Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-02-26
SCIENTISTS OF
ENGLAND TRYING
TO WAKE COUNTRY
Statement Is Made That Lead
ing Statesmen and Thinkers
Of Nation Are Ignorant on
important Matters,
tAssociated Pres. Correspondence,


ant Of science. but the same defee
runs through almost all the public de
partments Of the civil service. It u
nearly universal IN the house Of com
mons and Is shared by the genera
public. including large proportion
OF those engaged in industrial ant
commercial enterprise
This statement appears in a mani
festo issued by the leading British
scientists with view to waking NJ
the country, which Is now governed
so largely BY lawyers. The signer'
include names OF international sclen.
tific reputation such as Sir william
Osler, Sir william CroOkes, and Sill
William Ramsey. They demand that
the educational system be entirely re-
| viscd The universities as well as
the type Of Eton. Harrow and Rugby
| II may be said, are under the control
Of classically educated clergymcn
who still hold largely TO the obsolete
view that science and the habit Of in
vestigation undermines religious faith
Only two exceptions are made In
the manifesto TO the charge Of official
| Ignorance Of science--the navy and
the medical department OF the army
The present government Is severely
criticised. AS an instance Of ignor-
ance OF physical science among the
rulers, the public statement of q
member OF the government Is quoted.
This statesman asked that he and
his colleagues be excused for not hav-
Ing prevented the expectation OF lard
to Germany since It had only recently
been discovered that glycerine, used
In the manufacture Of explosives,
could be obtained from lard. This
statement went unchallenged at the
time II was made. Speaking Of the
assertion that the making Of glycerlne
from lard IL recent discovery the
manifesto says
Experts Are Needed.
THE fact s on the contrary that
the chemistry Of soap making and the
accompanying production OF glycerine
Is very ancient history. In order that
such blunders may be avoided, II IN
essential that we should have pro-
portion OF men In the government
who, If not actual experts. yet have
such knowledge of science that viii
give them an Intelligent respect for It
and an understanding Of what II can
do. how to make use of II and to whom
10 apply when special knowledge Is
required"
M. al m ltn
alton of ministry of science, COM
merce and industry in the place OF
the present board Of trade, 20 keep ia
full touch with the scientific knowl-
edge of the moment. This would be
accompanied by demand for seien-
tlfic requirements, not "A examining
for examination but tests Of genuine
scientific education ON the part of
candidates for the civil service and
for the army officers schools.
To obtain these results, a plea is
made for educational reform in the
upper grade schools and colleges:
THE education of the democracy.
which gives its consent to the present
state OF things. would follow the
change in the education of the wealth
Ter classes For more than fifty years
efforts have been made by those who
are convinced of the value OF training
in experimental science, to obtain its
Introduction into the schools and coli
legcs Of the country as an essential
part of the education given therein.
At first It seemed as II the effort had
II 1, Ia. ~, hot
the old methods and old vested in
terests have retained their domi-
nance. at least as far as our ancient
universities and great schools are con-
ecrned At Cambridge but four col.
leges are presided over by mon of
scientific training at oxford but enc.
OF the thirty-fvc largest and best
known public schools, thirty-four have
classical headnasters.
The term public school," as used
IN the manifesto. does not mean free
elementary school as In the United
states. but an institution that begins
with elementary grades and carries
the student through about the sec
ond year of the American university
in most branches. but considerably
moro than that in the classics, partic-
uarly Latin. II is boarding inst-
tuition. The manifesto continues
Education Defective.
The examinations for entrance into
oxford and Cambridge and for ap-
pointments into the civil service are
among the greatest determining fac
tors in settling the kind OF education
given at our public schools. Natural
science has never been introduced as
an optional subject In the civil scrv-
ice examinations. but matters are so
arranged that only one-fourth of the
candidates offer themselves for cN-
animation in science. 1t does not pay
them 20 do SO. for In Latin and Greek
alone. including ancient history. they
can obtain $500 marks, while for
science tho maximum is 400 and TO
obtain this the candidate must take
four distinct branches of science. For
entrance into the Wooiwich artillery
school science has within the last few
wears been compulsory. but for the
sandhurst infantry school II still re-
mains optional. This college Is prob
ably tho only military institution In
Europe whore science Is not included
In the curriculum
Speaking Of the change In national
life that would result from the gem
eral teaching of science in Great
Britain. the paper concludes:
Science would rise in our schools
and gain the respect necessary for
national welfare. A popular appre-
citation and understanding of science
would begin to develop; and our Of
fioials of all kinds. no less than MEM