SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1886. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

 With this issue, Science offers to its readers an 

 educational supplement, and a portion of the body 

 of the paper is also given over to matters of edu- 

 cational interest. Hereafter this will be the case 

 with every fourth number of the paper. These 

 educational numbers will also be reprinted sepa- 

 rately, and. bound as an educational journal com- 

 plete in itself, entitled Science and education. 

 This will be furnished separately to teachers and 

 others who may desire it and yet not feel able to 

 subscribe for Science as a whole. The object in 

 taking this step is to emphasize and elucidate the 

 truth that education is a science, and teaching a 

 profession. While adhering to no particular 

 school of pedagogics, we believe that the present 

 movement in favor of the scientific treatment of 

 education is eminently proper, and we mean to 

 aid it by all means in our power. As education, 

 like civilization, is international, we shall endeavor 

 to present to our readers from time to time an 

 account of what is doing in Europe, and to inform 

 them concerning current pedagogical literature, 

 both American and foreign. We shall include 

 articles on the history of education, the art of in- 

 struction, the science of education, classical study, 

 industrial education, science-teaching, normal- 

 school methods, school discipline, common-school 

 questions, and cognate subjects. We hope to 

 make our book-reviews especially useful to teach- 

 ers and general readers, and to tell them what 

 new books we consider useful to educational 

 science, and what harmful. We propose to make 

 this educational journal essential to teachers, and 

 to educators generally, and to lend an efficient 

 hand in aiding true educational progress. 



The vice-chancellorship of the University of 

 Oxford is the most influential office of the uni- 

 versity, and the election to the position a great 

 honor. Inasmuch as the vice-chancellor is the 

 virtual executive officer, and enjoys many special 

 prerogatives and privileges, his is a position of 

 great influence and responsibility. Nominally the 

 vice-chancellor is elected for a year ; but if he is 



No, 199. — tSS8. 



willing, and his health permits, he is re-elected 

 annually for three years : so the full term is prac- 

 tically four years. A new vice-cancellarean term 

 has just begun at Oxford, Prof. Benjamin Jowett, 

 master of Balliol college, having completed his 

 four-years' tenure. His successor is Dr. Bellamy, 

 president of St. John's college, a man of conserva- 

 tive tendencies, and of whom nothing but good is 

 spoken. Professor Jowett has been called the 

 most learned man in England, and his vice- 

 chancellorship, quite in keeping with his reputa- 

 tion, has been notable. He may be called a radi- 

 cal, so far as that term wfll apply in the field of 

 scholarship, and he has been instrumental in 

 breaking down many of the old traditions that 

 have trammelled his university and limited its 

 usefulness. Under his active direction, the In- 

 dian institute was opened, the new physiological 

 laboratory built and endowed, — a tremendous 

 blow to the conservative element, —a new theatre 

 built for academic uses, an actor invited to lecture 

 before the university, the examination schools 

 used as ball -rooms, and a non-conformist college 

 actually founded. Corresponding to these ex- 

 ternal evidences. Professor Jowett has infused 

 into the university a spirit of catholicity and tol- 

 erance utterly new to it. It is safe to say that 

 among his greatest works will always be reckoned 

 his liberalizing of the ancient university. His ser- 

 vices to the cause of education are of inestimable 

 value, and we trust he may long be spared to 

 enjoy the honors he has so richly deserved. 



Articulateness in any scheme of education 

 is essential to its perfection. In state-controUed 

 education this articulateness is obtained by law, 

 but in countries like our own it is left to circum- 

 stances and the discretion of the authorities of the 

 separate grades of educational institutions. All 

 honorable endeavor should be made, therefore, to 

 bring these authorities frequently together, that 

 they may learn each other's wants and necessities, 

 and work together for their common end. An 

 attempt to do this is being made to-day in Phila- 

 delphia, where a convention of teachers interested 

 in preparing boys for college is being held. Pa- 

 pers are to be read, — those announced in the 



