920 RELATIVE VALUE OF CLASSICAL AND SCIENTiriO TRAINING. 



institution by the Municli Professor. For Dr. Jaeg-er, the director 

 of this mixed school, who, as he had been refused a nomination 

 to another school, the Bielefeld Gymnasium, by the Education 

 Minister, on account of his politics, cannot be suspected of re- 

 actionary leanings, spoke to Mr. Arnold in the following sense 

 (see p. 221, I.e.): — 'It was the universal conviction with those 

 competent to form an opinion, that the Healschulen were not at 

 present successful institutions. He declared that the boys in the 

 corresponding forms of the classical school beat the Realschule boys 

 in matters which both do alike, such as history, geography, the 

 mother tongue, and even French, though to French the Realschule 

 boys devote far more time than their comrades of the classical 

 school. The reason for this, Dr. Jaeger affirms, is that the classical 

 training strengthens a boy's mind so much more. This is what, as 

 I have already said, the chief school authorities everywhere in 

 France and Germany testify. In Switzerland you do not hear the 

 same story.' 



With regard to Switzerland, we learn from the Owens College 

 Report, above mentioned, that Professor Zellner, of the Polytechnic 

 School at Zurich, holds that the establishment of ' Real Gymnasia,' 

 or High Schools of Science, to take equal rank with the old 

 classical Gymnasia, and to put pure and applied science on the 

 same footing for educational purposes as that which the classics 

 enjoy in these schools, is a desirable thing, but that he allows that 

 by the introduction of a 'bifurcation' system into the older schools, 

 they migtt be made equal to meeting all modern requirements. 

 Helmholtz, on the other hand, may in the same report be found 

 pleading strongly for ' the foundation on equal terms of complete 

 academic institutions for science ^ as a ' counteraction of the tendency 

 of classical men to lean on authority alone.' 



' Philological culture,' says the eminent physiologist of Heidel- 

 berg, ' has an ill effect on those who are to devote themselves to 

 science ; the philologist is too much dependent on authority and 

 books, he cannot observe for himself, or rely upon his own con- 

 clusions, and having only been accustomed to consider the laws of 

 grammar, all of which have their exceptions, he cannot understand 

 the invariable character of physical laws.' Granting with all respect 

 the premises laid down by Professor Helmholtz, we should demur 

 to the conclusion which he would base upon them, and profess our- 



