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Next as to jealousy, or rather let me call it competition among 

 the various high school subjects for a permanent place in the 

 curriculum. In the New York City high schools we have had 

 until recently three sciences in our course of study — biology in 

 the first year, chemistry or physics in the second and physics or 

 chemistry in the third, with sometimes an elective in the fourth 

 year. Suddenly, however, from out of the west came a gay 

 young Lochinvar, known as general science and then things 

 began to happen. I shall not attempt to enter into a detailed 

 discussion of general science here this evening. That is a topic 

 calling for a special meeting by itself. Suffice it to say that our 

 friends the physicists and chemists, especially the physicists, 

 at once seized upon it as the solution of many of their problems, 

 and in their magnanimous and altruistic spirit worked for its 

 introduction into first-year high school in place of biology. 

 For years the physics and chemistry people have been worried 

 over the immaturity of their pupils and the time it took them to 

 learn elementary physical and chemical principles. They could 

 do none of their cherished advanced work and they certainly 

 were in a quandary. Therefore, when general science appeared 

 over the horizon they seized upon it with avidity as a preparation 

 and a preliminary subject for their own courses. Here, said they, 

 is just the thing to give the first-year pupil the proper apper- 

 ceptive mass of physical facts and principles upon which we can 

 later construct our real physics and chemistry. Here is our 

 looked-for opportunity. Did they ever consider what this would 

 do to biology? I don't believe they ever deemed it worth 

 thinking about. What I have just said about general science 

 and the physical science folk may seem a trifle exaggerated. 

 If, however, you wish to substantiate it, just look over the general 

 science text-books that are being published and see the relative 

 amount of space devoted to physics, chemistry and biology, or 

 examine the topics taken up in the high schools where general 

 science is now being taught. In one high school in Brooklyn 

 first-year general science is actually being taught by physics and 

 chemistry teachers. That, I think, should show which way the 

 wind is blowing. 



