SCIENCE 



A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement 

 of Science, publishing the official notices and 

 proceedings of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, edited by J. McKeen 

 Cattell and pubhshed every Friday by 



THE SCIENCE PRESS 



1 I Liberty St., Utica, N. Y. Garrison, N. Y. 



New York City: Grand Central Terminal 



Annual Subscription, $6.00 Single Copies, 15 Cts. 



Entered as second-class matter January 21, 1922, at the 



Post Office at Utica, N. Y., Under the Act of March 3, 1879. 



Vol. LVI October 20, 1922 No. 1451 



CONTENTS 



The British Association for the Advancement 

 of Science : 

 The Teaching of Science: Sir Eichard 

 Gregory * 433 



Frog and Toad Tadpoles cis Sources of Intes- 

 tinal Proto:^oa for Teaching Pvriwses: 

 PRorEssoR E. W. Hegner ..- 439 



Scientific Events: 



Alexander Smith; The Total Solar Eclipse 

 of Septemher Sll; The Fiji-New Zealand 

 Expedition of the State University of 

 Iowa; The New England Intercollegiate 

 Geological Excursion; Lectures of the 

 Lowell Institute; Installation of the Chan- 

 cellor of the University of Buffalo; The 

 Presidency of the Massachusetts Institute 

 of Technology 441 



Scientific Notes and News 44.5 



University and Educational Notes 447 



Discussion and Correspondence : 



The Production of Species: Dr. David 

 Starr Jordan. The Teaching of Evolu- 

 tion: J. Howard Brown. Tingitidce or 

 Tingidai: Dr. H. M. Parshlet. The 

 Vacuum Tube Amplifier in Academic 

 WorTc: Professor Eoswell H. Johnson. 

 Chemical Spelling: Dr. L. O. Howard 448 



Quotations : 



Biological Stains - 4.50 



Scientific Boolcs : 



Newman's Headings on Evolution, Genetics 

 and Eugenics: Professor M. F. Guter 4.51 



Special Articles : 



Static Deflections of the Vacuum Gravita- 

 tion Needle: Professor Carl Barus 452 



The American Chemical Society: Dr. Charles 

 L. Parsons 453 



The American Astronomical Society: Pro- 

 fessor Joel Stebbins 459 



THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE^ 



The prime claim of science to a place in the 

 school eurrieulum is based upon tlie intellec- 

 tual value of the subject matter and its appli- 

 cation to life. This conception of education 

 through science as the best preparation for 

 complete living was Herbert Spencer's con- 

 tribution to educational theory; and to its influ- 

 ence the introduction of science into the school 

 is largely due. Spencer's doctrine was in ac- 

 cord with the principles of Pestalozzi as to the 

 sequence in which facts and ideas should be 

 presented and be related to stages of develop- 

 ment, in order to be effective in creating or 

 fostering natural interests in the mind of the 

 child. Scientific instruotion implies, therefore, 

 not alone knowledge that is best for use in life, 

 but knowledge adapted to the normal course of 

 mental development. Both substance and 

 method should be judged by the criterion of 

 what is of greatest immediate worth or nearest 

 to the pupil's interest at the moment. When 

 this standard of psychological suitability is 

 applied to the school science courses now usu- 

 ally followed, it must be confessed that they 

 rarely reach it, many topics and much material 

 being remote from the pupil's natural interests 

 and needs. 



The truth is that in the design of science 

 courses for schools "trial-and-error" methods 

 have been followed. In the absence of accu- 

 rate knowledge these are the only possible 

 methods of construction, but sufficient is now 

 known of child psychology to produce a 

 scheme of scientific instruction which repre- 

 sents not merely the views of advocates of par- 

 ticular subjects, but is biologically sound be- 

 cause it is in accord with the principles of 

 mental growth, and, therefore, with those of 



1 From tlie address of tlie president of tlie sec- 

 tion of Educational Science, Britisli Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, Hull, September, 

 1922. 



