568 



NATURE 



[October 6, 1904 



Molloy's question, as to the advisability of limiting the pre- 

 liminary science course to those who do not take the 

 classical, by affirming that all boys and girls should take 

 a science course of some kind at some period of their school 

 life. Sir Philip Magnus insisted that science is not an 

 "extra," but a necessary part of the curriculum (not for 

 the whole time of all pupils). Inspection should precede 

 examination — it is unnecessary to examine junior pupils. 

 Mr. George Fletcher, speaking as an inspector, stated that 

 other subjects of the curriculum have not suffered by the 

 introduction of science into Irish schools. Their un- 

 paralleled progress was made possible by the voluntary 

 sacrifice of their holidays by the teachers. Prof. Armstrong 

 regretted that the courses of demonstrations, which had 

 been instituted by the London School Board and had proved 

 so valuable a help to science teachers, had been discontinued. 



A paper which has attracted a widespread interest was that 

 by Dr. J. de Korosy, director of municipal statistics at 

 Budapest, entitled "Comparison of the Intellectual ■ Power 

 .of the Two Sexes." The author had received reports since 

 1873 of 800,000 individual children. One method of testing 

 applied was to take the percentage of children who had to 

 repeat the year's work instead of passing' on to the next 

 standard. In the elementary schools the figures were all 

 in favour of the girls, the two sexes being nearly level at 

 first, but the advantage of the girls increasing with age. 

 This result is more marked in the higher elementary or 

 " citizen " schools (age ten to sixteen), but in this case the 

 boys are drawn from a class less gifted than ordinary, while 

 the opposite holds for girls. 



Another test was the frequency of " very good" and 

 " good " marks in the fourth standard. These best marks 

 were obtained in arithmetic by io-8 per cent, of boys and 

 by 35-3 per cent, of girls, k truly surprising result ! 

 Several subsequent speakers admitted the superiority of 

 girls at school and college, but contended that there it ended, 

 but few women being eminent in learned professions, and 

 the majority falling behind men when it came to the 

 " struggle for existence." Dr. Beverley, of Norwich, 

 . differed from this view, arguing that women needed only 

 equality of opportunity. 



Mr. J. H. Leonard read a short paper on specialisation 

 in science teaching in secondary schools. The contention 

 was that the efficiency of science teaching in schools is itself 

 threatened with a particular kind of specialism, e.g. 

 objection was taken to the performance of titrations before 

 sufficient progress has been made in elementary chemistry. 

 The effect of according undue prominence to one study is 

 that the school time is not fairly allotted — e.g. botany and 

 physiography are often omitted — while the scholars are 

 wearied instead of being interested. LTnfortunately there 

 was no time for discussion of Mr. Leonard's views. 



Lieut. -Colonel McKinlay gave a description of his method 

 of "realistic arithmetic." The "appeal to the eye" is 

 thoroughly effective. The apparatus has been used in 

 schools with favourable results. 



School Certificates. 

 The main feature on the morning of August 19 was the 

 discussion on school-leaving certificates. Prof. Armstrong 

 led off by reading a " Report of the Committee on the 

 Influence of E.xaminations." He explained that the question 

 of examinations had entered upon a new phase by the 

 issue, on July 12, by the Board of Education, Whitehall, 

 of suggestions for a system of school certificates submitted 

 by the consultative committee to the board. The committee 

 was not in a position, therefore, to publish a report in the 

 true sense of the word, but was presenting a compendium 

 including the proposals of the consultative committee, notes 

 on the Scotch leaving certificate, the London University 

 scheme, and extracts from the Mosely Commission Report 

 referring to the American accrediting system. Dr. Gray 

 (Bradfield College) read a paper, communicated by Canon 

 Bell, narrating the origin of the proposals of the con- 

 sultative committee. .iXttention was directed to the vexatious 

 multiplicity of examinations, no fewer than 64 in the United 

 Kingdom and 140 in the Empire being accepted as qualify- 

 ing for entrance into one or more professional courses. 



