Omaha daily bee., 1911-02-23
BRYCE AT JOHNS HOPKINS
British Ambassador Addresses Stu
dents on Specialization
DANGERS IN MODERN TENDENCY
Nsrrowness OF view May ResuIt from
Too CIose Application to One
Branch Of study, says
EnRIish Envoy.

| BALTIMORE. Md. Feb. 22.-The dangers
/ that Turk I'm the modern tendency toward
specialization in education were pointed out
to the students Of Johns Hopkins university
today by James Bryce ambassador from
Great Britain to the United States MIR.
Bryce was among the speakers at the uni
versity's annual celebration OF commence
Grafton. He said specialization was inevita-
BILE, because Of the far reaching nature Of
modern scientific Investigations; but
warned his hearers that narrowness OF view
might result from too close application to
q special branch of study.
The speaker likened the pursuit OF knowl-
edge to following path which continually
branched out in many directions. The
study Of many sciences had undergone a
complete change in the last few decades
he said and Independent courses were now
given by the universities in subjects for
merly embraced with others under a broad
general heading and all given by one pro-
fessor New professions had grown up as
a result.
consequences OF specialization,
This sort OF specialization has become
Inevitable" Mr. Bryce continued. but
there is a consequence attached 20 It which
has seemed almost equally inevitable,
namely that part given to general study
TO a knowledge both Of natural science In
general and Of other subjects has now had
TO be devoted to this special study. The
problem has two aspsets--lt raises the
question Of a mastery of the principles Of
the sciences Of nature IN general as against
highly specialized study Of some one de-
partment. II also raises the question OF
the respective claims Of the study Of physi-
cal sciences or some branch Of It as against
Al. H. hre
man Sciences or II you prefer it, human
subjects.
General Knowledge Important.
"In the sphere OF natural science-it would
include knowledge not necessarily wide,
but sound and exact as far as It went-of
some deductive science and OF some science
of observations or some department OF
biology or of such a science as chemistry.
! On the human side 1t would include a
knowledge of one Of what may be called
the abstract sciences, and of one OF the
observationa subjects. such as economies
or politics. Il would include a knowledge
Of the principles of language and 1t would
! include history.
specialization is not only essential to
the progress OF discovery but in many
minor ways excellent. The scientific in
vestigator seems to have on the whole the
happiest kind Of life that is now possible.
Admitting all this and more than might
be said on behalf OF specialization, It is
nevertheless right TO present some dangers
that seem to arise from the immense ex-
tension Of the specializing tendency.
Specialists often Marrow.
/ Devotion to any special study, whether
in the sphere Of natural science not,
tends to narrow the mind and prevents the
faculties from attaining their highest de-
velopments Many of the greatest dis
coveries have arisen from bringing together
facts and Ideas drawn from different
regions whose relations had not previously
been disoerned The more you extend the
range Of knowledge. the more you increase
the chance Of such discoveries. Most OF the
great men to whom the progress Of science
is due were not trained as specialists, but
had minds that ranged far and wide over
/ the field OF knowledge"