Januabt 7, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



grasp of the subject which he might have 

 had before, but probably never acquired. 



We should emphasize more problem 

 work in connection with the elementary 

 course. An utter helplessness of many 

 higher classmen in attacking elementary 

 problems is not unusual. The laboratory 

 work given with the elementary course is 

 frequently quite insufficient, and a some- 

 what advanced course, not in special lines, 

 but covering the whole field, will do an 

 untold amount of good. Finally there 

 should be a general review of the whole 

 subject from a higher point of view than 

 is possible in the elementary course. Cal- 

 culus might be a required study for this. 

 At this point subjects might be taken up 

 which have been omitted in the first course, 

 the treatment could be more thorough and 

 more exact. I believe that the introduc- 

 tion of such an advanced course would also 

 have a good influence upon the first course. 

 Now we feel too much under an obligation 

 to present as large an amount of informa- 

 tion as can be crowded into two semesters. 

 If we know that those who are interested 

 in our science can obtain a knowledge of 

 the less common phenomena later on, these 

 might be omitted at first and the elemen- 

 tary course could be made more thorough 

 in what it teaches. Several text-books on 

 university physics contain so much ma- 

 terial and a good deal of it presented from 

 such an advanced point of view, that they 

 can not be covered the first year. The 

 more difficult topics might well be reserved 

 for such a course as I propose. Finally, 

 every teacher of physics should be ac- 

 quainted with the history of his science. 

 The gross ignorance among some physics 

 teachers of the development of physical 

 theories and of the work of the intelleetua-1 

 giants, to whom mankind is indebted for 

 its present civilization, is appalling. 



A course of study, as outlined, would not 



require more than 24 semester hours. I 

 might add that, where time allows, I would 

 advise future physics teachers to take also 

 a course in meteorology, a short course in 

 dynamo-electric machinery and an elemen- 

 tary course in instrument-making, all of 

 which might properly be given in the phys- 

 ics department. It is my firm belief that 

 such a graded course will produce teachers 

 to whom we may leave without hesitancy 

 the question as to how physics should be 

 taught in the high school. I have nothing 

 to say about those people whom an incom- 

 petent school board appoints, though they 

 had never more than a one-year's elemen- 

 tary training. We university teachers can 

 certainly not be held responsible for their 

 failure. What a pity that we can not pre- 

 vent such men and women from experi- 

 menting upon our children. 



It is a hopeful sign that from year to 

 year a larger number of students stay with 

 us after graduation or return during sum- 

 mer school to pursue graduate studies. It 

 shows a slowly growing recognition of the 

 fact that teaching is a profession and that 

 professional knowledge in the chosen line 

 of work is necessary even for high school 

 teachers. Such knowledge can only be ac- 

 quired by graduate work in this line, i. e., 

 in our case, in physics. An undergraduate 

 course, as outlined above, is certainly not 

 antagonistic to this spirit; yes, may it not 

 raise the standard of our graduate work? 



I am fully aware of an objection to my 

 scheme and appreciate its force. You may 

 ask: "Do you wish to prevent the pro- 

 fessor in the small college, where the main 

 object is to train teachers, from giving 

 any graduate work?" I must admit, 

 though very reluctantly, that such is the 

 case, provided that the college in question 

 is unable to furnish a sufficiently large in- 

 structional staff. If it is a question be- 

 tween one or two graduate courses and a 



