466 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 116. 



first place, to teach the pupil to observe ; in 

 the second place, to give him practice in the 

 simpler methods of measurement. It may 

 be laid down as a general rule that quanti- 

 tative methods should be employed where- 

 ever practicable, and that experiments in 

 which a precise and definite result is 

 reached are always to be selected. The 

 metric system should be introduced at the 

 very beginning and should be used to the ex- 

 clusion of all others throughout the course. 

 The introduction of the metric system of 

 weights and measures into practical life in 

 this country, for which strenuous efforts are 

 now being made in many quarters, can be 

 brought about more rapidly by its use 

 in the schools than in any other way. 

 The only thing which interferes with its 

 immediate adoption by the people lies in 

 their unfamiliarity with it. It may be con- 

 fidently expected that within a few years this 

 system will be used by our postofSce de- 

 partments, in pharmacy and in every trans- 

 action between the government and the 

 people. The schools, however, by the ex- 

 clusion of the teaching of other systems in 

 arithmetic and in science, can further the 

 reform more effectively than all other 

 agencies combined. 



Finally, let me say a word or two with 

 reference to the laboratory equipment. 

 This in chemistry is not a serious matter. 

 In physics, on the other hand, we find a 

 great variety of opinions. There are those 

 who hold that the best instruction is that 

 which is carried on without the use of 

 instruments ; that school children should be 

 taught to construct with spools and bits of 

 string the philosophical apparatus which 

 they are to use. "We find, as the other ex- 

 treme, equipments for demonstration, the 

 price of which would involve the expendi- 

 ture of tens of thousands of dollars. The 

 proper course lies between these extremes. 

 There are certain standard instruments 

 which should be in the possession of every 



school laboratory for use in demonstration 

 and in laboratory instruction. These are 

 not excessively expensive nor is the number 

 of such instruments very large. A balance 

 with weights, an air pump of the very 

 simplest form but properly constructed with 

 accessories, a lantern for projection, a 

 clock with pendulum, a metronome, ther- 

 mometers, an abundant stock of glass tub- 

 ing and of flasks and beakers, a galvanom- 

 eter (which may be home-made), a simple 

 resistance box, some lenses and prisms, a 

 set of tuning forks, an organ pipe and a 

 sonometer — these together with scales 

 divided to millimeters, a micrometer gauge 

 and a supply of cross-section paper will en- 

 able the properly trained teacher to give a 

 very thorough course in laboratory in- 

 struction. Where the number of pupils to 

 be handled is large it will be necessary to 

 duplicate many of these instruments. Be- 

 fore the schools can hope, however, to offer 

 science courses which will be acceptable 

 alternatives for the advanced mathematics 

 of our entrance requirement it will be ne- 

 cessary to have a sufficient number of teach- 

 ers who are thoroughly trained for scientific 

 work and suitably equipped laboratories. 

 The demand of science as regards the 

 number of teachers is not really greater 

 than that of other branches, but it is more 

 urgent, and the failure which comes from 

 inadequate numbers is more disastrous. 



Professor John F. Woodhull, of the 

 Teachers College, New York City, referring 

 to the one-year course in Physics, prescribed 

 by the Regents of this State, explained that 

 it was a compromise between the old twenty- 

 weeks course and a better course which 

 would require two years. It is to be hoped 

 that the course will be further lengthened 

 and made to include more laboratory work. 



Dr. T. B. Stowell, of the State Normal 

 School at Potsdam, urged the importance 

 of instruments of precision in the class- 



