January 20, 19 10] 



NA TURE 



of science and mathematics in a balanced education. _ This 

 estimate of its duties appears to account for the limited 

 view which detracts from some portions of their work. 

 We recognise the right of the committee to formulate 

 opinions directly contravening the principles of Prof. Perry, 

 but it should be made clear that the committee has con- 

 sidered the methods advocated by men of no little e.xperience 

 and judgment with whom it disagrees. Again, there is a 

 half-heartedness in some of the proposals which suggests 

 that the committee has not yet advanced to the position 

 taken by leading writers more than twenty years ago. For 

 example, no reference whatever is made to graphs, and the 

 oflicial dictum of the Mathematical Association still stands 

 " that it is undesirable (at the preparatory stage) to lay 

 stress on the practical employment of graphs in solving 

 equations or other problems." [The italics are in the 

 original, vide Reports of the Committee of the M.A., 

 p. 29 of the 190S issue.] 



The discussion was preceded by an eloquent benedictory 

 address from Prof. Forsyth. He' quoted F'araday's advice 

 to Tyndall to work out 'any experimental result so far as 

 possi'ble, " so that the mathematicians may be able to take 

 it up." Much good would accrue to the training of school- 

 boys if scientific results could be so left that mathe- 

 maticians, everi%nathematical schoolboys, could " take them 

 up." Prof. Forsyth riso quoted from the regulations for 

 the Mathematical' Tripos to show that settled thought at 

 Cambridge is in harmony with the spirit which animated 

 the joint committee whose report was before the 

 meeting. He pleaded for patience in early years of 

 growth — " go gently, and you will go safely ; go safely, 

 and you will go far." It was plain from the speeches of 

 Mr. Godfrey and Mr. Jackson that the committee had 

 exercised much restraint, and that it had deliberately erred 

 on the side of caution in the changes which were 

 recommended. 



Sir J. J. Thomson said exactly what was wanted. He 

 amused the meeting bv his description of the student at 

 Cambridge who wanted a kind of physics that would not 

 give a headache to a caterpillar, and of the delight and sur- 

 prise of the mathematician at finding in the laboratory that 

 the formulae on which he had been working for many years 

 bore some approximation to truth. He hoped the effect of 

 the report would be to increase the belief of mathe- 

 maticians in applied mathematics. In schools, mathematics 

 and physics should go together almost from the beginning. 

 Ir was necessary to make men believe in their mathematics. 

 Was it necessary that mathematical masters .should teach 

 go little mathematics? 



We have dwelt upon some of the weak points because,^ in 

 our view, the present condition of mathematical teaching 

 in schools calls loudlv for reform, in which the Mathe- 

 matical Association should t.ake the lead. But it would be 

 utterly unfair and untrue to describe either the report or 

 the meeting as less than a success. Prof. Forsyth paid a 

 well-merited tribute to the committee for the^ careful 

 inquiries it had instituted and carried to completion, and 

 tor the practical character of its proposals. The meeting 

 was crowded, and there was no hint of opposition to the 

 work of correlation. The following resolution was passed 

 without dissent and with heartiness : — " That this meeting 

 is in sympathy with the attempt embodied in the present 

 report to correlate more closely the teaching of mathematics 

 and science." 



The principal feature of the Science Masters' meeting 

 was the president's address, entitled " The Future of 

 Science in our Schools — their Complete Re-organisation a 

 Necessity." Prof. .Armstrong said that the men most 

 competent to take charge of the schools in the future 

 would be the science masters, it being their business to 

 study method and to be practical, therefore to solve 

 problems and to lead. Referring to compulsory Greek, he 

 declared that Oxford insists upon lowering the moral tone 

 of entrants upon university life by enforcing a test which 

 is known to be farcical and futile, known to be one which 

 spoils young lives in preparatory schools ; and doctors of 

 divinity in charge of our schools smile blandly at such 

 proceedings. 



