250 Ohio State Academy of Science 



present time due to the classical education that is dealt out by 

 our institutions of Higher Education? Surely he must be a 

 prejudiced partisan who will dare to answer this question in the 

 affirmative. 



Unquestionably, my friends, the scientific side of life has 

 the upper hand at the present time. The greatest advancement 

 in modern times has been along all lines of science and no one 

 can doubt that this will continue for many generations to come. 



Our secondary schools are and, of course, should be con- 

 servative institutions, but they like everything else must bow to 

 the inevitable. They cannot maintain a course that is not in 

 harmony with modern development. It is difficult to make an 

 engineer believe that his success is due to the classical education 

 that he may have had in his youth, and it will be still harder to 

 make him see how his son's prospects in life will be spoiled by 

 pursuing the sciences in the high school rather than Latin. 



A new doctrine of philosophy put forth today, however 

 plausible it may be, does not cause more than a ripple on the 

 surface. The world reads about it, gives it a moment's thought 

 and then forgets it. It is not so with the fate of some new 

 invention or discovery. Surely no philosopher or literary man 

 of modern times has stirred the world of thought as has Marconi. 

 Nothing but theories in former times could furnish wings to the 

 imagination, while today man finds outlet in things that are real, 

 in things that will benefit the human race in a material way. 



This is a materialistic age, however much we may regret the 

 fact, yet fact it remains. The whole tendency of modern times 

 is in this direction. Man is ho longer punished for what he 

 thinks. Little does it matter to me what my neighbor's theories 

 and beliefs are, provided his acts are right and he allows me to 

 live in peaceable possession of what I call my own. The modern 

 institution of learning, be it Higher or Secondary, must recognize 

 these facts and govern itself accordingly. 



If we but pick up the text books of science of twenty years 

 ago we shall see that the science work that was done at that time 

 by our colleges is now being better done by our high schools-. Is 

 this true of other things ? Did not our youth who were intended 

 for the university in former times begin the study of Latin at 

 the age of seven or eight years? Does anyone advocate this idea 

 at the present time? 



Then is it not plain that this scientific idea has alread}^ influ- 

 enced and is still influencing our schools? And who will dare to 

 say where the end may be ? No, my friends, hard as it may seem 

 to some of us, our schools must and will reflect, and be in har- 

 mony with the modern tendency, and all the argument and 

 eloquence of a Demosthenes or a Gladstone can not prevent it 



