ON SCIENCE IN SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS. 505 



and chemistry is a necessary antecedent. It is best to put such a course 

 between the years of 17 and 18, and it might well be given to all at this 

 age, even if specialisation has begun ; where, however, the majority of girls 

 leave when they are about 16, some part of it at least should be allowed to 

 run concurrently with Science lower down the school. It should, if possible, 

 be prefaced by a course of general elementary biology, and in any case as much 

 experimental and observational work should be introduced as will give the girls 

 an understanding of the metabolism of a green plant, a fungoid plant, and an 

 animal, transformation of energy being dealt with as well as transformation of 

 matter, and tne interdependence of the three types being clearly brought out. 

 The actual processes in the human body may be dealt with more in detail, the 

 work being given a definitely human trend and used, not only to instruct the 

 girls in personal hygiene, but still more to give some knowledge of the social 

 problems of the present day. Thus the nutrition of the body leads directly to a 

 consideration of dietaries and to the effect of an insufficient or badly balanced 

 diet, and this especially in the case of growing children. The function of 

 respiration will lead to a consideration of methods of ventilation and to the 

 harm inevitably resulting from lack of ventilation and from overcrowding. 

 This will be followed by some consideration of present housing conditions in 

 town and country, the powers of local authorities in the matter and steps 

 already taken for improvement. The functions of nerve and brain lead to the 

 influence of narcotics and stimulants and also to the study of fatigue. An 

 account of the growth of legislation with regard to work in factories and to 

 child labour naturally follows. 



This last course goes considerably beyond the work usually undertaken by 

 the Science Mistress, but it is very valuable that such questions should be 

 studied in a scientific manner and with a sound scientific background. It is 

 of the utmost importance that the general mass of citizens shall learn to think 

 more biologically on such questions, and this link between live human interests 

 and their scientific studies is invaluable for the girls. 



In every school course much is necessarily omitted, but it is understood that 

 voluntary work done in connection with school societies will supplement the 

 laboratory teaching to some extent. Thus through a Field Club may be given 

 familiarity with common plants and their habitats, or, again, a knowledge of 

 the geological structure of the neighbourhood with its effect on scenery and on 

 history. 



VI. Scheme of Science Work in a Public Secondary School 



FOR Girls. 



By Lilian J. Clarke, formerly Senior Science Mistress, James Allen's Girls' School, 



Dulwich. 



The following scheme of science work has been thought out and adopted in a large 

 secondary school for girls, but it is not put forward as one to be followed by all. Each 

 teacher must herself decide what is best suited to the special conditions of the school 

 in which she works. The school in which this scheme is followed is an endowed day 

 school containing nearly 400 girls, who are allowed to enter at the age of seven, and 

 may stay until they are nineteen. 



Special permission is needed for girls to remain after they reach the age of 

 nineteen. 



Post-matriculation work in botanj-, chemistry and physics is taken by some girls 

 who enter for the Higher School Examination and the Intermediate Bachelor of 

 Science Examination of the London LTniversity, but only details of the general or 

 pre-matriculation science course are here given. 



For many reasons great value is attached to the study of botany. It was felt, 

 however, to be so essential that all girls should have some knowledge of physics and 

 chemistry that for many years half the time given to science in the three forms of 

 the Middle School has been allotted to elementary physics and chemistry, and half to 

 botany. 



Every girl who passes through the school studies elementary physics and chemistry 

 for three years, and now has the opportunity of studying chemistry for two more 

 years in the pre-matriculation course. 



