Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-05-12

.,,er on the teaching oil Natural se'en'
PlpI g,s schools was read by Prot H..
+. Andrews
N.tutni sciences In the Schools
..,.,.,,er coordination and disiubu.
.sl tts natural sciences in tic high
uyl curriculum presents difficulties
selgI spd MS vet seemingly insur-
p,,.,,tfe In so lar as an approach TO
on ideai arrangement Is concerned ~
nI ,f ibe Committee Of Ten the
Am ion as 10 the logical order IS con
f,sd TO the question OF when OF the
loo subjects, physics ana chemistry,
.souId prcccde the other ~ thc thlfu
md fourth years Of the course Again,
he biological subjects have been rele-
Tod 10 the duty OF flling waste places.
III Is ihc opinion Of many that under
Hr pfesent conditions the physical
,r'.p.es cannot well be considered pre-.
,ors TO the last two years OF the course
owing 20 the lack Of sufficient prepare
m m mathematics. However, an ac'
.ssIni1nce with the elements Of physics
ssI chemistry constitutes far more
g.sertal requirement as preparation
M 5n intelligent study Of biology than
Jget algebra aud gcomctryior the same
g,sIe of work in the former subjects.
Asarc.uIt of insufficient preparation in
ife physical sciences zoology has In
mary cases become little more than an
I0tfI.y.,cerll excursion through the an
imai kingdom and botany a training In
hiIl climbing and racing through botan'
teal keys
am aware that In taking this position
Ishlll probably be considered a pedi.
otogicil hereto but have not done so
without some consideration Of the diii'
entities which seem TO make IL unteuablc.
Inc necessity Of articulating these sub
iecis according to their own natural
ss1uencc seems to be 40 great that the
difficulties must In some way be met
SO subject becomes a science until u
comprises % consideration OF adaptations
and fntcr.rclaiions. In the so.called
natural sciences from chemistry tophys'
i8iugy wc consider the intcrfclaiious
between matter and energy. In the
physical sciences we simply consider
inert matter, but DO the biological VIC
meet this same inert matter rs the seat
of that comp cx set Of phenomena called
DIE. Thus the former subjects consii'
tl,c DE basis OF biology lust as the
fragrant flower or the singing bird Is
H.hrr than the roadside dust from
winch Dc has been evolved 10 be again
returned hy physical and chemical
change. So Is rs study higher The
principle that inert matter has no power
within itself to resist extra molecular
forces has a Tar simpler manifestation
900 the ball Of plastic clay than Ia geology
as the basis Of world formation Or IN
biology proper as the fundamental prin'
lIpIe Of organic evolution.
The subject OF physics Is the one Of
90 natural sciences usually empharised
in the high school, and Il has accord.
mgly ouigtoWu the rest There Is also
a resulting lack Ut harmony in the dis.
positions Of the different factors In
physics work. In the remaining sub
JcCis the laboratory work is what may
DE termed development IN that the
students own experiments or demon
STATIONS develop the subject and pre-
ccdc the lectures, quizcs, and supple
mentafy reading. the foremost OF which
Is for the purpose Of assisting the
student 10 properly make h'I deductions,
10 couelate, and to supplement his
knowledge already gaIneI, while the
quiz Is Tor tile usual purpose. On the
other hand IN the case Of the precocious
member Of the natural science family
the best results under the present con.
dliions are had, and this Is In harmony
with the report, when the development.
cal experiments are conducted by the
instructor and the STUDENT experiments
are made TO verify Ia an extended
manner the principles aud laws estab.
lbhed already and not to develop them.
This may seem the best we can do, but
70 is, ! believe, a second best. Il is IN
short @ question Of whether these sub.
iggb shall be arranged according TO
their natural sequence and aiinil.cs or
according 10 some foreign relation.
n ID were possible To place physics In
the first year and sufficient duplicate
apparatus could be had, and MS cost
would De small, Inasmuch as most Of
h could be home made, each pupil
could derive his information by actual
contact, and believe the results would
prove the wisdom Of the effort, and that
Tie actual amount and quality Of infor-
nation and training would not thereby
suileJ while the pupil would be pre-.
pared to take up those subjects which
H'AhtNltN lNllNNs IN 10 AlN utANhhhiy
mathematics ! would say that there Is
nothing in the ordinary course In
physics which should not be interpreted
In terms Of arithmetic and such geom.
eiry as could be studied In the lower
grades with profit.
The work Ia chemistry could be taken
up during the second year. The kind
Of work done need not be materially
changed, except 20 aim more TO teach
the general principles OF the chemical
conduct Of the elements and not so
much TO ucquaint the pupil with the
whole catalogue Of chemical compounds
Again, however, we are confronted with
The same aTgument-that chemistry also
h too abstfuse for the pupil OF the
second year. In reply Il may certainly
Doe said that chemical affinity and the
laws governing chemical reactions,
lhough difficult, are far less so than
Nose governing the Intersections OF
organisms from the lowest mysomycetes
To the highest psychic being. Therefore
~ would seem advisable to begin with
the simplest first
In regard TO the biological sciences
lhe first thing TO be said Is that they are
ihe neglected ones regardless OF the
IAcl that In relation TO human interest
Anl welfare they are as high above the
physical as man Is above the shoes on
nus feet; they consider life and living
lhlngs, a part OF which we are; they
apply the laws Of physics and chemistry
20 Nllal phenomena Of necessity since
ME Is manifested only through ordinary
inert matter ia unuguaI ral,ti,pe nuJ