ON FORMAL TRAINING. 283 



in which it is studied. It consists (to use another favourite expression) 

 in ' learning how to think,' in forming interests or sentiments about a 

 subject, and in building up such habits as perseverance, independent 

 attack of problems, application of previous knowledge, etc. Any teaching 

 which fails to foster such mental processes is uneducative, however much 

 information it may succeed in driving in, and whatever examination 

 results it may gain. Indeed, these considerations provide an additional 

 argument against the dominance of examinations, since they tend to 

 encourage either cramming, which can only induce the habit of further 

 cramming, or spoon-feeding, which will produce habits of mental 

 dependence, credulity, and inertia. 



It cannot, however, be denied that a good deal of knowledge has to 

 be acquired at school, either for the needs of life or as a basis for higher 

 study, which depends largely on rote memory, and which cannot be 

 taught in an ' educative ' way. That is inevitable. But we should at 

 least reduce such work to a minimum, and we should take care that 

 everything which admits of intelligent teaching is so presented. Under 

 present conditions teachers often avoid what they know to be the right 

 method because it would take too long, and because the use of it would 

 prevent 4;hem from covering the examination syllabus. After the 

 examination the knowledge frequently vanishes ; and as the children 

 have not gained the desirable sentiments and habits their schooling avails 

 them little in after life. It is no exaggeration to say that the modern 

 mania for examination results not only wastes thousands of pounds of 

 public money, but renders many recipients of secondary education less 

 cultured and efficient than they might have been without it. 



The same holds at the University level. An Honours graduate, if he 

 is superior to a pass man, is superior not because of his greater knowledge, 

 but because he has had less inducement to cram and more opportunity 

 to get genuinely interested in his subject and to form conscious ideals 

 of method. But a student who comes to the University with all the 

 interest knocked out of him and with no habits of independent study, 

 will certainly not take a high place in an Honours degree ; hence the 

 very disappointing record of many who enter with a ' brilliant ' school 

 record. And those who deal with post-graduate students must regret- 

 fully admit that the lecture-plus-examination methods of the modern 

 university can be no less stultifying. And further, as teachers are largelv 

 recruited from the victims of these methods, the evil is perpetuated. 



It thus appears that this generalised ' transfer ' exists, and that it 

 can cut both ways. If education consists in ' what remains after we 

 have forgotten all we learnt,' it may be no more than a dislike and 

 contempt for any serious mental pursuit, for anything ' high-brow." On 

 the other hand, it may mean activity of mind and the capacity for finding 

 interest in any task and for constantly increasing the circle of ones 

 interests. 



If, as seems true, every subject can be studied in such a way as to 

 create the right habits, then every subject can, on general formal grounds, 

 claim a place in the curriculum. Selection will then depend on the 

 intrinsic value of each subject ; and this depends in turn on the pro- 

 clivities and future needs of individuals. There are no absolute values, 



