Maech 13, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



415 



does come to be an active one, the society 

 might readily hold its meetings in two 

 divisions — a division of research and a 

 division of pedagogy. 



Furthermore, there is evident need of a 

 national organization having its center of 

 gravity in the whole body of science in- 

 structors in the secondary schools; and 

 those of us interested in these questions 

 will naturally relate ourselves also to this 

 organization. It is possible that the newly 

 formed Central Association of Physics 

 Teachers may be the nucleus of such an 

 organization. 



CONCLUSION. 



The successful execution of the reforms 

 proposed would seem to be of fundamental 

 importance to the development of mathe- 

 matics in this country. I urge that indi- 

 viduals and organizations proceed to the 

 consideration of the general question of re- 

 form with all the related questions of de- 

 tail. Undoubtedly in many parts of the 

 country improvements in organization and 

 methods of instruction in mathematics 

 have been making these last years. All 

 persons who are, or may become, actively 

 interested in this movement of reform 

 should in some way unite themselves, in 

 order that the plans and the experience, 

 whether of success or failure, of one may 

 be immediately made available in the 

 guidance of his colleagues. 



I may refer to the centers of activity 

 with which I am acquainted. Miss Edith 

 Long, in charge of the Department of 

 Mathematics in the Lincoln (Neb.) High 

 School, reports upon the experience of sev- 

 eral years in the congelation of algebra, 

 geometry and physics, in the October, 

 1902, number of the Educational Review. 

 In the Lewis Institute of Chicago, Pro- 

 fessor P. B.Woodworth,of the Department 

 of Electrical Engineering, has organized 

 courses in engineering principles and elec- 



trical engineering in which are developed 

 the fundamentals of practical mathematics. 

 The general question came up at the first 

 meeting* (Chicago, November, 1902) of the 

 Central Association of Physics Teachers, 

 and it is to be expected that this associa- 

 tion will enlarge its functions in such a 

 way as to include teachers of mathematics 

 and of all sciences, and that the question 

 will be considered in its various bearings 

 by the enlarged association. At this meet- 

 ing informal reports were made from the 

 Bradley Polytechnic Institute of Peoria, 

 the Armour Institute of Technology of 

 Chicago, and the University of Chicago. 

 The question is evoking much interest in 

 the neighborhood of Chicago. 



I might explain how I came to be 

 attracted to this question of peda- 

 gogy of elementary mathematics. I wish, 

 however, merely to express my gratitude 

 to many mathematical and scientific 

 friends, in particular, to my Chicago col- 

 leagues, Mr. A. C. Lunn and Professor 

 C. E. Mann, for their cooperation with me 

 in the consideration of these matters, and 

 further to express the hope that we may 

 secure the active cooperation of many col- 

 leagues in the domains of science and of 

 administration, so that the first carefully 

 chosen steps of a really important advance 

 movement may be taken in the near future. 



I close by repeating the questions which 

 have been engaging our attention this after- 

 noon. 



In the development of the individual 

 in his relations to the world, there is 

 no initial separation of science into con- 

 stituent parts, while there is ultimately a 

 branching into the many distinct sciences. 



* Subsequent to the meeting of organization in 

 the spring of 1902. Mr. Chas. H. Smith of the 

 Hyde Park High School, Chicago, is president 

 of the Association. Reports of the meetings are 

 given in School Science ( Ravenswood, Chicago). 



