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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 83. 



cant place accorded to natural science in 

 the schools from the primary grades to the 

 college. Afterwards there came a period 

 of conflict between the advocates of science, 

 on the one hand, and of the old culture- 

 studies, on the other. In the controversy 

 much was said which should have remained 

 unsaid, and many arguments were brought 

 forward which have long since been 

 abandoned by both sides. 



Thus, in urging the introduction of 

 science into the schools, much was said re- 

 garding its usefulness, as in farming, in 

 manufacturing and in commerce. The use- 

 fulness of science in everyday life was 

 brought forward as one of the strongest 

 arguments for its introduction in the course 

 of study in school and college. This was 

 so emphasized as to lead some to hold forth 

 the money-getting value of science as con- 

 trasted with the culture-value of the older 

 studies. Thus there arose in the popular 

 mind the notion that while science is more 

 'practical,' and while it may fit a man to 

 earn a livelihood, it is lacking in culture- 

 value. The notion has been fostered by 

 the fact that in the building of technical 

 schools science has been given a large 

 place. In fact, these schools are very com- 

 monly called scientific schools and colleges. 

 "When the educational world, during the 

 latter half of the present century, saw the 

 rise of engineering and mechanical schools, 

 in which chemistry and physics were given 

 great prominence ; of agricultural colleges, 

 in which botany, zoology and chemistry 

 occupied the greater part of the student's 

 time ; of schools of horticulture, schools 

 of dairying, sugar schools, etc., in all of 

 which one or more of the great modern 

 sciences occupy prominent place, what 

 wonder that science seemed to be merely a 

 servant to minister to man's material in- 

 terests ! What wonder, too, that some men, 

 dazzled and bewildered by the splendid 

 achievements of science in many fields of 



human industry, became materialistic and 

 set up science as their educational goddess ! 

 In this period we heard much of the ' new 

 education,' and too often by this term was 

 meant little more than is included in mere 

 trade schools. The ' new education,' while 

 ostensibly an education in which science 

 replaced the language and literature of the 

 older curriculum, very commonly included 

 merely such sciences as were of immediate 

 use in a particular industry, and too often 

 only those portions of these selected 

 sciences which were most directly ' prac- 

 tical.' To make the matter worse, the 

 graduates of schools with such a curriculum 

 were called Bachelors of Science. What 

 wonder that some men looked askance at 

 scientific courses of study ! What wonder 

 that college men, who had been accustomed 

 to think of the culture-value rather than 

 the money -value of the studies in the col- 

 lege curriculum should hold aloof from 

 close association with such science ! 



Against such merely utilitarian views as 

 to the place of science there have been strong 

 protests during all this period of educa- 

 tional unrest, but these have been little 

 heeded. Gradually, however, with the in- 

 creased introduction of science-study in the 

 schools and colleges, doubts have arisen as 

 to the soundness of the utilitarian view. 

 The question is often asked whether science 

 is ' useful ' merely in the lower sense of con- 

 tributing to man's material advancement. 

 Our thoughtful students and teachers are 

 asking whether science may not be pur- 

 sued with profit by those who will not 'ap- 

 ply' it in some industrial pursuit. May a 

 man profitably give prolonged attention 

 to chemistry who does not propose to 

 be a manufacturing chemist, an assayer 

 or a maker of drugs? Is it a profitable 

 use of the time of the college student to 

 give years of study to the lower forms of 

 vegetation, unless he hopes to become the 

 botanist of some experiment station, or 



