: _ Structure of a sea anemone may throw light on some p 
948 Editors’ Table. [ November, 
EDITORS’ TABLE. 
EDITORS: A. S. PACKARD AND E, D. COPE. 
The statement is often made that teaching and original 
investigation are incompatible. This is not so; further, we main- 
tain that he who is engaged in advanced studies in any department 
of science is far better adapted for fulfilling the functions of an 
instructor, at least in a college, than he who is content to allow 
others to make his discoveries for him. An instructor, to be 
thoroughly qualified to instruct, should keep himself thoroughly 
posted onall the recent discoveries in his province. Unless he be 
an original investigator he will fail todoso. He will rest content 
with the text-books and the little he can assimilate by reading 
abstracts and reviews in the semi-popular scientific journals; he 
will lack that enthusiasm without which no good results can be 
expected from the student. The original investigator has that 
enthusiasm. Without it he could not be compelled to go through 
all that drudgery which is necessary to produce’ good results. 
The student in coming into his presence is at once inspired to 
work, and to be thorough in his work. The original investigator 
is forced to keep up with the times. He must keep himself posted 
as to what is going on the whole world over, in order that he may 
not waste his time and energies in doing what has already been thor- 
oughly performed. He goes to the bottom of his subject and his 
pupils may rely upon what he says; it will be the expression of the 
most recent opinion and will be authoritative so far as it lies in his 
special line. It may be 'said he will be narrow, and that he will 
have an exaggerated idea of the importance of the subject of his 
own chosen field. To a certain extent this is true, but not so far 
‘as one would at first think. All departments of any science ne) 
interdependent, and he who is specially engaged in one line 1s 
obliged to keep track of what is being done in the others, for he 
must turn in every direction for hints and comparisons. 
peculiar qualities of some substance described in the pap h 
some chemical journal may give the physicist just the points is 
needs to make some experiment a success. Some feature 10 © “ 
roblem 10 
~ the development or the diseases of man. The original investigator 
__ is forced to explore every corner and keeps his mind stored 
_ the latest discoveries, while his uninvestigating colleague _— 
only what chance throws in his way. Which one, other things 
eing equal, will make the better instructor? 
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