OCTOBEB 2, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



449 



theoretical struoture which can have no effectual 

 traffic with any mental field beyond its own nar- 

 row boundaries. Such a state of mind is nothing 

 but a kind of idiocy, and to call it a knowledge 

 of elementary science is weak scholasticism. , . . 

 A large part of simple theoretical physics is con- 

 structed out of sensuous elements which are not 

 habitually and fixedly associated with verbal 

 forms of expression, and it is impossible to mar- 

 shal these elements in any other way than by 

 direct appeal, by sight of feeling, to the actual 

 things which correspond to them.' 



The equipment and methods of the physical 

 laboratory are a necessity in the teaching of 

 elementary physics. The point of view of 

 many of those who are responsible for the 

 arrangement of our technical courses is more 

 or less confused in regard to elementary sci- 

 ence instruction and it may be accurately 

 characterized by a slight variation of a state- 

 ment of Bacon's : 



Natural philosophy [in their minds] is not to 

 be found unadulterated, but it is irupure and cor- 

 rupted by mathematics which ought rather to 

 terminate natural philosophy than to generate or 

 create it. 



I have heard that near Nanoratis, in Egypt, 

 there was born one of the old gods, the one to 

 whom the bird is sacred which they call the ibis; 

 and this god's name was Tenth. And this god, 

 or demigod, found out first, they say, arithmetic, 

 and geometry, and logic, and gambling, and the 

 art of writing. And there was then a king over 

 all Egypt, in the great city which the Greeks 

 called Thebes. And Tenth, going to Thebes, 

 showed the king all the arts he had invented, and 

 said they should be taught to the Egyptians. 

 But the king said : " What is the good of them ? " 

 And Tenth telling him at length of each, the 

 king blamed some things and praised others. But 

 when they came to writing: "Now, this piece of 

 learning, O king," says Teuth, " will make the 

 Egyptians more wise and more remembering; for 

 this is physic for the memory and for wisdom." 

 But the king answered : " O most artful Teuth, 

 it is one sort of person's business to invent arts, 

 and quite another sort of person's business to 

 know what mischief or good is in them. And you, 



'From a paper on "The Study of Science by 

 Young People," by W. S. Franklin, Proceedings 

 of the Tioelfth Annual Meeting of the New York 

 State Science Teachers' Association, pp. 65-94. 



the father of letters, are yet so simple-minded that 

 you fancy their power just the contrary of what 

 it really is; for this art of writing will bring 

 forgetfulness into the souls of those who learn it, 

 because, trusting to the external power of the 

 scripture and stamp of other men's minds, and 

 not themselves putting themselves in mind, within 

 themselves; it is not medicine of divine memory, 

 but a drug of memorandum that you have dis- 

 covered, and you will only give the reputation 

 and semblance of wisdom, not the truth of wisdom 

 to the learners: for^ becoming hearers of many 

 things, yet without instruction, they will seem to 

 have manifold opinions, but be in truth without 

 any opinions; and the most of them incapable of 

 living together in any good understanding ; having 

 become seeming-wise instead of wise." 



I always think of this prognostication of 

 the old Egyptian king concerning the influ- 

 ence of letters when I consider what may be 

 the true path through the tremendously 

 widened and at present greatly confused field 

 of human endeavor which has come with the 

 discovery of physical science. We are now, 

 in regard to science, in the midst of something 

 like the pandemonium which was imagined by 

 Socrates as a possibility in the field of letters. 

 We have, indeed, become hearers of many, 

 many things, and we seem to have manifold 

 opinions; and, although I believe we are not 

 really without opinions, I certainly do believe 

 that many of us do not take sufficient pains 

 to make ourselves understood when we attempt 

 to express what opinions we may truly have. 

 (It may be justly said, I think, that the volu- 

 minous discussion of technical education 

 which has taken place during recent years, 

 especially that which has taken place before 

 our engineering societies, is but slightly edify- 

 ing.) Nor do I believe that we are incapaUe 

 of living together in any good understanding. 

 As to being seeming-wise instead of wise, we 

 should in aU humility admit that wisdom is a 



- This powerful story of the mythical discoverer 

 of writing was quoted thirty-five years ago by a 

 very severe writer, who inserted the following 

 parenthesis at this point " now do listen to this, 

 you cheap education mongers." I believe, how- 

 ever, that technical educators are as far removed 

 as any from the cheap type, except only the one 

 who knows of no other kind of precision but the 

 precision of numbers. 



