Mat 13, 1887.] 



8CIEWCE. 



451 



this week the instructive paper of Mr. Carr, and 

 shall follow it shortly with a discussion on the 

 function and conduct of examinations, to be par- 

 ticipated in by well-known educators. The for- 

 mulation of some test of knowledge that will 

 avoid in as large a measure as possible the evil 

 practice of ' cramming ' is what is wanted. In 

 this matter perhaps the schools might take a leaf 

 out of the experience of the universities, and make 

 the passing or not of an examination depend 

 largely upon some original work which shall in- 

 volve the principles sought to be conveyed in the 

 class-room instruction. The system of marking 

 we believe to be unsound in theory, and vicious in 

 pi'actice ; and to its operations we ascribe many of 

 the ill effects now observed to follow from com- 

 petitive examinations. But the subject is a large 

 one, and we commend it to the careful thought of 

 our readers. 



Professor Jowett of Oxford, than whom no 

 Englishman is better known for his interest and 

 activity in educational matters, is a strenuous ad- 

 vocate of state aid to education ; and that, too, 

 not in the direction of elementary education alone, 

 as is proposed in this country, but in the form of 

 direct subventions to the so-called university col- 

 leges. Ten such colleges now exist in England, 

 seven of them having been founded during the 

 past decade. If two or three more are added, 

 then provision will have been made for all the 

 cities having over one hundred thousand inhabit- 

 ants. The cost of the education in these col- 

 leges is about twelve pounds annually, — a sum 

 not only greater than the students can afford to 

 pay, but a good deal less than will suffice to keep 

 the institutions in their present state of efficiency. 

 " The financial prospect of these colleges," says Dr. 

 Jowett, " is therefore the reverse of hopeful. It 

 is practically impossible to support them by vol- 

 untary subscriptions. They do not appeal to the 

 humane or religious feelings of mankind, like hos- 

 pitals or churches ; and there are many who think 

 that the ambition of the poorer classes to have a 

 better education ought not to be encouraged." Dr. 

 Jowett touches on the many and varied benefits 

 conferred by these university colleges not only on 

 the places in which they are situated, but on the 

 country at large, and urges that the sum asked 

 for from the state is not large, and that it 

 would be given to those who have done all they 

 can to help themselves, that it might be propor- 

 tioned to subscriptions raised in the various local- 



ities, and that no new principle is involved. " No 

 principle of political economy forbids the applica- 

 tion of public money to the education of those 

 who cannot afford to educate themselves. Such 

 an expenditure is really one of the best affairs of 

 business in which a nation can engage." There is 

 some prospect, we understand, of Dr. Jowett's 

 plea being effective, at least in some degree. 



An interesting article on ' Realistic and dra- 

 matic methods in teaching geography,' by William 

 Jolly, appears in the March and April numbers of 

 the Scottish geographical magazine. The author 

 urges that the mechanical method of teaching 

 now in general use be abandoned, and that ' things 

 should be taught, not words.' He thinks that in 

 the initiatory stages the use of the text-book should 

 be entirely dispensed with, and that all teaching 

 should be based on the use of the map and of 

 models. For showing the elementary features of 

 the earth's surface, he would use models, — water 

 poured on a table, to show the relations between 

 land and water, and clay or sand to show the 

 phenomena of relief. He would then proceed to 

 explain the use of the map. We are of the 

 opinion, that, as far as possible, the natural phe- 

 nomena of the country should be made use of 

 for illustrative piirposes, as models frequently 

 give rise to ideas as incorrect as those produced 

 by mere description. Good pictures, even, might 

 be found more serviceable than clay and sand. 

 Mr. Jolly emphasizes the necessity of thoroughly 

 teaching the use and meaning of maps as showing 

 the geographical phenomena of a country, as well 

 as the usefulness of illustrating these phenomena 

 by means of pictures and collections from different 

 coiintries. This method has been adopted in many 

 schools of Germany and Switzerland. We notice 

 in the latest issue of the Journal of the Aarau 

 geographical-commercial society, that this system 

 is being supported by the Swiss geographical so- 

 ciety. The Aarau society has arranged a collec- 

 tion of photographs, products, etc., of different 

 countries, and sends it to the schools of Switzer- 

 land by turns, for use in geographical instruction. 

 The St. Gallen society has recently resolved to 

 take part in this enterprise, and has arranged a 

 similar collection for circulation in the schools of 

 eastern Switzerland. The principal difficulty in 

 teaching the use of the atlas, and of making it 

 the basis of geographical instruction, is the lack of 

 a uniform atlas. This question was discussed by 



