684 MpokT— 1900. 



the path by which the truth was reached hy him who first laid hold of it. It is by 

 this latter way of learning the truth, and by this alone, that the learner may hope 

 to catch something at least of the spirit of the scientific inquirer.' 



I believe that in the determination of a suitable school course in experimental 

 science this principle of historical development is a very valuable guide, although 

 it is not laid down iu the 1889 Report of the British Association. 



The application of this principle will lead to the study of the solvent action of 

 water, of crystallisation, and of the separation of mixtures of solids before the 

 investigation of the composition of water, and also before the investigation of the 

 phenomena of combustion. It will lead to the investigation of hydrochloric acid 

 before chlorine, and especially to the postponement of atomic and molecular 

 theories, chemical equations, and the laws of chemical combination, until the 

 studen t has really sufficient knowledge to understand how these theories came to 

 be necessary. 



There can be no doubt that this new system of teaching chemistry in schools 

 has been most successful. Teachers are delighted with the results which have 

 already been obtained, and those whom I have had the opportunity of consulting, 

 directly and indirectly, cannot speak too highly of their satisfaction at the dis- 

 appearance of the old "system of qualitative analysis, and the institution of the new 

 order of things. Especially I may mention in this connection the excellent work 

 which is being carried on under tlie supervision of Dr. Bevan Lean at the Friends' 

 School in Ackworth, where the boys have attained results which are far in advance 

 of anything which would have been thought possible a few years since. 



It is, of course, obvious that if a schoolboy is made to take the attitude of 

 a discoverer his progress may appear to be slow. But does this matter ? Most 

 boys will not become professional chemists ; but if while at school a boy learns 

 how to learn, and how to ' make knowledge ' ^ by working out for himself a few 

 problems, a habit of mind will be formed which will enable him in future 

 years to look in a scientific spirit at any new problems which may face him. 

 When school-days are past the details of the preparation of hydrogen may have 

 been forgotten ; but if it was really understood at the time that it could not be 

 decided at once whether the gas was derived from the acid or from the metal, or 

 from the water, or in part from the one and in part from the other, an attitude 

 of scepticism and of suspended judgment will have been formed, which will 

 continue to guard from error. 



In the new system of teaching chemistry in schools much attention must 

 necessarily be given to weights and measurements; indeed, the work must be 

 largely of a quantitative kind, and it is in this connection that an important note 

 of warning has been sounded by several teachers." They consider, very rightly, 

 that it is important to point out clearly to the scholar that science does not consist 

 of measurement, but that measurement is only a tool in the hand of the in- 

 quirer, and that when once sufficient skill has been developed in its use it should 

 be emploved only with a distinct object. Measurements should, in fact, be made 

 only in reference to some actual problem which appears to be really worth solving, 

 not in the accumulation of aimless details. 



And, of course, all research carried out must be genuine and not sham, and 

 all assumption of the ' obvious ' must be most carefully guarded against. But the 

 young scholar must, at the same time, not forget that although the scientific 

 method is necessary to enable him to arrive at a result, in real life it is the 

 answer to the problem which is of the most importance.^ 



Although, then, there has been so much discussion, during the last ten years, 

 on the subject of teaching chemistry in schools, and such steady progress has been 

 made towards devising a really satisfactory system of teaching the subject to young 

 boys and girls, it is certainly very remarkable that practically nothing has been 



' Cf. Professor J. G. Macgregorin Nature, September 1899. 



■ Cf. H. Pictonin The School TF'ijrZ^?, November 1899 ; Bevan Lean, iJi<?., February 

 1890. 



» Cf. Mrs. Bryant, Special liejwrts 07i Educational Subjects, vol. ii. p. 113. 



