302 SCIENCE TEACHING. 



With lemon in hand the teacher stands before liis inexperienced pupil ; 

 "bitino- it, he says "It is sour," and the statement is repeated by his pupil. 

 After pressing the lemon the teacher says it is elastic, repeated by the pupil. 

 ]^ow, stating the language of the teacher, he says, "The lemon is sour and 

 elastic." What has the pupil done? Pronounced two words and has seen 

 method. What more has he been taught? Nothing. The pupil must taste 

 and press the lemon, or, from it, he can never know these properties. This 

 knowledge is absolutely experimental; the meaning of these two words can 

 never be communicated. In this case the teacher's faculties of perception 

 have been improved, and his stock of knowledge increased. The pupil has 

 vocalized two words having no meaning — has been crammed. 



A pupil secures a bladder to the receiver of the air pamp. Taking the 

 handle he experiences the effort that moves the piston, withdraws the air un- 

 til he hears the roar and feels the blow of the shivered membrane. Now 

 the text book is consulted, ideas are generalized and the understanding en- 

 larged. Thorough, definite, exact and unmistakable is his knowledge. 

 Now he rises -in class to recite a living knowledge gained from a personal 

 investigation of the subject, and not what he is able to reproduce from 

 memory of what some one has said about atmospheric pressure. It is ever 

 true that the nearer the person is brought, by the use of his senses, to the 

 phenomena which he wishes to know, the more rapidly does he cultivate 

 his faculties, acquire method and obtain knowledge. In all education the 

 idea should precede the technical term which designates the object. As the 

 ■definition is the result of certain physical processes, it must ever succeed a 

 knowledge of the object and not precede it. A western school report con- 

 tains a recommendation to the school board to place a complete set of 

 weights and measures in the primary departments— these should be in 

 ■every school in the state. Burke long ago said what every practical teacher 

 knows, " I am convinced that that method of instruction which most nearly 

 a]Dproaches methods of investigation is the true method." How does such 

 .a knowledge and discipline compare with the weak, pallid and hollow words 

 recited b}^ the pupil who has only seen the textbook! Incomprehensible 

 as may be the association of the intellect and the brain, there is no doubt, 

 that, to the extent that this organism is affected by the sensation of the dif- 

 ferent senses, does knowledge become more tangible, objective, definite and 

 real. While dissecting a shark and puzzling over an unknown organ, I 

 asked Prof. Agassiz its name. "First find out all that you can about it, 

 then I will tell you," he answered. Who does not see the method and phi- 

 losophy of teaching in this remark? At another time he said: "I hope 

 you have brought no books, for I don't want you to read." "Whenwc 

 study books we are prone to remove away from the things we study." 

 " You must consider things unknown to you as unknown to science." With 

 regard to physical science Prof. Huxley says that mere text book work is a 

 sham and a delusion, while G-uiot has added the warning that " The bane of 

 ■our school work is the confounding of knowledge with memorization."- it 



