TH E 
NEW PHYTOIiOGIST. 
Vol. i., No. 8. 
October 30 TH, 1902 . 
TOWARDS AN IDEAL BOTANICAL CURRICULUM. 
Part II. 
TIIE ELEMENTARY UNIVERSITY COURSE. 
I N any attempt to deal with the details of the organization of 
University education in science, account must he taken of those 
newer theories of teaching, which would substitute the discovery of 
the facts at first-hand by the students for the old instruction by set 
lectures followed by illustrative practical work. That there is 
much to be said on general educational grounds for this abandon¬ 
ment of the “ method of instruction ” for the “ method of discovery ” 
is at once obvious; but there are certainly serious dangers in the 
newer method, and it may fairly be doubted whether we are ready 
for an immediate and wholesale change such as is advocated by the 
more extreme of the reformers. It is not intended to discuss here 
the pros and cons of this question, but it may be suggested that 
the ideal scientific curriculum will ultimately be found in a judicious 
combination of the two methods. Our present need is to keep a 
perfectly open mind, to try as many quiet experiments as possible, 
and constantly to revise our schemes in the light of experience. 
All that is intended in the present articles is to put together 
some ideas on the organization of a University curriculum in 
botany. Most of what is said will apply as well to a course based 
on the “ heuristic ” method as to one which follows more 
traditional lines. 
First a word on the organization of a University botanical 
department in regard to elementary work. The chief Professor, 
with supreme control of the department, should, w r e think, always 
be responsible for conducting the general elementary course. 
That duty is, of course, a traditional one, and w r e believe the 
maintenance of the tradition is of great importance. The dele- 
