868 REPORT— 1903. 



myself had the advantage of being taught science at school ; I had learned all 

 I knew practically, and I erffered the Department fully impressed with this 

 view. "Whenever possible I have till the present time endeavoured to impress 

 this view on all who were interested in the work of the Department. Much of the 

 science that was taught in State-supported classes was largely hook work and 

 cram, and the theoretical instruction as a rule was unillustrated by experi- 

 ment. This was undoubtedly due to the system of payments being based on 

 success at the examinations. I must here say that there were honourable excep- 

 tions to this procedure. There were teachers, then as now, who knew the subjects 

 they taught, and who were inspired by a genuine love of their calling. I can in 

 my mind's eye recall many such, some of whom have joined the majority and 

 others who are still at work and as successful now as then in rousing the 

 enthusiasm of their students. 



I am not one of those who think, as some do, that cramming is entirely per- 

 nicious. A good deal of what used to be taught at public schools in my days 

 was cram. It served its purpose at the time in sharpening the memory, and was 

 a useful exercise, and it did not much matter if in after years much of it was 

 forgotten. If the cramming is in science, a few facts called back to mind in after 

 life are better than never having had the chance at all. In fact, as the faded 

 beauty replied to the born plain friend, it is better to be one of the 'have beens ' 

 than a * never wasn't.' 



It was determined to make a vigorous onslaught against teaching that was 

 unillustrated by experiment, and to encourage practical teaching as far as could 

 be done. Proper apparatus for illustrating lectures was insisted upon, and, with 

 aid from the Department, was eventually provided, though in some instances 

 several years' pressure had to be exercised before it was obtained. I am bound 

 to say that in many instances after it had been procured a surprise visit by the 

 inspector during the hours of instruction often found that the lecture table was 

 free from all encumbrance, and that the dust of weeks was upon the apparatus 

 that .should have been in use. This was sometimes due to the inability of the 

 teacher to use the apparatus rather than to a wish to disregard the rules laid 

 down by the Department ; but usually it was due to the fact that the teacher 

 found cram paid best. I should like to say here that this state of things does not 

 exist at the present time, and that the training of science teachers by the Royal 

 College of Science and by other institutions has completely broken down the 

 excuses that were often ofl'ered at that time. 



The first grants for practical teaching were paid for chemistry. The practical 

 work had to be carried out in properly fitted laboratories. There were not half a 

 dozen at the time which really answered our purpose, and one of the earliest pieces 

 of work on which I was engaged was in assisting to get out plans for laboratory 

 fittings. These were very similar to those which I had designed for the School 

 of Military Engineering several years before. Thanks to the Education Act of 

 1870 (I speak thankfully of the work that some of the important School Boards 

 have done in the past in taking an enlightened view of science instruction) there 

 were some localities where the idea of fitting up laboratories was received with 

 favour, and it was not long before several old ones were refitted, in which instruc- 

 tion to adults was given, and new ones established in Board Schools for the benefit 

 of the Sixth Standard children. At that time an inspector's, like the policeman's, 

 lot was not a happy oue. We had to refuse to pass laboratories which did not 

 fulfil conditions, though we left very few ' hard cates.' 



Till after the passing of the Technical Instruction Act in 1887 the Department 

 aided schools in the purchase of the fittings of laboratories (both chemical and 

 others), and year after year this help, which stimulated local eflbrt, caused large 

 numbers of new laboratories to be added to the recognised list. After six or 

 seven years we had a hundred or more laboratories at work of what I may call 

 •sealed-pattern efficiency.' I am not very partial to sealed patterns, but they 

 are useful at times, for they tell people what is the least that is expected from 

 them. The pattern was not without its defects ; but laboratories, like other 

 matters, follow the law of evolution, and the more recently fitted ones show that ' 



