which we have referred, says, speaking of the pupil : " Let 

 him know a thing because he has found it out for himself, and 

 not because you have told him of it. Let him not learn science 

 but discover it for himself. If once you substitute authority 

 for reason, he will not reason any more ; he will only be the 

 sport of other people's opinions." There is sound sense here, 

 but the idea may be pushed too far, as in saying with reference 

 to the facts of physics : " I would not have my pupil study 

 them in a laboratory of experimental physics. I dislike that 

 array of machines and instruments. The parade of science is 

 fatal to science itself. There are many excellent labor-saving 

 methods of studying science, but we are in sore need of one to 

 teach us how to learn them with more effort of our own. So 

 many instruments are invented to aid us in our experiments, 

 and to supplement the action of our senses, that we neglect to 

 use the senses themselves. If we surround ourselves with in- 

 struments, we shall no longer find them within ourselves." 

 These are, of course, extreme views. There is truth here, but 

 his condemnation of methods which may be abused, is much 

 too general and sweeping. However desirable it may be to cul- 

 tivate the habit of close observation, experiment with self-de- 

 vised apparatus, and deduction of principles from self-discover- 

 ed facts, and no one can for a moment doubt the necessity for 

 training of this sort, yet a pupil restricted to this kind of per- 

 sonal investigation would make but slow progress, and unless 

 possessed of more than ordinary ability, scarce any progress at 

 all. We must accept much on authority, at least, in certain 

 departments of learning this can safely be done, and unless 

 we make free use of the facts discovered by others, our advance 

 will indeed be small. In many subjects of study the real work 

 begins at the point where others have left off, and the student 

 must as speedily as possible acquaint himself with all that has 

 been learned in his particular department, and make use of 

 every means within his reach to acquire this knowledge as 

 speedily and as easily as possible. Hence the value of the li- 

 braries, collections, and mechanical equipment of our higher in- 

 stitutions, is inestimable, and laboratory instruction in all de- 

 partments of science is to-day regarded as absolutely essential 

 in our courses of instruction. Says a recent author, speaking 

 of the intellectual methods of science, and what is said applies 

 with equal force to instruments of research, " Scientific meth- 



