The sun., 1919-01-05
Educational Reform in England;
The Position of Mathematics

fine things to he seen and heard and
done. Here is delightful picture of
Faraday lecturihg before a youthful au-
dience. Mr.. Faraday used to keep his
children so cnarmngly and brilliantly
listening and watching for an hour that
no one who witnessed that truly beau
tiful spectacle of sage surrounded by
happy. sparkling faces of children-could
think any teaching Of schoolma sters
worth mentioning There could be in a
school such teacher. The remembrance
Of him as he appeared in those hours Is
delightful and unique But there have
been great teachers even among school,
masters, such a one must have been
Prince Lee. the greatest" believe said
the revered Bishop Westcstt, "among
the great teachers of his time" His
pupils were his fellow workers he made
them feel that In all learning boys must
be not so much receptive as active and
that thes only learn who think. Here
perhaps is the eist of the whole matter
they only learn who think. But as day
after day the average boy goes into his
classroom to use his ruler and compass
or to work by formulas what possible
good can it be to him Internationally IL
II does not increase his mental activity
or contribute TO the wealth of his ideas
| Or enlarge his knowledge OF man or OF
nature?
I have written with my thoughts
, centred upon the average boy. and
| advocated a step toward the solution
| Of the congested time table problem
so far as he is concerned, in so far
| as the great majority is concerned. But
in the case Of tho one boy who shows
mathematical ability and who has ex-
perienced the Joy "of seeing the next
step" and who is so often being sacr-
feed nov in the wish to keep the many
! employed. let him follow his bent to
| the fullest extent. For him there Is
| no better mental training, none which
Is so stimulating and go responsive to
| eff"rt, none which helps him to see
more clearly the conclusion OF the whole
matter, whether It is problem in
science, in law or in commercial life
Many "ears ago when DIR. Routh. the
| famous mathematical coach at Cam
| bridge, who had trained every Senior
| Wrangler and men at the top OF the
! Tripos list for nearly thirty consecu-
| tive years, was nearing the end OF his
| career a number of his old pupils met
| together to do him honor. 1t was a
| memorable gathering in beautiful Peter
| house Combination room 1t was not so
remarkable for the great number OF dis
| tinguished inathematicians as for the
| evidence of the power Of mathematics as
|
the boys Who could profit by it. and /
venture to think that no other school
| subject could have furnished such evil
| dence in any like degree
There were men at the top of every
profession-except the scholastic; why
should II be regarded as impossible for
an able mathematician to rise in that
profession alone? There were judges ga
lore, distinguished l. C.s. men eminen,
in medicine and science. specialists
whose names were household words ir
every profession and walk of life. These
were the men who boys had been
"able to take the next step" and who
are now In many schools being sacri-
| feed to the average boy: they had felt
the growing power. which is engendered
| by abstract reasoning. and the joy in
creative effort. the greatest Joy in life.
| Let mathematics primarily be for edu-
| eating the human mind and not merely
| for instruction, or let 1t make way for
! some other subject which can play a
| larger part in deepening the intellectual
life and in enforcing the moral value OF
| intellectual EFFORT.