78 REPORT — 1888. 



almost unbearable -when experiments are made -witb any foul-smelling 

 gas.' [This school contains 500 boys.] 



XVI. ' To lecture properly, a master must have an assistant for the ex- 

 periments. I do not know what is the rule ; I hope I am an exception, for I 

 am without one. I make use of one of the promisinj^ boys to help in the 

 preparation preceding a lecture. This is not sufficient. A master cannot 

 easily conduct his experiments, keep order, and carry on a judicious 

 questioning and explanation at the same time.' 



XVII. ' Every teacher of chemistry who has several lectures to 

 deliver in the course of the week ought to have the services of a fairly 

 intelligent assistant, who can get ready most of the experiments for him, 

 or he ought to have extra time allowed him to do this himself. Of 

 course it is possible to utilise the services of the more advanced pupils 

 for the purpose, but this does not effect so much saving of time as might 

 be thought, owing to the want of experience on the part of the boys, 

 Avho in many cases require so much supervision that it is shorter for the 

 teacher to do the work himself.' 



XVIII. ' We have just abandoned the subject owing to its ruinous 

 expense if taught thoroughly.' 



XIX. ' We have no laboratory and have to do the best we can with a 

 table in a class-room. Experiments are shown, but not performed by the 

 boys for this reason.' 



XX. ' Schools are often badly equipped with a suitable lecture- 

 room, laboratory, and apparatus, partly from poverty and partly some- 

 times from inability on the part of the head- master or governing body to 

 appreciate the needs of the subject.' 



XXI. ' Another difficulty is that in many cases the teacher has not 

 time to prepare adequate experimental illustration. Until recently the 

 chemical teaching in this school was done by the second master, who had 

 tfie whole of the school hours not engaged in teaching science occupied 

 in his own form in general subjects. A public day-school does not usually 

 (like a science college) possess paid demonstrators and assistants, hence, 

 unless the teacher has a considerable amount of time not actually occupied 

 in teaching, it is impossible for him to make and set up apparatus for 

 experiments in a proper manner, and experiments that constantly fail are 

 worse than none.' 



(ii) The following statements deal with the difficulties that ensue from 

 the relatively low place which is generally afforded to chemistry in the 

 school curriculum, and the low value which is assigned to it in public exami- 

 nations as compared with the value attached to other subjects. This, it is 

 said, often leads to the restriction of chemical teaching to inferior boys, 

 some of whom may have failed in classics and other subjects. The best 

 boys may leave the school having received little or no instruction in 

 chemistry. 



XXII. ' One difficulty arises from the low standard of public opinion 

 as regards science. This is chiefly due to the extraordinary and utterly 

 unaccountable view (confined, I think, to England and America) which 

 classical men have always had of scientific studies. In this school, owing 

 to the exceptional liberal-mindedness of the powers that be, this evil is 

 unknown, but in other schools where I have taught the jealousy between 

 thosa who represented different kinds of study was enormous, and clever 

 boys were therefore more attracted to literature than to science.' 



XXIII. ' As regards the difficulties in teaching chemistry, I think per- 



