686 INSTRUCTION TO SCIENCE TEACHERS, 
which was directed by Prof. Huxley, to whose suggestion, we be- 
lieve, liberally accepted by Mr. Forster, and acted upon by the 
government, this important scheme for raising the character of 
science teaching in the various schools and classes at present in 
relation with South Kensington is due. It had long been felt by 
those who annually examined teachers and pupils for certificates 
in various branches of science, under the Science and Art Depart- 
ment, that the candidates displayed a sad want of practical ac- 
quaintance with the subjects in which they presented themselves 
for examination: many showed considerable ability and great 
book knowledge, but a knowledge of the things themselves with 
which science deals, a proof of personal intercourse with Nature, 
which after all is the only foundation of scientific knowledge, and 
without which all the ’ologies are so much book-wormery, was to 
a very great extent wanting. Under the existing state of things 
it seemed almost impossible to get out of this vicious condition, 
for the scholars who were in their turn destined to become teachers 
were for the most part taught by mer who were deficient in prac- 
tical knowledge; and with the increasing demand for science 
teaching there appeared to be a probability of the evil being in- 
creased by the rapid accession of the book-taught students to the 
position of instructors. The only way to meet this difficulty was 
to find teachers who had the requisite familiarity with the ‘ solid 
ground of Nature,” and set them to work to leaven the mass. The 
readiest means of doing this was undoubtedly that adopted by 
the authorities — namely, to summon to a central class, the ablest 
of the teachers at present distributed throughout the kingdom, 
and to impart to them as much practical acquaintance and per- 
sonal familiarity with the things of which they had read in books, 
as was possible ina given time. By annual repetition of this plan 
there can be little doubt that the body of science teachers through- 
out the country would be materially affected. Being already ac- 
quainted with the outlines and much of the detail of their sub- 
jects by hearsay, they would readily understand and appreciate 
the facts and methods of investigating facts placed before them, 
and after passing through such a course of instruction would be 
prepared to proceed further in the same direction by their own 
individual efforts, and what is more important, to teach, not at 
second-hand, but from experience, not as fluent repeating machines 
but as thoughtful students of phenomena. 
