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favor the special course, operate also in the high school. There 

 are the "classical" and the "scientific" courses, preparatory 

 for college. As the majority of its graduates do not enter 

 college, it is urged that such should not be compelled to take 

 these preparatory courses, but for them should be provided suit- 

 able courses fitting for business, teaching, etc.; the ideal is the 

 special, rather than the general course. In a normal course some 

 biological study has generally been included, not as an essential 

 educational element, but because the teacher anticipates the pos- 

 sibility that he may be required to teach the subject. In the train- 

 ing of teachers for special lines, biology is naturally excluded ; 

 and unless biology be established as an essential part of second- 

 ary education, there will be a decreasing number of general 

 teachers prepared to teach this subject. Perhaps most of the 

 educated men of yesterday had studied some biology though but 

 a mere smattering of antiquated rudiments ; to-day, very few of 

 our educated men have received even that much. This is the 

 more remarkable in view of the recent wonderful development of 

 this science, and the increasing rate at which biological problems 

 are pressing into public interest in directions both practical and 

 theoretical. The air is full of biologic lore though mostly false, 

 inadequate, and distorted. Our newspapers have it in the edi- 

 torial, in the advertizing, and the reportorial column. A biolog- 

 ical basis underlies half the utterances of the pulpit. Questions 

 of public policy involving ventilation, disinfection, quarantine, 

 pure food, alcohol, athletics, protection of birds, and of forests, 

 destruction of insects, eradication of tuberculosis, etc. envelope 

 us as an atmosphere ; yet the principles involved, are considered 

 expert knowledge, just as in olden days the average man had to 

 hire his reading and writing done for him. 



If any one doubts the statement that our educational ideals are 

 against including biology as an essential of a general education, 

 let him try to have biology substituted for even so small a part 

 as one tenth of the time devoted to Mathematics, English, Greek, 

 Latin, or German, in oiir educational institutions. The time given 

 to the so-called " humanities," has been increased by borrowing 

 from scientific subjects, and often actually excluding biology. 



