'6 REPORT — 1873. 



But after all has been said that can be said in praise of Euclid, the fact remains 

 that the form in which the work is composed renders it unsuitable for the earlier 

 stages of education. Euclid wn-ote for men, whereas his work has been used for 

 children ; and it is surely no disparagement to the great geometer to suppose that 

 after more than 2000 years the experience of generations of teachers can suggest 

 changes which may make his 'Elements/ I will not say more perfect as a piece of 

 geometiy, but more easy for very young minds to follow. The dilficulty of a book 

 or subject is indeed not in itself a fatal obj ection to its use in education; for to learn 

 how to overcome difficulties is one gi-eat part of education. Geometry is hard, just 

 as Greek is hard ; and one reason why Geometry and Greek are such excellent edu- 

 cational subjects is precisely that they are hard. But in a world in which there is 

 80 much to learn, we must learn every thing in the easiest way in which it can be 

 learnt ; and after we have smoothed the way to the utmost of om- power there is 

 sure to be enough of difficulty left. I regard the question of some reform in the 

 teaching of elementary geometry as so completely settled by a great concurrence of 

 opinion on the part of the most competent judges, that I should hardly have 

 thought it necessary to direct the attention of" the Section to it, if it were not for 

 the following reasons : — 



First, that the old system of geometrical instruction still remains (with but few 

 exceptions) paramount in our schools, colleges, and universities, and must remain so 

 until a very great consensus of opinion is obtained in favour of some one definite 

 text-book. It appears to me, therefore, that the duty will eventually devolve upon 

 this Section of the British Association, of reporting on the attempts that have been 

 made to frame an improved system of geometrical education ; and if it should be 

 found that these attempts have been at last successful, I think that the British 

 Association would lend the whole weight of its authority to the proposed change. 

 I am far from suggesting that any such decision should be made immediately. The 

 work undertaken by the Association for the improvement of geometrical teaching 

 is still far from complete ; and even when it is complete it must be left to hold its 

 own against the criticism of all comers before it can acquire such an amount of pub- 

 lic confidence as would justify us in recommending its adoption by the great teach- 

 ing and examining bodies of the country. 



Secondly, I have thought it right to remind the Section of the paii; it has taken 

 with reference to the reform of geometrical teaching, because it appears to me that 

 a task, at once of less difficulty and of more immediate importance, might now be 

 undertaken by it with gi-eat advantage. There is at the present moment a very 

 general agreement that a certain amount of natural science ought to be introduced 

 into school education ; and many schools of the country have akeady made most 

 laudable efforts in this direction. As far as I can judge, there is further a general 

 agreement that a good school course of natural science ought to include some part 

 or parts of physics, of chemistry, and of biology ; but I thiuk it will be found that 

 while the courses of chemistry given at om* best schools are in the main identical, 

 there is the greatest diversity of opinion as to the parts of physics and of biology 

 which should be selected as suitable for a school education, and a still greater di- 

 versity of opinion as to the methods which should be pursued in teaching them. 

 Under these circumstances it is not surprising to find that the masters of those 

 schools into which natural science has hardly as yet found its way (and some of the 

 largest and most important schools in the country are in this class) are doubtful as 

 to the course which they should take, and, from not knowing precisely what they 

 should do, have not as yet made up theii- minds to do any thing of importance. 

 There can be no doubt that the masters of such schools would be glad on these 

 points to be guided by the opinion of scientific men ; and I cannot help thinking 

 that this opinion would be more unanimous than is commonly supposed, and, further, 

 that no public body would be so likely to elicit an expression of it as a Committee 

 appointed by the British Association. I believe that, if such an expression of the 

 opmion of scientific men were once obtained, it would not only tend to give a right 

 direction to the study of natural science in schools, but might also have the eflect 

 of inducing the public generally to take a higher and more truthful view of the 

 objects which it is sought to attain by introducing natural science as an essential 

 element into all courses of education. All knowledge of natural science that is im- 



