428 REPORT— 1903. 



is the time for him to learn the scope of various sciences, literatures, and 

 histories. But the workshop routine of the professed botanist may do the 

 schoolboy harm instead of good. 



In our opinion both herbaria and museums are indispensable to 

 scientific progress. They have their uses even to children, and many 

 naturalists have begun by collecting. But there are things more advan- 

 tageous and more appropriate to the first stage of botanical study than 

 the accumulation of a pile of wild flowers, dried and named. School 

 collections, illustrating the dispersal of fruits and seeds, the shapes of 

 leaves in connection with bud folding and exposure of the largest possible 

 surface to light, resistance to drought or cold, &c., may be made to gratify 

 the collecting instinct in a harmless way, and at the same time to promote 

 definite inquiries. It is the mechanical habit of collecting for selfish ends, 

 and without any scientific purpose, that we wish to discourage. 



Systematic Botany in the School. — The time to introduce systematic 

 Botany into the school course is the time when the need for it is felt, 

 Good teaching will soon make it desirable that the class should be able to 

 recognise such families as grasses and leguminous plants. The families, 

 introduced to notice one by one and illustrated by fresh examples, soon 

 become interesting, and even children delight in the power to run down 

 the easier flowers. Simple descriptions of the families of flowering plants, 

 in which the Latin words are cut down to a minimum, will greatly promote 

 the attractiveness and intelligibility of early lessons in classification. We 

 have no high opinion of the description in technical language, once so 

 strongly recommended, nor of the filling up of schedules. All this is apt to 

 divert attention from things of greater consequence, and to stupefy the 

 docile, while it alienates pupils of active disposition. One independent 

 observation, one carefully conducted experiment, is worth sheaves of 

 schedules. 



7'he Teacher to devise his oivn Coiirse. — It is natural that the teacher 

 should seek the help of books in preparing his lessons on plants. Such 

 help only becomes mischievous when he becomes dependent upon others 

 alike for information and method. Servile reproduction of another man's 

 lessons is a proof of incompetence. Not only do we maintain that the 

 language and the selection of facts should he the teacher's own, but we 

 would have him plan his osvn course of work. The unenterprising teacher 

 may look upon the detailed syllabus as a safeguard, but to a teacher of 

 any spirit it is intolerable tyranny. The low condition of elementary 

 science in our schools is largely due to unwise examining. The detailed 

 syllabus, the worship of technical language, the authoritative enunciation 

 of general principles to pupils who have no knowledge of concrete facts, 

 and the practice — still widespread — of endeavouring to learn a science by 

 heart are largely due to the influence of public examinations. Liberty 

 for the teacher is essential to progress on good lines. How to reconcile 

 liberty with tests of etficiency is a difficult but by no means an insoluble 

 problem. 



Jilici'oscojyes in School Work. — The appliances required for junior 

 classes in Botany are few and simple. Much may be done with common 

 knives, needles, and simple lenses. When the dissection of plants becomes 

 a regular occupation, an inexpen.sive dissecting microscope such as that 

 sold by Leitz of Wetzlar for Ss. will fulfil many requirements. Still 

 simpler home-made stands will answer the purpose. It is good for any 

 teacher who has a mechanical turp to devise his own microscope. To piake 



