400 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. XX 



Huxley did not deliver a regular opening address 

 to the section on the Thursday, but on the Friday 

 made a speech, which was followed by a discussion 

 upon biology and its several branches, especially 

 morphology and its relation to physiology ("the 

 facts concerning form are questions of force, every 

 form is force visible.") He lamented that the sub- 

 divisions of the section had to meet separately as a 

 result of specialisation, the reason for which he found 

 in the want of proper scientific education in schools. 

 And this was the fault of the universities, for just as 

 in the story, " Stick won't beat dog, dog won't bite 

 pig, and so the old woman can't get home," science 

 would not be taught in the schools until it was recog- 

 nised by the universities. 



This prepared the way for Dean Farrar's paper on 

 science teaching in the public schools. His experience 

 as a master at Harrow made him strongly oppose the 

 existing plan of teaching all boys classical composition 

 whether they were suited for it or no. He wished 

 to exchange a great deal of Latin verse-making for 

 elementary science. 



This paper was doubly interesting to Huxley, as 

 coming from a classical master in a public school, 

 and he remarked, " He felt sure that at the present 

 time, the important question for England was not the 

 duration of her coal, but the due comprehension of 

 the truths of science, and the labours of her scientific 

 men." 



On the practical side, however, Mr. J. Payne said 



