THE CLIMATE OF AUSTRALASIA 



first examination that last relic of the claim 

 that some knowledge of Greek is indispensable 

 to culture cannot last much longer ; and it 

 need not in the seat of learning where the 

 renewed activity in classical research has 

 re-discovered for us the revenue laws of 

 Ptolemy, and has revealed to us further 

 sayings of Christ. 



The old controversy is closed. With the 

 new century, the centre of educational conflict 

 is changing, and there are signs of a new strife, 

 which has some analogies with that of the last 

 century. 



With the vast growth of the extent of science, 

 no student can keep in touch with it all. 

 Decade after decade the sciences are being 

 further divided and subdivided, and the minor 

 divisions of a subject to-day have a greater 

 literature than the parent science had a century 

 ago. 



Men engaged in scientific research are not 

 expected to know more of other sciences than 

 is necessary for the efficient pursuit of their 

 own. But our students still have to spread 

 themselves over many subjects, although all of 

 them are ever widening in their range, and 

 ever increasing in the refinement and complexity 

 of their methods. The time is approaching 

 when a change in scientific education will be 

 necessary to secure some limitation to its range. 



The problem that is now pressing upon us, 

 is the selection of the subjects which are of the 



