SCIENCE. 



461 



SCIENCE: 



A Weekly Record of Scientific 

 Progress. 

 JOHN MICHELS, Editor. 



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P. O. Box 3838. 



SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1881. 



TO OUR ENGLISH READERS. 

 We have received from Messrs. Deacon & Co., of 150 

 Leadenhall street, London, England, a standing order lor 

 a large supply of " Science," which will be forwarded 

 weekly. We shall be obliged if our English readers will 

 make this fact known to their friends. 



The death of President James A. Garfield is re- 

 gretted by the nation as a great national loss ; but all 

 friends of progress and those who desire to elevate the 

 indifferent and ignorant to a higher grade of civiliza- 

 tion, will mourn his sudden death as a calamity; for 

 he was a living example of the wonderful power of 

 education to raise a man from a humble position in 

 society to a post of high honor and usefulness, de- 

 veloping powers which not only opened up a bright 

 and brilliant career, but brought a peaceful and hope- 

 ful serenity to his mind which was evident to all who 

 enjoyed his society. 



A NEW COMET. 



Mr. E. E. Barnard, of Nashville, Tennessee, an- 

 nounced to the Smithsonian Institute, on the 21st 

 instant, the discovery of a comet by him on the 20th, 

 at two o'clock A. M., Washington mean time, in 

 seven hours forty-six minutes right ascension, and 

 thirteen degrees twenty-eight minutes north declen- 

 sion, with a daily motion of three degrees northeast. 



On the 23d instant Professor Lewis Swift, of 

 Rochester, made the following announcement in re- 

 gard to this comet : 



The position of Barnard's comet, as telegraphed from 

 Washington, is so widely erroneous that nobody would be 

 able to find it. Instead of being in cancer and having been 

 discovered at two o'clock in the morning, it was near zeta 

 virginis, low down in the Western horizon, and can be seen 

 but a few minutes. It was discovered on the evening of 

 the 19th, and at 7I1. 46m., Washington mean time, of the 

 20th, was in right ascension 13I1. 28m. 2S., declination north 

 3 deg. 47 min., with a daily motion of 3 degrees northeast. 



In consequence of smoke I have not been able to find it. 



We trust in our next issue to offer some explanation 

 of these contradictory statements. 



One of the most interesting and valuable reports 

 that has been issued by the Board of Education at 

 Washington, is that recently printed, which describes 

 the opportunities for instruction in Chemistry and 

 Physics which at present exists in the United States, 

 together with statistical tables relating to this sub- 

 ject.* 



The Department was fortunate in securing the ser- 

 vices of Professor F. W. Clarke, Professor of Chemis- 

 try and Physics in the University of Cincinnati, to 

 draw up this report, based on the mass of facts and 

 figures bearing on this matter, which had been col- 

 lected in reply to circulars issued by the Commis- 

 sioner of Education towards the close of the year 

 1878. Professor Clarke appears to possess both exe- 

 cutive and literary ability of a high order, and being 

 himself a chemist and a teacher of science, was 

 clearly in a position to do justice to the excellent in- 

 tentions of Commissioner Eaton. We congratulate 

 Professor Clarke on his success in compiling the 

 technical part of his report, and we propose, on this 

 occasion, to refer to some of his critical remarks 

 aud suggestions, which, in scientific circles, will be 

 considered the most valuable result of this investiga- 

 tion. 



Before discussing the condition of scientific instruc- 

 tion in public schools, it may be well to consider first, 

 at what age such instruction shall be commenced, 

 and whether it should be considered as a part of 

 primary education, or be reserved for high schools and 

 universities, where special courses of training in the 

 various branches can be advantageously advanced. 



Professor Clarke claims that oral instruction in 

 chemistry and physics can be made intelligible to 

 children of ten years of age. He admits, however, 

 that there is a tendency towards over-cramming the 

 lower schools with a too great variety of subjects, 

 which lead to results which are undesirable. He there- 

 fore suggests a compromise, and proposes, that in 

 primary schools a taste for science should be culti- 

 vated among children "through the medium of the 

 reading books, which might properly contain some 

 short extracts relating to natural science." This plan 

 Professor Clarke considers would be beneficial, and 

 could not be injurious. 



We can find no objection to such a course, pro- 

 vided a suitable reading book be written for the 

 purpose, but before any discussion can be made as to 

 the propriety of teaching the sciences in any form in 

 the primary schools, a more thorough reform in the 



'"'Circulars of Information of the Bureau of Education 

 No. 6. 1881. 



A report on the teaching of Chemistry and Physics in the 

 United States, by Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, S. B., Pro- 

 fessor of Chemistry and Physics in the University of Cin- 

 cinnati. Washington, 1881. 