The teaching of science in our schools should consist 

 primarily of instruction in the art of inquiry. Our failure 

 to make science teaching effective is due to a misunder- 

 standing of what an experiment is. To speak of showing; 

 NO. 2099, VOL. 82] 



an experiment is a negation of terms — actually, a demon- 

 stration is given. Moreover, we begin too late ; the child s 

 desire to observe and experiment, to reason on the basis of 

 observations made and from the results of experimental 

 inquiry, must be fostered in every way. Mr. Lyttelton, 

 in "Schools and Schoolboys," proposes that there should 

 be no " science proper " in the earlier years of school life. 

 " My contention," said Prof. Armstrong, " is that there 

 should be little else than proper science ; but then my 

 definition of science is ' the business of knowing.' " 



In order to develop the right attitude of mind in our 

 pupils, we must despecialise our science teaching as well as 

 our curriculum as a whole. Work must begin with prac- 

 tical arithmetic, dealing with materials of natural origin 

 and ready to hand. The natural history of the garden 

 pebble may provide the first steps in geology, physiography, 

 and physics. When common materials have been studied — 

 mainly' from the physical point of view — it will be time to 

 lay the foundations of chemical belief, and the rusting of 

 iron (leading to combustion) and the study of limestone 

 (leading to acidic and alkylic oxides) provide a good 

 approach. The conception of structure should be developed 

 by the thorough study of alcohol (leading to food and its 

 functions). Plant life, and, later, human anatomy, should 

 be studied, nor should Darwin's work be neglected. Every 

 person of intelligence must be able to appreciate common 

 natural objects and phenomena. Since the work must be 

 done by the boys themselves, a revolution in school pro- 

 cedure w-ill be needed, and science masters should be 

 revolutionaries. 



Our space does not admit further excerpts from this 

 comprehensive address. We endorse many, but not all, of 

 Prof. Armstrong's opinions ; we give him credit for render- 

 ing to the association the service most needed at the present 

 hour. Nothing can better promote educational efficiency 

 than to force schoolmasters into a position of preparedness 

 to give a considered judgment upon the broader issues 

 involved in the organisation of curricula and methods — what 

 to teach, why to teach it, and how. If teachers cannot 

 become profe'ssionally articulate, these questions will be 

 decided bv amateur or professional organisers without their 

 guidance and with disastrous national results. 



The programme of the meetings was as follows ; — 



January 12, Mathematical Association : — President's 

 address, by Prof. H. H. Turner; (2) Mr. C. Godfrey on 

 different methods of teaching algebra for different classes of 

 students; (3) Prof. P. J. Harding on elliptic trammels and 

 Fagnano points; (4) Mr. W. J. Dobbs on an inexpensive 

 balance; (5) Rev. J. J. Milne on the geometric interpreta- 

 tion of homographic equations and their application to loci ; 

 (6) Mr. T. J. Garstang on alternatives to Euclid's parallel 

 postulate. 



Mathematical and Science Masters' joint meeting : — 

 (i) Address from the chair by Prof. Forsyth; (2) report on 

 correlation of mathematical and science teaching, presented 

 bv Mr. C. Godfrey and Mr. D. Berridge. 



'January 13, Scie'nce Masters' Associafion : — (0 President's 

 address, by Prof. H. E. Armstrong; (2) Mr. J. R. Eccles 

 on simplification of symbols in physics text-books; (3) Mr. 

 L. Gumming on aclvisability of teaching all boys the 

 elements of geology and biology ; (4) Mr. W. E. Cross on 

 laboratory equipment and design ; (5) Mr. F. M. Oldham 

 on the teaching of oxidation and reduction. 



There was an exhibition of apparatus and books. The 

 apparatus of leading firms displayed steady improvement in 

 working qualities, and received considerable attention. Sir 

 E. Ray Lankester is the president-elect for the year 191 1. 



G. F. D. 



NORTH OF ENGLAND EDUCATION 

 CONFERENCE. 



THE conference which met on January 6-S in the 

 buildings of the University of Leeds, under the presi- 

 dency of Sir Nathan Bodington, Vice-Chancellor of the 

 University, was the eighth of a series of meetings which 

 have been annually convened in the larger centres of the 

 north of England. There was a large attendance of 

 teachers, adm'inistrators, and members of education com- 

 mittees, the total falling little short of 2000 persons. The 

 publishers' exhibition in connection with the conference 



