New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-09
Science for Child rem.

4
And know he has taken my darling
To boom in tho garden OF GGd.
| Science for Chlldren.
| On Saturday, June 10, Professor Huxle,
! delivered an address to the members of tn
| Edinbnrg branch of the Educational lnsti
| tute of Scotland and others. in the larg
hall of the Watt Institution. Chamber.
| street, on the subject of Tho Teaching o.
| Science in Schools"
| Professor Huxley said. i'll dealing Will
this topic, what they had to DO, in the FRS
| place, was to consider dow the teaching o.
| science was carried out when the object Of
the teacher was simply TO teach science
and when he was embarrassed by no other
c0nsideratiOns. Tho system of teaching
| science, like all wholesome things, had
grown up out of practical necessities. La
almost al cases . science is the outcome
of IN art. People came to feel the necee'
sity of systematizing the rules Of On
art, and for building on them to the fnrthest
extent, and these rules Of an art had be-
come what people nowadays call science,
That WAS eminently the case with the
science the teaching Of which first became
properly ,organized-he referred to the
knowledge of that science grew ont of
medicine. II became needful that men
shoald have such . knowledge of tho struc-
ture 0fsthe human body - they could de-
pend upon-kn0wledge Of the same kind -
that which they possessed Of their own Of
faiYs-kn0Wledge which, to put it in its
coaFsest form, 10 the knowledge which 10
worth money. 1t WAS found that to acquire
that real kno Wedge Of anatomy they could
not trust merely to the oral instruction of .
teacher, even though supplemented by
books or aided by Diagrams. 1t WAS neces-
ssry chat the person taught should 60
over the matter for himself, and
learn it at first hand, 90 that from
that time forth his knowledge of it was %
good a. that possessed by his teacher. The
other sciences chemistry, physics, natural
philosophy, botany, physiology, and, in
short, every other branch Of physical
found themselves constrained to follow tho
example of anatomy. In France and Ger
nany-especially in the latter Countrywide
laboratories for practical teaching have
now attained marvellous magnitude, and an
astonishing completeness of equipment. 1t
was astonishing how difficult thing it was
to sec exactly what 10 to be seen in any.
thing and to state what has been observed
without putting in anything more than has
that mas been observed. He would say
that, upon the whole, it was the very rarest
of all human qualifications, and about
the last which 10 attained by scientific
or any other discipline; yet it might
be said that the lack of it was
at the bottom of almost all the miseries of
human life. because people allowed the
sentiment with regard to actual occurrences
to contain hypothesis in addition to the OBJ
jective matter of tact. The source Of every
error in ecience-the source of all mistakes
which We are making every day-was to be
found in this unlucky habit of people not
being abla to see about them, and putting
into their statement more than was war
ranted by facts. But besides being able to
use the mind, there were other facilities
and powers and instincts in mans nature.
He could imagine person with endless
knowledge, and with great facility and
dexterity in using it, who was q man de-
void of culture in the highest sense Of the
word. He thought that what was meant
by culture was disposition of the m1nd-
= certain understanding of ones rela-
tiOns to that which is not ones self
certain confidence in the order of
things, and he knew no study, no pur-
suit, which was so competent to give this
peculiar frame and disposition of the mind,
which alone, in his judgment, deserved the
name of culture, as the pursuit of science. 1
Professor Huxley said that having formed
the ideal, and knowing what was essential
to the sound teaching of science, 1t was we'll
90 ask how far 1t was desirable to introduce
this teaching into schools; how far was It |
possible to do it; and it it were possible,
what were the conditions and limitations
on which it could be done! With RESPECT
to the advisableness he did not think, look
ing at the question in the abstract. that he
needed to enlarge upon hat at this time of !
day. He did not think nat anybody could
be found to seriously maintain The propo-
sltlon that boy or girl ehould leave school
absolutely unable to understand the com.
monest phenomena of nature. So again he
lid not think that any one would seriously
argue that it was not desirable, if it were |
possible, that young people should get some
hing OF that sort of discipline about which |
ne had been taking. He could not but think |
young people were constantly disciplined |
md trained in the habit of accurate OBJ |
.ervation, learned to mistrust their imme
late impressions and especially exhorted |
With their observations, it would be alto. |
yether for their good and they would be |
'etter prepared to enter life when they left
choOl than they are now. The mind of a |
hid If given by nature to speculate and
orm hypothesis upon everything that
omes within its reach, and if they did not
i've it the means of forming right
lypotheses it would certainly form wrong
mes. 1t was eminently desirable that the
peculative nOtions-ths nquiries-of chill
rem should be satisfied, and that the opin.
ons they form should be sound. Referring
the question of whether it was possible
have this teaching, Professor Huxley said
9 knew it to be lamentably true that tho
chool time of young people is very full; in
act, he might venture to say, was consider
bly, overwhelmed. The world at present
going examination mad. They were
radually ceasing to care for knowledge,
are for learning; what they. did care for
'as to pass examination. But there was
Q reason why that should not be altered.
here was nothing in the nature of things,
far az he knew, which obliged education
be what it is now. There was no divine |
W which settled that the objects of edu-
alton ehOuld be as they ere at present.
he were to discuss the value of these |
lbjects as compared with science, he would |
1ter upon q very large feld-one that he
I'D not touched elsewhere, and on which
e opinions were entirely unchanged. He
ID not very much care to discuss it at
resent, because having occasion to watch
10 course of things very carefully during
le last thirty years, he had begun to see or ,
DIAL currents of modern civilization were
tnng. There had been q time when he
ID been very anxious about the introduce
On OF scientific teaching into our &C aools
ID universities. He had ceased to be I
lxlous about it. The tide had set that
az; 1t is rising, it is flowing as fast as il {
n now, and if those who are opposed to it
not get out of the way they will be Y
Vept out. In attempting to teach science | q
tne young people they must begin with t
o common and familiar properties of Z