362 
NATURE 

[ Sept. 7, 1871 

by the Government, this important scheme for raising the 
character of science teaching in the various schools and 
classes at present in relation with South Kensington is 
due. It had long been felt by those who annually exa- 
mined teachers and pupils for certificates in various 
branches of science, under the Science and Art Depart- 
ment, that the candidates displayed a sad want of prac- 
tical acquaintance with the subjects in which they pre- 
sented themselves for examination; many showed 
considerable ability and great book knowledge, but a 
knowledge of the things themselves with which science 
deals, a proof of personal intercourse with Nature, which 
after all is the only foundation of scientific knowledge, 
and without which’ all the ’ologies are so much book- 
wormery, was to a very great extent wanting. Underthe 
existing state of things it seemed almost impossible to get 
out of this vicious condition, for the scholars who were in 
their turn destined to become teachers were for the most 
part taught by men who were deficient in practical know- 
ledge; and with the increasing demand for science teaching 
there appeared to be a probability of the evil being in- 
creased by the rapid accession of these book-taught 
students to the position of instructors. The only way to 
meet this difficulty was to find teachers who had the 
requisite familiarity with “the solid ground of Nature,” 
and set them to work to leaven the mass. The readiest 
means of doing this was undoubtedly that adopted by 
the authorities—namely, to summon to a central class 
the ablest of the teachers at present distributed through- 
out the kingdom, and to impart to them as much practical 
acquaintance and personal familiarity with the ¢izmgs of 
which they had read in books, as was possible in a given 
time. By annual repetition of this plan there can be little 
doubt that the body of science teachers throughout the 
country would be materially affected. Being already ac- 
quainted with the outlines and much of the detail of their 
subjects by hearsay, they would readily understand and 
appreciate the facts and methods of investigating facts 
placed before them, and after passing through such a 
course of instruction would be prepared to proceed further 
in the same direction by their own individual efforts, and 
what is more important, to teach, not at second-hand, but 
from experience, not as fluent repeating machines, but as 
thoughtiul students of phenomena. 
Thirty-nine students, of whom one was a lady, attended 
the course of instruction in the principles of Biology, their 
expenses (involved in coming to London) being defrayed 
by the Government. The course occupied six weeks ; 
the students attended every day, with the exception of 
Sundays, from ten inthe morning until half-past four in 
the afternoon (Saturdays until two). Each morning at 
ten o’clock a lecture, occupying from an hour to an hour 
and a half, was given by Prof. Huxley, and the remainder 
of the day was employed in dissection, microscopic work, 
and demonstrations, in carrying out which Prof. Huxley 
was assisted by Prof. Michael Foster, Prof. Rutherford, and 
Mr. Ray Lankester. The students were placed in pairs at 
large working tables, and each table was provided with a 
microscope (with inch and one-eighth inch objectives, and 
two eye-pieces furnished with micrometric square-ruling), 
with four scalpels, two pairs of scissors, two pairs of 
forceps, pins, thread, dissecting needles, watch-glasses, 
beakers, pie-dishes, glass tubing, and camel’s-hair brush. 
The practical instruction proceeded par? passu with the 
lectures, the students at once taking their places at the 
tables after the lecture, and setting to work at materials 
provided for them to dissect or examine with the micro- 
scope in illustration of, or rather as the sequel to, the 
lecture which they had just heard. Each student was re- 
quired to send in full reports and drawings as the result of 
his day’s work, many of which proved very excellent ; an 
abstract of the lecture was also given in by each student, 
with the report of his practical work, and the lot were 
returned at the end of the course (after due examination 


by the lecturers) to the students for their future reference. 
Two prizes—which were two microscopes similar to those 
used by the members of the class, and provided like 
them with inch and one-eighth inch objectives—were 
offered to the students who should be considered to have 
done best during the course, especial weight being given 
to excellence in the practical work, as judged both by ob- 
servation of the student when at work, and by the reports 
sent in. The names of the students were placed in two 
classes of merit at the termination of the course, arranged 
in alphabetical order. 
Now as to the subjects which were gone over in the 
time, which, though limited to six weeks, yet, by dint of 
hard work, was made to take in more than many a six 
months’ course. The yeast plant occupied the first lec- 
ture, and each student was provided with some yeast, 
which was carefully examined and drawn under the 
microscope. Each student sowed some in Pasteur’s solu- 
tion which he had himself prepared, and on the following 
day studied its germination. In like manner the Peni- 
cillium mould was studied, sections being cut through the 
crusts, and careful drawings made of mycelium, hyphe, 
conidia, &c. The latter were sown, and their develop- 
ment accurately observed and drawn by each student. A 
solution of hay was given to each, and the formation of 
a Bacterium film was studied, the form and movements of 
Bacteria were compared with the Brownian movements 
of gamboge rubbed up in water. The structure of the 
higher Fungi was then studied in specimens of a common 
toad-stool, and thus a general notion of the morphology 
and life-history of the Fungiwas obtained. Protococcus 
in its various stages, Palmella, and Volvox next formed 
the subjects of lectures and practical work, and from 
these simpler forms the students passed on to Spirogyra 
and Chara. In Chara the advance in cellular differentia- 
tion was noted by each student on specimens supplied to 
him, and the male and female reproductive bodies 
examined in detail, and the Antherozooids were obtained 
in active movement. ‘The phenomenon of cyclosis was 
also very carefully gone over, each student comparing 
that of Chara with that seen in Valisneria, and in the 
hair of the nettle and of Tradescantia ; drawings and 
descriptions being made and the specimens prepared 
by every student for himself. During this time a cer- 
tain amount of familiarity had been obtained by all 
with the use of the microscope—not half a dozen of 
the class, be it remembered, having previously ever 
used the instrument at all, still fewer one of adequate 
power—and as well as the instrument itself, the use of 
various reagents had been learnt, such as iodine-solution 
for demonstrating starch, and for delineating protoplasm, 
acetic acid, magenta-solution, &c. From Chara the class 
proceeded to the study of the Fern—the sori and sporangia 
were examined in the first place, and the general form of 
the fern-frond; then each student was provided with spores 
which had been previously allowed to germinate, of two 
stages of development, the one set with the quite young pro- 
embryo-like prothallium,the other more advanced exhibiting 
numerous archegonia and pistillidia, the structure of all of 
which were examined and drawn; and in many cases active 
antherozooids were obtained, ‘The structure of the fern 
stem followed, exhibiting typical scalariform, dotted and 
spiral ducts, and other forms of tissue ; also the leaf of 
sphagnum ; the methods of recognising starch and cellu- 
lose being here again used. From the fern the class 
passed on to the study of a bean plant as typical of a 
phanerogam. Its general morphology, the microscopic 
structure of its tissues, the minute structure of the flower 
and the histology of the essential reproductive organs 
were examined during three consecutive days, and finally 
the development of the seed and the growth of the young 
bean plant were studied.’ 
In this work each student used a razor for making sec- 
tions of the parts to be studied, and portions of turnip 

