+1 
SPECIAL REPORT 
OF THE 
BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
To the Trustees of the University of Illinois. 
GENTLEMEN: The Biological Experiment Station of the University of Illi- 
nois was founded mainly to represent the University and the State in an im- 
portant field of Scientific investigation; to do its part towards making the 
people of the state at large acquainted with the State itself, to stimulate and 
co aid the educational activities of the public schools in respect to the biolog- 
al subjects and to reform, in some respects, their methods; and to put a 
‘foundation of precise and comprehensive knowledge of the system of aquatic 
‘ife under the practical art of the fish-culturist,especially as this is repre- 
sented by the operations of the Fish Commissions of our interior states. 
It hardly need be said that an educational institution may not properly as- 
sume and keep the name of university which is content to depend wholly on 
the abilities and activities of others for the store of knowledge which it dis- 
tributes to its students, contributing nothing on its own part to the common 
stock. Such a condition of complete dependence marks it as at best a second- 
wy school. It is also beneath the dignity of a sovereign state to depend 
vholly on others for the fundamental elements of its welfare, making no effort 
‘0 render any return in kind, On the other hand, a state university owes its 
irst duty to the people of its own state, and should investigate by preference 
mbjects which concern their welfare. Even though it may do valuable work 
n remoter fields, it neglects its own sphere of essential and immediate useful- 
less if it lets its own territory remain unexplored, and its own special prob- 
ems lie without solution. 
The teaching of biology has been for many years required in the public 
chools of Illinois, but it isa commonplace complaint that this work is far less 
raluable than it should be, and that its progress is grievously hampered be- 
‘ause most of our teachers of science have a very imperfect acquaintance 
vith the subject, matter which.should be taught ‘and with the most fruitful 
nethods of biological instruction. The University of Illinois, through its 
