980 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. I 



combined the two. The descriptive texts 

 usually become encyclopedic, try to in- 

 clude all the elements, strange compounds, 

 the latest processes and weird discoveries, 

 often curtailing or entirely displacing 

 those common things we are too liable to 

 take for granted that every one knows. 

 The theoretic texts are largely the product 

 of college men. These tend to become too 

 abstract and sacrifice the pupil to the sub- 

 ject. One elementary text of very wide 

 use devotes two pages to a discussion of 

 the action of bleaching powder, but does 

 not state how it is used or for what goods. 



If a subject is to be treated as a science 

 many facts must be given and understood 

 in order that the pupil may acquire a 

 comprehensive idea of the subject. It is 

 folly to expect thorough understanding 

 of a part without a general knowledge of 

 the whole. The high schools can not train 

 chemists or engineers. Time and cost do 

 not admit of such intensive science teach- 

 ing, even if it is desirable. Such teaching 

 should be left to the college. 



If we take the pupils as we ficad them in 

 our large city high schools they are not 

 well informed and have little opportunity 

 to be. They live in a complex environ- 

 ment. The city boy or girl is brought in 

 contact with but few simple phenomena; 

 a push of a button— a bell is rung; 

 another push— a door is unlocked; another 

 push— a light appears. The modern 

 apartment is a complicated structure 

 operated by buttons. If we look for 

 chemical actions within this pupil's 

 sphere we find them to be rather few, too 

 familiar to hold the attention or too com- 

 plicated to tempt analysis. He comes in 

 contact with but few elements and but few 

 pure compounds. Steel is to him a spe- 

 cially pure iron, zinc is the metal used in 

 batteries, tin— used for cans, sulphur 

 smells bad. He has often been told that 



soda water contains no soda. Soap is 

 useful in cleaning, as it eats dirt as an acid 

 "eats metals." A material involving 

 electric means is necessarily superior. 



The tendency to centralization in driv- 

 ing out small industrial establishments has 

 narrowed the child's opportunities for ob- 

 servation. The shops of the blacksmith, 

 carpenter and soap-maker where he learned 

 the art of critical observation and learned 

 some things not taught in school, have been 

 withdrawn behind doors marked "no ad- 

 mission." 



The classes of our large schools are 

 mixed as to sex, race and ability. It is 

 often said with pride that our urban pop- 

 ulation is cosmopolitan, but that the sec- 

 ond generation from the emigrant is 

 acquainted with American ways. Ad- 

 mitting that the second generation may be 

 somewhat acquainted with American ways, 

 we must also admit that the population 

 of our large cities is becoming mongrel. 

 The mongrel is never stable and is rarely 

 successful. The psychology of the mon- 

 grel is analogous to that of the mob. Is it 

 not then asking too much that children 

 one or two generations from barbarity 

 should be put through the same course 

 and be expected to meet the same educa- 

 tional standards as the natives of Massa- 

 chusetts 1 



The tendency of education at present 

 is the development of power, of ability to 

 reason, to think. We may, indeed, ask if 

 the drill along this line has not been 

 pushed so far at times as to neglect giving 

 something to think about. The school, un- 

 like the college, works by the clock, the 

 work must be cut to fit the time, thus we 

 often find a few facts or questions are 

 presented in such a way that but one con- 

 clusion is possible. This is called induc- 

 tive teaching— teaching to reason. 



It makes the work easier for the teacher 



