July 29, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



137 



teacher ? ' Well-trained in what line ? " " Where 

 is the proposed assistant to get the ' vocational ' 

 training suggested in the post card? We find it 

 very difficult to get this type of man even for the 

 university, -where we can offer a better place than 

 can a high school." 



46. "With (5) I can not agree at all, because 

 of the restrictive clause ' consistent with the gen- 

 eral consensus of good practise.' " " High schools 

 must serve their communities efficiently, and col- 

 leges must take their product and do their best 

 with it. Useful cooperation between the high 

 school and the college is possible only when the 

 college men take this view — the high-school men 

 already have it." 



47. " Since we have outgrown these [entrance 

 examinations] out here, the question has no sig- 

 nificance in the west." 



48. " To No. 7 I vote yes without comment 

 ( mirabile dictu !) ." 



49. " To No. 8 I say we have not enough data 

 yet to answer one way or the other. We have 

 been giving a course here exactly like a high 

 school course for six or seven years. The number 

 who have taken it has dwindled from about 60 to 

 13. This seems to show that the course is not 

 wanted in that form. We shall probably change 

 the arrangement next year and try something 

 else." 



50. " With ( 9 ) you know I am in complete 

 agreement. In fact the proposition seems to me 

 to contain the meat of the whole set. We have 

 data enough to demonstrate that this conclusion 

 is perfectly sound and helpful. Your suggestion 

 on the card and your comments as to the method 

 of treating kinetic energy is the method which I 

 have been using with good success for the past 

 three years. It is pragmatically true; i. e., it 

 works. So I heartily commend your proposition 9 

 in either form or in both forms." 



51. "But would not accept the list in your 

 comments as a true consensus." 



52. Puts must for need. 



53. Crosses out all after in their simplest form. 



54. " This might be less restrictive." 



55. Puts w instead of m in the formula and 

 crosses out or of the formula f^m X a. 



66. " As an ideal to hope for in this state." 



57. " Not in New York state." 



58. " I do not differ from you in the main sense 

 of your question [No. 1] ; I feel strongly the need 

 in a teacher of ' mastery.' My ' not ' involves 

 rather a criticism of the standard of comparison. 

 My assent to No. 2 is then hearty, because I want 



broad horizon in the teacher; ditto to Nos. 3, 4 

 and 5." 



59. "As regards (6) there is perhaps real di- 

 vergence. Without writing a disquisition, I put 

 (to myself) a dilemma: [a) the experiment of 

 the examination repeats (essentially) one of the 

 school course; or (6) it is new. Against (a) I 

 object that repetition brings no adequate benefit 

 and is no real test. Against (6) I have to say 

 that strangeness, unfamiliarity with spaces, ap- 

 paratus, persons cripples the candidate." 



60. "I stand in the matter of (9) firmly in 

 my adherence to the alternative. Also, I see every 

 reason to follow the plan of bringing in ' dynam- 

 ics ' in two instalments." 



61. " With regard to the teaching of kinetics I 

 do not quite share your pessimism, as I believe it 

 can be done, but only by the very good teacher. 

 I feel that it is a pity to argue so much about 

 the dyne and erg. I would teach them, and give 

 credit to those who can do them well, but not 

 make this a sine qua non." 



62. " The propositions which you present can in 

 the nature of the case relate to only about 5 per 

 cent, of the high schools of the country — the 

 largest but not necessarily the best schools. 



" Regarding Nos. 1 and 2 : Graduate courses are 

 to be commended, but courses in education are 

 quite as important as those in physics for the 

 teacher of physics. Both should count toward his 

 master's degree, but if he must sacrifice either in 

 his graduate work, let pure physics give way. 

 The undergraduate four years shall not be so 

 largely devoted to physical science and mathe- 

 matics as you propose." 



63. " Not in favor of No. 6 as it has been con- 

 ducted." 



SUMMARY OF CATEGORICAL REPLIES 

 — = approval of proposition in first form. 

 + = approval of proposition as modified by 



myself. 



X = approval of proposition as modified by 



my correspondent. 



DISCUSSION 



Examination of the preceding summary 

 shows that each of the nine propositions is 

 approved in a majority of the replies, 

 either in its original form or as it has been 

 modified by myself or by my correspond- 

 ents. Nevertheless, the reception of the 



