DKCEMBEE25, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



93 



A second obstacle has been the lack of 

 agreement among educators and men of 

 science as to what science should be taught 

 in the school and how it should be taught. 

 Even the quasi ofl&cial report of the member 

 representing science on the Committee of 

 the IS". E. A. states that physiography is 

 not a fundamental disciplinary study, calls 

 the study of natural history sham biology, 

 and says that neither physiography nor 

 biology can be studied without previous 

 training in physics and chemistry. But we 

 think that partial points of view will sup- 

 plement each other as the subject is dis- 

 cussed in journals and in meetings such as 

 that of the department of ISTatural Science 

 Instruction of the N, E. A., and that of the 

 recently organized New York State Science 

 Teachers' Association. We believe that 

 courses can be arranged extending from the 

 kindergarten to the college that will not 

 only supply the student with information 

 of enduring practical value, but will also 

 give him a training and a culture not other- 

 wise attainable. 



The most serious obstacle in the way of 

 science in college entrance examinations is, 

 however, tradition, and this is an obstacle 

 that consumes itself. For centuries the 

 classics were a necessity and there was no 

 science. A certain amount of conservatism 

 is always desirable ; we want growth rather 

 than revolution. It is probable, however, 

 that there are some college presidents who 

 do not know that at Cambridge University 

 most of the students take the B. A. degree 

 without studying a word of Latin or Greek 

 at the University. "We believe that the sur- 

 vival of the fittest is the best method of 

 development. We do not ask that science 



be required in entrance examinations 

 neither do we wish to see classical studies 

 excluded, but we think it reasonable that 

 science and classics should be treated with 

 equal fairness. 



THE AIM OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY* 

 A PAPER bearing the above title was raad 

 by Prof. !N"ernst at the opening of the new 

 laboratory for physical chemistry and elec- 

 tro-chemistry at the University of Gotting- 

 en, on the second of June last. This is 

 the third chair that Germany has devoted 

 to the study of that region, which lies in- 

 termediate between physics and chemistry. 

 First, in point of time must be mentioned 

 that of Landolt in Berlin, while the labora- 

 tory of Ostwald, in Leipsic, is more directly 

 connected with the newer developments in 

 that field which has been systematized into 

 a distinct science largely by Ostwald him- 

 self. Indeed, much of the best work of 

 Arrhenius and JSTernst was done while they 

 were associated with Ostwald, so that the 

 title ' Leipsic school,' has come to have a 

 definite significance. It is now well known 

 that Leipsic will soon be provided with a 

 physico-chemical building and equipment 

 which, in point of completeness, will have 

 no rival. 



The new- structure in Gottingen has been 

 erected to meet the growing demands of 

 physical chemistry in that university, 

 under the guidance of Prof. Nernst. At 

 the formal opening there were present such 

 men as Arrhenius, Beckmann, Borschers, 

 van't Hoff and others. Ostwald and Lan- 

 dolt were prevented from attending. The 

 following are some of the more important 

 points which were brought out by Nernst 

 on that occasion. 



To-day we are furnished with new evi- 

 dence that an intimate reunion is being 

 effected between two branches of science 



* Published by Vanderhoeck and Ruprecht. Got- 

 tingen, 1896. 



