November ti, 1903. J 



SCIENCE. 



685 



question of curricula in schools, as I hope, 

 regarding them, we shall have a full dis- 

 cussion. But of this I am sure, that no 

 curriculum will be adequate which does not 

 include practical instruction in the ele- 

 mentary truths of science. The president 

 of the Royal Society, in his last annual ad- 

 dress, alluded to the medieval education 

 that was being given in a vast number of 

 secondary schools. Those who planned the 

 system of education of those times deserve 

 infinite credit for including all that it was 

 possible to include. Had there been a 

 development of science in those days, one 

 must believe that with the far-seeing wis- 

 dom they then displayed they would have 

 included that which it is the desire of all 

 modern educationists to include. Obser^'a- 

 tional and experimental science would have 

 assuredly found a place in the system. 



One, however, can not help being struck 

 by the broadening of views in regard to 

 modern education that has taken place in 

 the minds of many who were certainly not 

 friendly to its development. Perhaps in 

 the Bishop of Hereford, when headmaster 

 of Clinton, we have the most remarkable 

 early example of breadth of view, which he 

 carried out in a practical manner, sur- 

 rounding himself with many of the ablest 

 teachers of science of the day. There are 

 other headma.sters who, though trained on 

 the classical side, have had the prescience 

 to follow in his footsteps, and of free will ; 

 but others there are who have neither the 

 desire nor the intention, if not compelled 

 to do so, to move in the direction which 

 modern necessities indicate, is essential for 

 national progress. I am inclined to think 

 that the movement in favor of modernizing 

 education has been very largely quickened 

 by the establishment of schools of science 

 in connection with endowed schools and 

 the desire for their foundation by the 

 technical instruction committees, who had 

 the whisky money at their disposal, and 



who often more than supplemented the 

 parliamentary grants which these schools 

 were able to earn. It was the circumstance 

 that the new scheme was issued when many 

 endowed schools were in low water that 

 made it as successful as it has been. 



The number of schools of science in- 

 creased so rapidly that it appeared there 

 might be a danger of too many of this type 

 being started on sufficient educational 

 grounds. Science instruction was carried 

 in them to such an advanced point and so 

 many hours of the week were spent on it 

 that they became in some degree special- 

 ized schools. At least eight hours a week 

 had to be devoted to science, ten to literary 

 instruction, and five to mathematics— any 

 further time available could be spent on 

 any section that was considered desirable. 

 For some pupils the time devoted to science 

 is barely enough, but for others who intend 

 to follow careers in which the literary sec- 

 tion should predominate it appeared that 

 some curtailment of hours in the science 

 section might be usefully allowed, and it 

 became a question how far such instruction 

 might be shortened without impairing its 

 soundness. After much anxious thought 

 it was considered that four hours per week, 

 besides mathematics, was the very least 

 time that ought to be devoted to such in- 

 struction, and that the latter part of it 

 should be practical work. A scheme em- 

 bodying this modification was approved by 

 the lord president and the vice-president 

 whilst I was principal assistant secretary 

 for secondary education, and smaller grants 

 than those for schools of science were au- 

 thorized in 1901 for those schools which 

 were prepared to adopt it. By the scheme 

 instruction has to be given only in such sub- 

 jects and to such an extent as is really 

 necessary to form part of that general edu- 

 cation of ordinary students who might not 

 have to follow industrial pursuits. This 

 modified and shortened coiirse has met with 



