June 18, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



959 



sentially rationalistic system was further 

 defended as follows: 



Second — It will be observed that the absolute 

 system enables us to define in a simple manner 

 certain physical quantities which can not other- 

 wise be defined without great circumlocution. 

 For example — an unbalanced force always pro- 

 duces some kind of acceleration. How can force 

 be better defined than by the acceleration which 

 it will produce ? This being the case, what better 

 unit of force can be employed than one which will 

 give a unit mass a unit acceleration? p^ma is 

 the simplest possible statement of the measure 

 of a force and one which, if the pupil understands 

 acceleration, will greatly assist him in obtaining 

 some conception of force. 



To the first of these statements I will let 

 Professor John Perry, the leader of the 

 reform movement in England, answer :° 



There is too much hankering after a kind of 

 logical perfection which is impossible in the teach- 

 ing of the average boy. I am afraid that what 

 seems to you simple is to him complex, and what 

 seems to you complex is to him quite simple. As 

 a result, you have not made his studies as inter- 

 esting to him as you might, and whatever is un- 

 interesting to him is uneducational, 



I may add that clear definitions grow out 

 of experience, and by teaching word defini- 

 tions that have not been justified in advance 

 by experience, we are but training in the 

 habit of hiding our ignorance of things 

 under high-sounding words. 



To the second statement about the sim- 

 plicity of the definition of force I would 

 remark : ' ' Certainly. ' ' But I would place 

 the emphasis where the writer did not in- 

 tend it, namely, on the clause "If the pupil 

 understands acceleration." I must also 

 add: "and if he has a concrete and scien- 

 tific concept of mass. ' ' 



It was in addition urged that by teaching 

 the absolute units the physics teacher has 

 an opportunity to do a real service to the 

 college. It would be a real service to the 

 college if the secondary school teachers 

 would send to the colleges young men and 

 women with clear and definite concepts and 



' Mathematical Gazette, January, 1909, p. 7. 



with a training in habits of scientific think- 

 ing, rather than with memories crammed 

 with words and verbal definitions. That 

 the secondary schools are not doing this 

 real service under the present system 

 of "absolute" teaching, is shown by the 

 fact that 70 per cent, of the candidates in 

 physics fail in the written examination of 

 the college entrance board. And how 

 about the 90 per cent, of the high-school 

 pupils who do not go to college? Are the 

 secondary schools doing a "real service" 

 to them in launching them on life with a 

 fullness of word definitions and an empti- 

 ness of definite and useful information con- 

 cerning the physical world about them ? 



I can not help wondering how long the 

 absolute physics will be defended on the 

 grounds that it gives "mental discipline," 

 that it pleases the colleges, and that it fur- 

 nishes data needed by the expert physicist. 

 Even if these claims were true, that defense 

 has been torn to shreds in the battle over 

 Latin; which was claimed to give "mental 

 discipline," to please the colleges, and to 

 furnish data needed by the professional 

 theologian. There is certainly something 

 in physical science for everybody, and it 

 is equally certain that that something is 

 not to be gained from any catechism of 

 questions on watts, joules, ergs, dynes, etc. 



Although I am convinced myself, after 

 having tried the experiment, that the ele- 

 mentary physics should not attempt to 

 teach the absolute units, I would not for an 

 instant advocate any system of regulations 

 by which the use of these units was pro- 

 hibited. There are many able and sincere 

 teachers who honestly believe in their use, 

 and such teachers should not be preventeli 

 from using them. On the other hand, those 

 who do not believe in them, who have found 

 by their experiences that it is useless to try 

 to teach them to their pupils, should not be 

 compelled to do so by regulations aimed at 

 securing uniformity and enforced by an 



