190 “ The Student as a Synthesising OrganismT 
can be divided into two classes, facts and theories ; the source of 
the material varies, it may be plants, books or lecture notes; the 
synthesising energy is supplied by the teacher. 
An assimilating organism is obviously necessary and the proper 
study of its characteristics is essential to the solution of the 
problem. That facts are necessary is clear, since without some 
facts there can be no theories. The necessity of facts can also 
be demonstrated by placing the organism in an atmosphere devoid 
of facts; synthesis of effective knowledge does not take place. 
The necessity of theories can be shown in a similar way by 
depriving the organism of its supply of this class of material; with 
facts present and theories absent the former merely accumulate in 
the outer regions of the organism and, not being assimilated, the 
material is not effective in so far as it cannot be applied in the 
various fields of activity. 
The four remaining factors are—plants, books, lecture notes 
and the synthesising energy. That plants are necessary for the life 
of the organism is clear, since without plants there could be no 
botanical student. The result of varying the supply of plants must 
be considered. With a quantity just sufficient for the life of the 
organism, such as is supplied in city schools and tutorial colleges, 
the organism becomes stunted and develops malformations. The 
plant material can be classified as non-available, available and 
excess. The non-available plant material is necessary because it 
forms the basis of the available material. The available plant 
material must not be in excess; if it is not aerated with at least 
a little theory the process of assimilation is stopped. Such material 
must, however, be present in abundance as the demand for it by the 
organism varies greatly from time to time. It is clear, therefore, 
that the plant material is detrimental only in extreme conditions, 
and with a normal supply the variations in quantity appear to have 
little effect on the amount of assimilation. 
The book supply is important. If the supply be very small the 
general health of the organism is affected, but an excess is not 
detrimental since the organism uses just the amount required for 
assimilation and life in general, and does not become aware of the 
presence of a greater supply until the need for such material 
arises. This is because the book material is of a gaseous or 
theoretical nature, unlike the plant material which is solid fact. 
It is with the two other factors that we are most directly 
concerned. The lecture note material acts as a limiting factor 
