Reconstruction of Elementary Botanical Teaching , 255 
would he purposeless, as local conditions and personal inclinations 
of the teacher will, let us hope, always he responsible for wide 
differences in the teaching programme in different places. There 
is nothing ideal in a monotonous uniformity. 
The introductory course, hy which I mean that provided for 
students preparing for Intermediate B.Sc. examinations or those of 
a similar standard, would he succeeded hy intermediate courses in 
which the student would have an opportunity of a more intimate 
acquaintance with the methods of morphology and phylogeny, 
physiology, genetics and pathology. I think this can he done 
without the expenditure of more time than is already devoted to a 
Pass B. Sc. course, nor does it involve generally speaking any 
great change of subject matter, though in many institutions no 
douht a certain amount of morphology could he sacrificed at this 
stage without harm resulting. But it does seem to me that a 
student in his Final B. Sc. course should he given a working 
acquaintance with those aspects of hotany which are of econonic 
importance. We must always keep in view the aims of students 
and remember that the majority have to earn a living. I fully 
agree with the original memorandum that we should provide 
teaching with an outlook on practical life. One of your corres¬ 
pondents objects to this view apparently on the ground that because 
a distinguished botanist was fortunate enough to be able to choose 
her own line of work without hindrance, therefore “ the great 
inheritance of the Universities is the tradition of learning for 
learning’s sake.” This all seems beside the mark. We do not 
deprecate learning for learning’s sake because we hold that 
University courses should consider the objects and economic 
interests of those who attend them. I am interested in mediaeval 
church architecture and in natural scenery, hut I should never 
suggest that courses in architecture and geology should he 
arranged to suit amateurs like me who are interested in them for 
their own sake, rather than for those who have to design 
buildings or survey for minerals in order to get their daily bread. 
The same is true in regard to hotany; we must see to it that 
those aspects of hotany which are of economic importance find 
a place in our courses. 
The study of ecology is a difficulty. Ecology is, or should be 
entirely a study of the Living Plant, but I agree with Dr. 
Jeffreys as to the difficulty of its presentation in an elementary 
course. But undoubtedly field work should occupy a much greater 
