50 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 367. 



From these latter it appears that largely 

 through her personal efforts statutes now 

 exist in nearly every one of the United 

 States requiring instruction in physiology 

 and hygiene with special reference to the 

 nature and effects of alcoholic drinks ; that 

 in some states a penalty clause is attached 

 for non-enforcement; that in some the 

 amount of space to be given in text-books is 

 prescribed, and in the same or in others, the 

 time to be devoted to the subject. In some 

 States it is also required that the subject 

 shall not be treated in an appendix, or in a 

 separate chapter at the end of the book. 



In 1897 Mrs. Hunt stated that ' a combi- 

 nation of the Illinois law with the penalty 

 [clause] of the New York law would be an 

 ideal statute. ' It is therefore easy to see at 

 what she aims, for the Illinois law requires 

 that all pupils ' below the second year of 

 the high school and above the third year of 

 school work' counting from the lowest 

 primary, ' shall be taught and shall study 

 this subject every year, from suitable text- 

 books in the hands of all pupils, for not less 

 than four lessons a week, for ten or more 

 weeks of each year.' For students below 

 the high school ' such text-books shall give 

 at least one fifth their space, ' and for high- 

 school students "not less than twenty pages, 

 to the nature and effects of alcoholic drinljs 

 and other narcotics. The pages on this sub- 

 ject in a separate chapter at the end of the 

 book shall not be counted in determining 

 the minimum. " The New York law of 1896 

 is very lengthy and lilcewise contains an im- 

 portant provision that 'this subject miist 

 be treated in the text-books in connection 

 with the various divisions of physiology 

 2. 'An Epoeli of the Nineteenth Century. An 

 Outline of the Work for Seientifle Temperance 

 Education in the Public Schools of the United 

 States.' By Mary H. Hunt, National and Inter- 

 national Superintendent of the Department of 

 Scientific Temperance Instruction, and Life Direc- 

 tor of the National Educational Association. Bos- 

 ton, 1897. 



and hygiene, and pages on this subject in a 

 separate chapter at the end of the book 

 shall not be counted in determining the 

 minimum. ' 



The effect of these peculiar laws closely 

 defining instruction in physiology and hy- 

 giene has been to create a correspondingly 

 peculiar class of text-books. Some of these 

 have been prepared by competent writers, 

 but most of them are inferior and some are 

 distinctly bad. One chapter in Mrs. 

 Hunt's 'History' is entitled 'The Text- 

 Book War.' It is not agreeable reading, 

 either for scientific men or for educators. 

 In a so-called ' Great Petition to Publish- 

 ers,' which reads more like a threat 

 than a petition, it is stated : ' ' This i? 

 not a physiological, but a temperance, 

 movement. In all grades below the high 

 school this instruction should contain only 

 physiology enough to make the hygiene 

 of temperance and other laws of health in- 

 telligible. Temperance should be the chief 

 and not the subordinate topic, and should 

 occupy at least one fourth the space in 

 text-books for these grades." In the same 

 ' Great Petition to Publishers ' we find it 

 also stated that ' ' Those text-books that are 

 largely physiology with a minimum of tem- 

 perance matter * * * do not meet the re- 

 quirements of the law, and do not satisfy 

 those who secured its enactment, and are 

 determined to secure its enforcement." 

 Further on, publishers are told exactly 

 what is wanted, in great detail and in no 

 uncertain tones. 



Text-books conforming with these re- 

 quirements of the propaganda may be offi- 

 cially ' indorsed ' by a ' Committee of the 

 Advisory Board ' sitting in council for the 

 purpose. In another chapter, entitled the 

 ' Text-book War Over,' it is stated that ' in 

 response to the Great Petition most of the 

 publishers have expressed the desire to 

 have their books revised, on condition that 

 the National Superintendent of the Scien- 



