1870.] On Practical Scientific Instruction. 227 



occupations, and " those who are unscientific will have much less 

 employment, and will be left behind in the race of life." England 

 also will be compelled, by the necessities of human progress and the 

 advance of foreign intellect, to determine and recognize the proper 

 value of science as a branch of education. 



The philosophy of matter is the foundation of all manufacturing 

 arts and artistic processes ; technical education, or the relations of 

 science to manufactures, &c, can only be properly imparted upon 

 the basis of a sufficient knowledge of theoretical science. An 

 attempt to impart technical education without such a basis would 

 be but a very imperfect improvement upon the present system of 

 learning by the " rule of thumb " alone. It is true that our artisans 

 can work and do work without scientific knowledge, but they cannot 

 work to the greatest advantage ; and it is precisely such knowledge 

 they now so badly require. It would be difficult to state exactly 

 how much of such knowledge should be imparted to intended work- 

 men ; but it should certainly include all the chief laws and principles 

 of the sciences involved in their prospective employments. What 

 persons in general, who are not intending to become teachers of 

 science, require to learn, is rather the general principles and leading 

 facts of science, and their relations to manufactures, than a large 

 extent of science ; the entire subject is altogether too great for them. 



It is both unnecessary and undesirable that lessons in science 

 should be entirely of an abstruse character, abounding in scientific 

 terms difficult to understand. All such lessons should be freely 

 illustrated by experiments, apparatus, models, processes, diagrams, 

 drawings, and the use of the black-board ; and the difficult terms 

 necessarily employed in them should be fully explained. By selecting 

 many of the illustrations from the applications of science in the 

 phenomena of the material universe, of manufactures, and of every- 

 day life, all the fundamental laws and principles of physical and 

 chemical science may be readily made intelligible to the meanest 

 intellect. By this method also, the theory of science and its prac- 

 tical applications may be simultaneously taught in the most natural 

 and effective manner. In all scientific lessons to practical persons, 

 suitable technical illustrations should be freely employed. Artisans 

 have to deal, not so much with the laws and principles of substances 

 and forces, as with the substances and forces themselves ; and men 

 who have to deal with matter and forces require not only the forms 

 but the tangible realities of scientific knowledge. If an attempt is 

 made to teach pure science alone without such illustrations, working- 

 men and practical persons will not accept it, because they cannot 

 perceive its application to their wants. What they specially require 

 to be taught is, lioiv such knoivleclge is applied and operates in 

 their several occupations. 



Each special manufacture usually involves the principles of 



