3i6 Taylor on Geology in our Preparatory Schools. 
GEOLOGY IN OUR PREPARATORY SCHOOLS. 
BY W. EDGAR TAYLOR, 
Nebraska State Normal School, Peru, Neb. 
A loud cry for help is going out from the teaching profession. In- 
formation is wanted as to how, what and where, to find means to teach 
geology. The professional chairs in schools and colleges, no less than 
the country sqhool houses, are beginning to resound with the inquiry, 
for guidance, for suggestions, and for direct information as to the ways 
and nieans for geological information, and especially for giving geologi- 
cal instruction. — American Geologist. 
The Section of Geology of The American Association for 
the Advancement of Science heeded this loud call in part, at 
least, by presenting two papers at its last meeting on the sub- 
ject of geological teaching. But while this need of improve- 
ment is felt mostly in the university, the class of schools named 
can not hope to make much progress in geological teaching till 
the preparatory schools, including high schools, smaller col- 
leges and normal schools become aroused to the importance of 
the work. This fact teachers of geology seem to have over- 
looked entirely. We do not remember to have seen an article 
on the subject of teaching geology published in any general 
educational journal, nor have we noticed an article of the kind 
named, treating the subject as taught in preparatory schools, in 
any journal or magazine, literary or scientific. Papers on 
methods and plans of doing geological work and teaching, in 
larger colleges and universities, are more common of late years, 
but we repeat, instruction suitable for our preparatory teachers 
is sadly lacking. This being true, does it seem strange that the 
methods of teaching this one branch are far behind methods 
employed in the other sciences? Most teachers of geology in 
our preparatory schools are not specialists in any of the sciences; 
most geological literature, owing to its cost, is out of their reach, 
and geology seldom being mentioned in their general educational 
readings, their immediate attention is scarcely ever called to the 
subject. If specialists, their preference more frequently is in 
some other line, and hence geology is given but little attention. 
Since the smaller schools have given but little attention to 
geological work but little time is given to its study, while this 
