582 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1059 



tain facts relating to a group of objects, 

 known as plants and animals, as distinguished 

 from other facts relating to non-living objects, 

 or from still other facts concerning human 

 activities in methods of expression or of 

 living. The path of each student in his ap- 

 proach to this goal is his own, and it varies 

 in infinite degrees from all others — no beaten 

 track of conformity to text assures his arrival. 



" But hold ! " says the efficiency expert of 

 the curriculum makers, "Will the stuclent 

 learn all about plants and animals in the 

 course in biology, will he be able to identify 

 and name those forms he comes in contact 

 with, will he know about the nature of his own 

 body and of his relation to other animals? 

 We want the student thoroughly grounded in 

 the principles of biology, so make a book and 

 teach him these things. For this purpose you 

 may have him for one twenty-fifth of his col- 

 lege course." And so there is much writing of 

 books and the puzzled teacher tries first one 

 and then the other. Something is the matter 

 with each one, so finally he makes a book of 

 his own. If he has decided that the efficiency 

 expert of the curriculum makers is right and 

 that a certain group of facts, presented to the 

 students for their acceptance or rejection is the 

 proper content of a course he emerges from 

 his trials very comfortably and, educationally, 

 lives happily ever after. 



Of the numerous efforts to supply the de- 

 mand for text-books which shall inform stu- 

 dents regarding the principles of biology, that 

 of Calkins is one of the most satisfactory. 

 Doubtless, in his own laboratory, the book oc- 

 cupies a proper place in relation to the indi- 

 vidual work of the student; but it probably 

 would not be far from the truth to assume that, 

 even under these favorable conditions, the 

 element of individual effort is small. In the 

 hands of the dependent teacher even this rem- 

 nant would disappear. When a descriptive 

 text is used it results, under the best condi- 

 tions of laboratory work, in confirmation by 

 the student of facts studied in the book; in 

 the absence of proper laboratory opportunities 

 the course based upon it becomes merely an- 

 other informational subject and the test of 

 its accomplishment purely one of memory. 



The distinction between the observational sci- 

 ences and languages, history and other sub- 

 jects presented on the basis of authority, 

 largely disappears in the former alternative 

 and entirely so in the latter. Undoubtedly 

 the subject-matter of biology would well war- 

 rant its inclusion in a college course, but in 

 the face of the opportunities for training stu- 

 dents in making accurate observations, form- 

 ing independent judgments and developing 

 logical habits of thought — qualities that are 

 always so much needed — ^how poor is the re- 

 turn ! It is not to be denied that it is easier 

 to inform students than it is to train them; 

 it is not to be denied that there is a large 

 popular demand that schools should instruct 

 their students upon matters which wiU be of 

 immediate " practical " use to them later. But 

 it is the duty of schools to recognize that real 

 education is training, and so to devise and 

 administer their curricula as to provide this 

 training, to the best advantage, for the vari- 

 ous types of mind that are to be educated. In 

 furthering this purpose the subject of biology 

 offers unique and valuable opportunities to 

 develop the powers of observation, comparison 

 and judgment through personal experience 

 with the scientific method. In view of the 

 great significance of this method in our past 

 achievements, and of its promise for the future 

 betterment of society, it is encumbent upon 

 teachers of those subjects, in which it is best 

 emphasized, to insist that they be given time 

 and opportunity to teach in ways calculated to 

 render effective, to the largest degree, its 

 operation in the activities of their students. 



0. E. McOlung 



An Introduction to the Study of Fossils 

 (Plants and Animals). By Hervet Wood- 

 burn Shimer. New York, The Macmillan 

 Co. 1914. 



In most sciences it is a remarkable year 

 which does not produce at least one text-book, 

 but paleontology has been taught in this coun- 

 try for eighty years before the appearance of 

 this, the first strictly American elementary 

 text-book of paleontology. Amos Eaton seems 

 to have been the first American teacher to 



