

 qualifying introductory course, in which they gain a 

 general understanding of the main principles and of 

 method, they will devote their attention to the technical 

 study of whatever branch they may select. But it is to 

 be hoped that they will be so taught at school that the 

 introductory college course will not only be much 

 shorter than is at present necessary, but of a much 

 higher character ; and that, as I have said above, they 

 will be inquirers from the outset. 



To carry such a scheme as I contemplate in this 

 article into execution, however, teachers of all subjects 

 must be trained in the school of research: surely this is 

 the keynote of future progress in education, indeed of 

 our national progress. 



Henry E. Armstrong. 