Sir .\rthur Riicker said the position was complicated by 

 the fact that Oxford, Cambridge, and London LIniversities 

 have already carried out something in the nature of school- 



NO.. 1823, vol. 70] 



leaving e.\aniinations. The consultative committee had 

 left the financial question out altogether. There had been 

 no opportunity for the universities to consider the schen.e 

 of the consultative committee, but he, personally, was in 

 favour of its general principles. Mr. Ernest Gray, M.P., 

 regretted that the antiquated procedure of the British 

 .Association had left those attending this section in the dark 

 as to the subjects to be brought forward until the meeting 

 actually comTiienced. He thought that the scheme would 

 revolutionise secondary schools, by enlarging the staff and 

 increasing the length of school-life. The difficulties con- 

 nected with fees must be met from other sources. The pro- 

 posal was really a dual certificate, a junior and a senior ; 

 this principle was accepted by learned societies. A most 

 valuable feature was the active share which the teachers are 

 to take in the examination of their school ; he thought that 

 English teachers should be prepared to take the responsi- 

 bility of recommending pupils, as is done in France. Schools 

 should direct examinations, not vice versa. Local authori- 

 ties will insist on some form of examination, and will 

 probably wish to see local schools grouped round local 

 universities. 



The Rev. R. D. Swallow, on the other hand, regarded the 

 idea of encouraging local authorities to hold to local uni- 

 versities as most detrimental. Secondary schools of the 

 old-fashioned type would remain under the influence of the 

 old universities, but a new type was springing up which 

 the consultative committee had ignored, the higher 

 elementary school with the words higher elementary painted 

 out and secondary painted in. Dr. Mangold (Berlin) 

 sympathised with systems of examination in which the 

 teacher plays an essential part. Proved to be very satis- 

 factory in Germany, the plan of taking into account the 

 teacher's knowledge of the character and abilities of his 

 pupils should act well in this country. 



Principal Griffiths (Cardiff) referred to the experience of 

 the Central Welsh Board. There was a tendency for a 

 central board to become rigid, and he hoped that any such 

 board would perform advisory and inspective rather than 

 executive functions. We have to remove from local authori- 

 ties their distrust of teachers. The curious worship of 

 examination results by such authorities seemed to be a 

 growing evil. Sir Oliver Lodge stated that Birmingham 

 will put into action a scheme similar to that recommended 

 by what was, on the whole, the admirable report of the 

 consultative committee. Teachers should determine the 

 relative order of pupils ; the outside inspector should 

 standardise and not pretend to read all the papers. He 

 hoped universities would accept each other's certificates, and 

 that no vested interests would stand in the way of reform. 



Mr. Alderman Fordham (vice-chairman Cambs. County 

 Council) thought that the alleged distrust of teachers did 

 not, in reality, exist. It was recognised that the highest 

 respect must he paid to teachers of every grade as the vital 

 bases of every part of their work. He was in favour of the 

 Swiss system of public examination for all children, and 

 was dissatisfied with the existing mode of testing elementary 

 schools. Miss Cooper wanted varieties of examination, 

 equatable by their known equivalents. Mr. Oscar Brown- 

 ing thought that parents were insufficiently considered ; a 

 parent has a right to know whether his child has been taught 

 to a reasonable standard. Mr. Mollison (Clare College) 

 pointed out that America had a great advantage in freedom 

 from examinations, and urged that the establishment of 

 a fresh State board would be a disaster. Dr. Gray, as a 

 member of the Mosely Commission, feared that the absence 

 of a national desire for education made it necessary for us 

 to have something more than the accrediting system. Dr. 

 Roberts, Messrs. Flather, Fitzpatrick, and Cloudesley 

 Brereton also spoke. The chairman, summing up, ex- 

 pressed his conviction that we had little need to fear State 

 control, as we have inherited so long a struggle for freedom 

 that we are hardly likely to be tyrannised over. The con- 

 sultative committee had looked the finance difficulty in the 

 face — and passed on. 



National and Local Provision for the Training of 



Teachers. 



The discussion on this urgent problem opened on Monday, 



.August 22, with a paper contributed bv the Right Hon. 



Henry Hobhouse, M.P., the object of which was " to 



