^82 



NATURE 



[January 23, 19 r 



F. Schlesinger, Allegheny Observatory, Allegheny, 

 Pa. ; Section B, A. D. Cole, Ohio State University, 

 Columbus, Ohio; Section C, A. A. Noyes, Massachu-- 

 selts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. ; Section 

 D, O. P. Hood, U.S. Bureau of iVlines, Washington, 



.('. ; Section E, ]. S. Diller, U.S. Geological Survey, 

 \\ashington, D.C. ; Section F, A. G. Mayer, Carnegie 

 Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C. ; Sec- 

 tion G, H. C. Cowles, University of Chicago, 

 Chicago, Illinois ; Section H, W. B. Pillsbury, Univer- 

 sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Section I (no 

 election) ; Section K (no election) ; Section L, P. P. 

 Claxton, U.S. Commissioner of Education, Washing- 

 ton, D.C. General secretary, H. W. Springsteen, 

 Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; secre- 

 tar'- of the council, W. A. Worsham, jun.. University 

 of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. 



The following are the new secretaries of the sections 

 elected for five-year terms : — Section A, F. R. Moul- 

 lon, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Section 

 .')'. \V. J. Humphreys, Weather Bureau, U.S. Depart- 

 ment of .Agriculture, Washington, D.C. ; Section C 

 (no election) ; Section D, A. H. Blanchard, Columbia 

 University, New York, N.Y. ; Section E. G. F. Kay, 

 Iowa State University, Iowa City, Iowa ; Section F, 

 H. V. Neal, Knox College, Galesbury, Illinois; Section 



G, W. J. V. Osterhout, Harvard University, Cam- 

 bridge, Mass. ; Section H, G. G. MacCurdy, Yale 

 University, New Haven, Conn. ; Section I,' S. C. 

 Loomis, New Haven, Conn.; Section K (no election); 

 Section L, S. A. Courtis, Home and Day School, 

 Detroit, Michigan. 



SCIENCE AT RECENT EDUCATIONAL 



CONFERENCES. 

 'T'WENTY conferences were held in London during 

 -•■ the first fortnight of this month, but we need 

 only refer to the proceedings of the Public School 

 Science-masters, the Teachers' Guild, the Assistant- 

 mistresses, the Domestic Science Teachers, and the 

 London County Council Conference of Teachers. It 

 is true that the Headmasters' Conference met in 

 December; but it is a remarkable fact that although 

 individually the members are men of great force 

 directed with earnestness, the vectorial addition of 

 their forces when combined in conference yields a 

 resultant which tends to zero. As their proceedings 

 have no direct bearing upon science teaching, no 

 further reference need be made to them here. 



The usual meetings of the .Association of Public 

 School Science-masters (A.P.S.S.M.) were held at the 

 London Day Training College, and were preluded by 

 four lectures given by Dr. T. P. Nunn on the theory 

 of science teaching, with special reference to the con- 

 ditions in boys' schools. Dr. Nunn held that the 

 aim of science teaching was to take the pupil along 

 one_ of the main roads of human progress. The dis- 

 ciplinary value of science teaching was that they were 

 treading the pathways of great minds, the fiinction 

 of the school being to bring the pupil into sympathetic 

 relation with the character'of human effort.' He went 

 on to deal with the characteristics of scientific method 

 at different stages of its development ; with the nature 

 of indiiction and deduction, postulate, hypothesis, law 

 and principle. The correlation of science with mathe- 

 matics and other branches of the school curriculum 

 was illustrated by applying the principles advocated 

 to particular topics, and the skill and ingenuity of the 

 applications were warmly applauded by an audience 

 composed of experienced science-masters. 



The main meeting opened with a presidential 

 address by Sir Archibald Geikie, Pres.R.S., who gave 

 NO. 2256, VOL. 90] 



a retrospect based on his personal observation of the 

 progress of science in public schools during the last 

 sixty years. An abridgment of the address was pub- 

 lished in Nature of January i6. 



The first afternoon was devoted to the discussion of 

 the aims and uses of school science societies, and the 

 topics were assigned to opening speakers, who gave 

 in each case a very useful account of the practical 

 management on which success largely depends. 

 General principles and methods were discussed, and 

 ne.xt the subjects of field work in zoology and geology. 

 The possibilities of a school astronomical society were 

 brought forward by Mr. G. Hewlett (Rugby), and 

 the Dulwich College Photographic Society was de- 

 scribed with reference to details of organisation. It 

 is a striking indication of the spirit animating mem- 

 bers of the .-\.P.S.S.M. that no mention was made 

 of the large amount of voluntary work which these 

 societies place on the shoulders of the busy science- 

 master ; this voluntary burden is accepted as a matter 

 of course, and nothing said. One who is merely an 

 onlooker may direct attention to this spirit. 



The discussion on practical examinations in science 

 was unsatisfying. Mr. Berridge made some good 

 points in his censure of the weaknesses of examiners ; 

 but the objections to abolishing practical examinations of 

 matriculation (or lower) standard lacked a spokesman. 

 Probably some profit would accrue to the crammer — 

 at the expense of the schools. Mr. Berridge's sugges- 

 tion that "a certificate from some responsible person, 

 stating that a given number of hours have been spent 

 in practical work, should be exacted from all candi- 

 dates before they are allowed to sit for a paper in 

 science," may be intended as a safeguard, but its 

 operation is uncertain. It would be much easier for 

 examining authorities merely to drop practical exam- 

 inations, and there is a danger that this may be done 

 without requiring Mr. Berridge's certificate. No 

 resolution was put before the meeting, and the time 

 for discussion was too short. 



Valuable papers were submitted on the teaching of 

 mechanics bv Mr. A. W. Siddons (Harrow), Mr. C. E. 

 Ashford (Dartmouth), and Mr. W. J. Dobbs. All 

 advocated procedure from experiment and intuition to 

 theory of increasing rigour ; from concrete to abstract. 

 The outcome of the discussions during recent years at 

 the A.P.S.S.M. and the Mathematical Association will 

 be, we hope, that the experimental and logical treat- 

 ment will be unified. Formerly boys learnt 

 "mechanics" in the mathematical class-room under 

 one teacher, and another subject, also called 

 "mechanics," in the physical laboratory, without cor- 

 relation. We have got as far as correlation, and are 

 now hoping for unity. Mr. G. F. Danicll urged that 

 the teaching of density should be put into the back- 

 ground, and that specific volume should be given 

 priority. He proposed the term " roomage " (already 

 used in the Navy) in place of specific volume. The 

 suggestions were favourably received. The value of 

 the historical sequence in teaching chemistry was 

 urged by the Rev. T. J. Kirkland. Mr. W. D. Eggar 

 drew an amusing sketch of the historical sequence 

 in electricity, but put in a strong plea for employing 

 the method in leading the student to understand the 

 work of Galileo, Paschal, and Newton. He claimed 

 that to trace the development of ideas which cul- 

 minated in Newton's discoveries was to open a new 

 vista in the intellectual outlook, and ought to form 

 part of any liberal education. 



The association continues to increase in member- 

 ship, and h.TS just originated a useful piece of work 

 bv publishing a selected list of science books suitable 

 for school libraries. There was the usual admirable 

 exhibition of apparatus, the influence of which extends 



