April, ’23] 
OSBORN:PERSONAL CONTACT WITH STUDENTS 
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future progress of our science is closely linked with the quality and 
training of the men who are preparing to devote their lives to effort in 
this field. 
Whatever we may believe as to the desirability of the standardizing 
of our entomological training, whether we favor a large freedom in the 
basic courses or would insist on rigid training in certain technical details 
that appear important or imperative I presume there will be no great 
difference of opinion when we consider the personal equation and recog¬ 
nize the place that the teacher must occupy in any scheme of training 
that may be devised. Not only technical training but personal charac¬ 
ter must enter into the equipment of a successful professional worker. 
So I anticipate no very serious opposition in the discussion of my topic 
in this symposium. 
I suppose no argument is necessary to show that a great part of our 
knowledge is gained by personal contact with some teacher. The 
biographies of conspicuous figures of all ages prove that they have 
received their impulse or direction from some more experienced person 
or that they have in turn been the stimulating force for many followers. 
Probably every one present looks back to one or a number of teachers 
who have given the initial impulse or the guiding force in shaping his own 
career. Other factors may play a large part in individual cases, and we 
can allow for the exceptional genius who seems to have blazed his own 
trail in unknown territory but to the great majority the personal 
approach is a most essential part of our systems of education. 
This does not mean that individuals must always be related as 
teacher and pupil or have this contact under the formal methods of 
any kind of school. Indeed some most striking cases of inspiration 
and direction are found entirely outside the halls of learning. 
Under our modern conditions of education there is less of opportunity 
for contact between teacher and pupil especially in all the lower grades 
of school work, and it seems to me that we have lost proportionately in 
the personal influence cf teacher upon the pupil. Perhaps the most 
ideal condition for certain phases of education was found in the system 
of tutor and pupil with practically a personal direction for each individ¬ 
ual. This of course restricted the educational effort to the favored few 
and we cannot regret the change which has given us a greater degree 
of universal education even if we have lost some of the advantages of 
the individual training. I once heard a distinguished educator remark 
that he believed that music was better taught than any other subject 
because of the individual direction in vogue with that subject. How- 
