Maech 19, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



461 



all desire to know tlie trutli more than we 

 desire the triumph of our own convictions. 



Other unsettled questions relate to the 

 methods of instruction to be employed in 

 the several branches of science, and these 

 are important. 



The methods of teaching the languages 

 and mathematics have been refined by ac- 

 cumulated experience and they are substan- 

 tially uniform throughout the world, while 

 the teaching of science is of comparatively 

 recent introduction and the variety of meth- 

 ods employed is great ; under these condi- 

 tions uniformity of results in older subjects 

 and great variety in science is what should 

 be expected, and, other things being equal, 

 it is what is obtained. 



It behooves us then to accumulate our 

 experience that we may determine upon 

 and adopt our best method. The ' Commit- 

 tee of Ten ' performed a valuable service in 

 giving us the outlines of a method of teach- 

 ing physics and chemistry, and most teach- 

 ers endorse their recommendation, " that 

 these subjects be taught by a combination 

 of laboratory work, text-book and thorough 

 didactic instruction carried on conjointly, 

 and that at least one-half of the time de- 

 voted to these subjects be given to labora- 

 tory work ;" but these directions are not 

 explicit enough to prevent the teacher from 

 doing poor work, even though he follows 

 the suggestions to the letter, and we may 

 profitably consider the objects and the pos- 

 sibilities of the subjects from an educational 

 standpoint. 



Properly taught, both physics and chemis- 

 try yield splendid mental growth ; they lead 

 to valuable lessons of law and order ; their 

 facts are important and useful, and they 

 furnish a kind of manual training of a high 

 order of merit. "Without desiring to belittle 

 the other possibilities, I shall confine my- 

 self to the discussion of the mental growth 

 which may be derived from these subjects, 

 for this is the true education, the culture 



which remains to the student when the 

 facts of the subject have long been forgot- 

 ten. Although the cultural value of the 

 sciences was not at once admitted when 

 first claimed, and although we as teachers 

 sometimes lose sight of this point, it is an 

 easy matter to show, as Spencer has done 

 in the first chapter of his ' Education,' that 

 the mental growth which results from the 

 proper pursuit of the sciences is beyond 

 compare the best. 



Furthermore, the amount of culture 

 which may be derived from scientific sub- 

 jects is not limited, as is that which may be 

 obtained from other subjects. The longer 

 one studies a language, the more expert he 

 becomes in the application of the accidental 

 rules of its grammar, and correspondingly 

 less exertion is required for the solution of 

 the somewhat similar problems in con- 

 struction ; but in science, while he becomes 

 more expert in the application of the neces- 

 sary truths which he assimilates as time 

 goes on, he attacks more and more pro- 

 found problems, and the mental activity 

 increases ; and he can never reach the end, 

 for there are problems in nature which can 

 only be comprehended by the perfect mind 

 of the Creator. As Huxley says, we reach 

 the summit of the mountain we have set our- 

 selves to climb, only to find that it is but a 

 spur of the greater range beyond. And now 

 let us consider tohat faculties of the mind 

 may be developed by the study of physics 

 and chemistry, and how they may be best 

 developed. Eemembering that the mind is 

 stimulated to activity in certain directions 

 by frequent exercise in these directions, 

 just as skill in following a trail was de- 

 veloped in the Indian, our question be- 

 comes : What opportunities do these sub- 

 jects aflbrd for the exercise of the mental 

 powers ? 



Concerning the evolution of the ability to 

 remember, little need be said. This power 

 may be cultivated by the text-book and reci- 



