67 



had time to staMli/i' tluiii. However, there has never been 

 such an age as the present. Days count ahnost as years of 

 certain earher periods, lender such conditions, a modem subject 

 is rapidly adapted to our educational needs. Furthermore, 

 biology certainK- has the merit of haxint^ had no opportunity to 

 become fossilized. 



Our elementary course in biology was Ijorn about 1900, was 

 revised thoroughly in 1905, again in 1910, and a new revision has 

 just come from the press. The advanced course in biology was 

 approved three or four years ago. It is now undergoing a 

 revision. 



During this interval of twenty years, the aims of the course 

 have broadened and the work became more definite. And now at 

 the end of this time, when we have the best courses that we have 

 ever had, when we have a corps of highly trained ef^cient teachers, 

 and know that ours is one of the most valuable subjects in the 

 whole curiculum, it is actually being forced out of the schools for 

 a conglomeration of every thing in kingdom come which for lack 

 of a better name is called general science. The New York City 

 schools are now teaching general science without a syllabus and 

 without specially trained teachers. 



I have looked over about a dozen text-books in general science, 

 some good, some fair, and some poor, and have the honest con- 

 viction that the subject, at the present time, is not well organized. 



True to their name, our biology courses center about life and 

 li\ing things. Their aim is to teach the fundamental principles 

 of life and it is impossible to develop these principles hi the limited 

 time given to the subject in a general science course. To accomplish 

 this it is necessary to study a number of forms that are widely 

 different. This is why we have put into our courses a consider- 

 able amount of plant study, a somewhat less amount of animal 

 study, and, finally, a study of man wath an application of these 

 principles to him. We believe that a pupil who has proved 

 that respiration takes place in germinating seeds, that it takes 

 place in higher plants, that it is necessary in the life of the Para- 

 mecium, who understands how the insects, the fish and the frog 

 are adapted for breathing, and who knows something of the organs 



