170 



SCIJEJVC^. 



[Vol. IX., No. 211 



action of known laws and forces. Until within 

 very recent times, however, it has not been 

 imagined that the phenomena of life could be 

 brought under the same laws which regulate the 

 inorganic world. Life seems so different from 

 all that is not living that it has been regarded as 

 standing by itself. It is, withal, so mysterious 

 that it has at all times been regarded as a direct 

 instance of almighty power, and living things 

 have been looked upon as miracles concerning 

 which it was almost sacrilege to question. 



Modern dynamical biology owes its existence to 

 the attempt to apply to the organic world the same 

 course of investigation which has been successful 

 elsewhere ; nay, indeed, to apply to yfe the same 

 chemical and physical laws which govern the in- 

 organic world. The first great step was taken in 

 this direction by Darwin when he tried to show 

 that species were not to be considered as special 

 creations, but as having had a natural origin. 

 Zoology and botany, as they had been studied be- 

 fore, were simply statical sciences, merely study- 

 ing and classifying facts as they were found. 

 Modern biology is a dynamical science, in that it 

 attempts to explain the facts of life. All vital 

 phenomena have been attacked with this purpose in 

 view, and biologists are now strenuously trying to 

 come to some explanation of the fundamental 

 fact of life itself by the application of chemical 

 and physical laws. 



It is plain enough that such study and such 

 conclusions are of great significance to the 

 thoughts and beliefs of every one. It is not 

 strange that these conclusions, removing as they 

 do so many miracles from nature, should be re- 

 garded by many as conflicting with all theistic be- 

 lief, for we are all inclined to think a fact is un- 

 derstood when it is comprised under any law. 

 But it is equally evident that more careful thought 

 shows that, even accepting these conclusions of 

 biology, we are by no means able to say we have 

 fathomed life, for we do not understand the rea- 

 son for the existence of any single chemical or 

 physical law. But whatever be the conclusion 

 which may be reached as to the ability of biolo- 

 gists to explain life-principles, or as to the signifi- 

 cance of the explanation when reached, it is cer- 

 tainly a necessity for any one who wishes to com- 

 prehend the thought of the times to get acquainted 

 more or less intimately with these attempts of the 

 neiv science. The students who go out from our 

 higher schools are to take a stand among the fore- 

 most thinkers. Indeed, they are, it is hoped, to 

 advance the thought of the world. Whether they 

 be theologians, philosophers, scientists, or teach- 

 ers, it is necessary for them to realize the mean- 

 ing of the application of dynamics to life : they 



should understand the positions held by advanced 

 biologists, and know at least the sort of arguments 

 used to support these positions. In this fact, then, 

 lies the essential reason for the growing impor- 

 tance of this study. As a branch for special 

 study, biology has its own fascination and defence. 

 But &.S fast as it becomes freed from the burden of 

 detail, and becomes a study of life-principles, just 

 so fast will it become recognized as a necessary 

 part of the education of the general student 



H. W. Conn. 



THE FRENCH LYCEE. 



While much of the educational inspiration of 

 the day is drawn from Germany, it must be borne 

 in mind that France is actively engaged in think- 

 ing out the great problems which are of common 

 interest to all nations. We hear much of the 

 ' gymnasium ' and 'realschule,' but not so much 

 of the ' lycee.' This word should call to our 

 minds as definite and accurate an idea as the word 

 ' gymnasium ' does. The material for such an 

 idea is contained in a short account of the curricu- 

 lum of a French lycee recently published by Mr. 

 W. H. Fraser of Upper Canada college. 



The word ' lycee ' itself, in its present applica- 

 tion to the secondary colleges of France, dates 

 back to Napoleon Bonaparte, and v/as given by 

 him to them when he re-organized the university 

 system. The name was afterwards changed to 

 ' college royal ' at the restoration and under Louis 

 Phillippe, but was changed again to lyc^e in 1848. 

 'Lycee' is the French form of IvKeiov, the gymna- 

 sium near Athens, where Aristotle assembled the 

 members of his school of philosophy. By exten- 

 sion it was applied to certain schools in Paris de- 

 voted to science and literature. Almost every 

 considerable city and town in France has now its 

 lycee, whilst in Paris there are several of them, 

 for example, Lycee Henri IV., Louis-le-Grand,St. 

 Louis, and others, — enormous establishments af- 

 fording accommodation to many hundreds of stu- 

 dents, both internes and externes, as the students 

 in residence and the outsiders are respectively 

 called. Until recently, only boys enjoyed the 

 privileges of these colleges, but now provision has 

 been made in several places, including Paris, for 

 the education of girls also. Their colleges are en- 

 tirely distinct, and the programme of those for 

 girls is, in the main, a modified form of that pre- 

 pared for their brothers. 



The whole course of the lycee should be com- 

 pleted, and generally is completed, by the pupil 

 before he has reached his twenty-first year. It 

 may be finished, however, by the eighteenth 

 year. This is not astonishing, when we reflect that 



