TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 833 



or to oi'gatiise, that having found a good thing we rarely make use of it. In the 

 early davs of scientific teaching the elementary parts of chemistry and physics 

 were taught as one subject; but gradually, as the individual sciences developed, 

 this healthy practice fell into abeyance. Then time brought its revenge : it was 

 seen that a very one-sided creature was being trnined up ; th.it the subjects were 

 in reality interdependent. Moreover, a revolt had been setting in against the 

 formal stereotyped manner in which chemistry was being taught in the schools ; 

 this came to a head about 1887, and a better policy was inaugurated by the 

 Reports and scheme presented to Section B of this Association in 1889 and 1890, 

 which condemned ' test-tubing ' in favour of problem work and led to the introduc- 

 tion of the quantitative exercises which are now generally admitted to be of the 

 lirst importance. Although the scheme dealt primarily with chemistry, being the 

 work of the Chemical Section, it yet had a physical basis ; physical measurement, 

 in fact, was its life blood, and all the earlier exercises prescribed in it were in 

 essence physical exercises ; moreover the importance of paying some attention to 

 bio-chemical and bio-physical phenomena was not overlooked. As teachers have 

 gained experience of the educational value of the heuristic methods advocated in 

 the British Association scheme, they have been led to apply them more and more 

 widely, and the teaching of Elementary Science has in consequence been regarded 

 with growing favour of late years ; more and more has been done to give it the 

 necessary breadth so as to constitute it an efl'ective system of ' Nature Study.' 



The University of London — not the reconstituted body of the present day, 

 but the much-abused examining body of the past — after careful inquirj' a few 

 years ago advisedly substituted the subject of General Elementary Science for 

 the specific sciences previously prescribed for the Matriculation Examination : by 

 80 doing it took a forward step which has generally been admitted by those who 

 can really appreciate the issue to be one of the most important possible from an 

 educational point of view. But the syllabus was imperfectly drawn up — 

 although it had many good points — and the examination was entrusted to men 

 who, besides having little sympathy with the subject, had scant knowledge of 

 school requirements and possibilities, (consequently, the examination was a 

 failure, as everyone foresaw it would be if conducted without proper considera- 

 tion. The new University has taken the most tnnuise step of reverting to single 

 subjects. It has done far worse than this, however, in making ' science ' an alterna- 

 tive subject. Such a reversal of the policy so long pursued by its forerunner can 

 only be described as a National disaster. I make this statement with utmost 

 consideration and trust that the fact that it is so pronounced from the Chair of 

 this Section may give increased force to my opinion. 



It may be claimed that the action taken by the Committee on Military Educa- 

 tion is in harmony with that approved of by the Senate of the University of 

 London. The only comfort left open to us is that afforded by the proverb 

 that two wrongs do not make a right. Let us hope that wiser counsels will ere 

 long prevail. The consequences of perseverance in so narrow a policy must be 

 very serious. Consider the effect even from a limited professional point of view. 

 It is widely felt that, owing to the growth of knowledge, it is necessary to 

 specialise if we are to do effective work; but this does not mean that we should 

 be uncultured. We know that the very contrary is the case ; that there was 

 never a time when general knowledge was of greater value than it is at the pre- 

 sent day. Yet how little this is recognised. The physicist is already unable to 

 understand the chemist. And although the biologist is attempting to unravel 

 almost transcendental problems in chemistry, be has but the most rudimentary 

 knowledge of the subject. What intellectual pigmies we shall be if we pursue 

 so short-sighted a policy ; how ineffective must be our treatment of borderland 

 problems. How little right men of science will have to reproach those who have 

 received only a classical and literary training with lack of general culture if we 

 remain so narrow within our own domain. And from a general point of view 

 the outlook is still more serious. The object of introducing Experimental Science 

 into schools is to give training in knowledge of the world: to cultivate 

 appreciation of its beauties and mysteries. To do this involves resort in some 



1902. . 3ii 



