June 24, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



971 



and corrected. Under existing conditions 

 as to numbers of pupils to be taught it is 

 probably too much to expect that all will 

 attain a standard which this note-book ap- 



Bn 





performed are distinctly wrong and, in the 

 case of the alleged preparation of chlorine, 

 would, if ever followed, lead more directly 

 to a residence at a hospital than to any 

 worthy scientific end. Fig. 3 shows a page 

 which makes no pretense of being anything 

 more than a mere record of a useless mix- 

 ing of a few solutions, and moreover these 

 records are also entirely wrong. 





pears to represent. To all appearances the 

 records are original and the instruction 

 efficient. 



The pages reproduced in Figs. 2 and 3 

 are of a not uncommon type. The first 



leaves one in doubt as to what part of the 

 work has been performed by the pupil, 

 since the statements made regarding the 

 phj'sieal properties could have been copied 

 from a book, the records of experiments 



The two pages just commented upon did 

 not bear any evidence of inspection on the 

 part of the teacher; that shown in Fig. 4 

 bore the stamped legend "approved," but 

 a careful inspection leaves one in doubt as 

 to what particular feature of the record 

 warranted this, unless it may be the evi- 

 dence of sympathy (?) on the pai't of the 

 pupil with the tendency towards spelling 

 reform. 



These are not exceptional pages ; they are 

 representatives of many that pass under 

 our inspection each year, and I ask you, 

 with all sympathy for the teachers con- 

 cerned, what evidence does any but the first 

 give that one may safely omit a review of 

 the ground supposed to be covered by this 

 work in a college course which is primarily 

 expected to furnish a safe foundation on 

 which there is afterwards to be erected a 

 very considerable superstructure of chem- 

 ical knowledge? Are we not justified in 

 our perplexities? 



I should like also to appeal to the teach- 

 ers in the preparatory schools to encourage 



