The extreme method used by Agassiz in his training of investigators has unquestioned advantages in killing off weaklings, but is of little value in an unmodified condition for younger pupils. The pupil needs judicious guiding rather than driving or being left to his own resources. The teacher should

be a lover of nature and devoted to truth for truth's sake; at the same time, he must not be too exacting of the beginner. As the work advances, more and more must be expected of the pupil; better description and more accurate drawings. One of Agassiz's mottos, "Study specimens and refer to books," gives in a nutshell one of the great principles of zoologic study.

It is a pleasure to watch each pupil for some glimpse of real interest and to make it easy for him to take a second and many succeeding steps toward independent work. Develop his individuality whenever possible. The laboratory and its appliances, together with the instructor, should be simply aids to individual development.

The influence of a single enthusiastic student in a class, who has good methods of work, is many times more powerful than that of the instructor. The more good workers in a class the harder it is for the indifferent to remain uninfluenced. The advantages of summer schools for the best student in a class of college students can hardly be overestimated, as during the suc ceeding year they are able to stimulate their associates by the better work and broader views which they bring back with them.

In the time usually allowed for zoology but few types can be studied; but the more or less superficial examination of many related forms and anatomic preparations as soon as the study of each type is completed will prevent the narrowness too often associated with the study of types alone.

Whenever possible, a living representative of each group, if not the animal dissected, should be examined; and for this purpose simple aquariums and vivariums are becoming more necessary.

In a few places salt-water aquariums are successfully maintained with the advantage that the habits can be studied by the beginners, and material for research kept constantly on hand.

There are differences of opinion as to whether the elementary work in biology should be the broad and somewhat superficial examination of many forms before the minute and rigorous study of the few or the methods should be exacting from the start.

The tendency, as you well know, is toward the so called natural history method, with less use of scalpel and microscope in the high schools. In all work personal observation takes the first place, followed closely by comparison and experiment. The spirit of investigation, with its judicial consideration of all the facts, should not be ignored, but, whenever and wherever possible, cultivated to the fullest extent.

Should we attempt to train botanists, zoologists, or physiologists? If so, we can but fail in most of the cases. If we are able to strengthen the enthusiasm, help to form correct methods of working and develop fair-mindedness, the few who go on to advanced work will be able to choose, each for himself, the particular field of work. There are dangers, on both sides, in too little and too much help for the learner. There should be no sharp transition from learning to investigating, be it in science or in life.

Prof. H. R. Linville-I am much impressed by one point of Prof. Morrill's, that is, the mistake of giving laboratory work wholly into the charge of assistants. The instructor who gives the course should also have control of the laboratory work and of the assistants.

Prof. A. J. Grout-May I ask whom Prof. Morrill means by assistant?

Prof. A. D. Morrill-A graduate assistant is what I meant. I have such an assistant that does all the work that can be given to him. He is there most of the time, and it works very successfully. I have studied his methods, and am satisfied with his results in botany.

Prof. N. A. Harvey-One thought came to me as Prof. Morrill was speaking about the changing ideals in science teaching. Perhaps I would better illustrate it by carrying the matter of

ideals into what I have seen applied in recent years. The time the reports of the X-rays experiments were being applied, college graduates, high school teachers, normal school teachers were all teaching X-ray experiments. And then wireless teleg raphy became the fashion, and college graduates, normal teach ers, and high school teachers devoted their time to that branch of science. At the southern end of Lake Michigan are pronounced specimens of sand dunes. Scientific men began to study them; then high school teachers knew about them; then the teachers in the high schools, normal schools and elementary grades began teaching sand dunes. All schools began studying sand dunes. They occupy a large part of the work in geography. It may be the proper thing to do; but I question whether that is the best ideal to set up and make the basis of the study of geography. Somebody in the Chicago University made special study of the Chicago plain; but since then, the university teachers, high school teachers and normal teachers are all studying the Chicago plain. I doubt much whether this ideal we set up is the best thing to do, and that everything we have done before should be discarded and the new thing taken up. Dr Cowles published an excellent paper in the Chicago Magazine on plant societies. Teachers are studying plant societies; universities, high schools and normal schools are studying plant societies. Whether the thing is eminently proper and should be taken up and made so much of, and whether the things we have been doing previously should be so discarded, I will not undertake to say. It seems to me that we have excellent opportunities to use common sense. Science means common sense.

Prof. C. W. Hargitt-I want to say a word regarding one point, namely, the importance of a unified and harmonized outlook in the work of science teaching in college and schools. The paper called attention to the fact that sometimes the departments become differentiated, and perhaps lose their common point of view: the department in botany perhaps, or in zoology, or in physiology, where, exercising his interest in research along one special line, and ignoring nearly every other part of the biologic

work, the teacher may make an unwise distinction. I believe that both for the college and the high school, the idea from the point of view of general biology is a very valuable one, and onewhich we ought not to discard. And the teacher can be trained with the ideal that there are fundamental results to be obtained, and that his teaching may not lose sight of that principle. We can get more harmonious work than if we start out with the idea that physiology is the only thing in biology; that botany is the only thing in biology, etc.

Now it seems to me that the point raised by Prof. Harvey is not a very serious matter, providing there is a broad foundation back of it, i. e., that there is more in physical geography than "sand hills;" that there is more in geology than the "Chicago plain." I suspect that one of the troubles is that there is lack of proper balance. That is a tendency in these days. However, when we are brought face to face with the sand hills, here is something concrete and directly at our hand. We don't have to travel to study. The fault in the past in such work is that teachers have been led away into Europe, the Adirondacks, the Rockies to get illustrations; and, when the college professor brings them face to face with these things at their own door, they have lost sight of the balance-the relation these things. sustain to the entire realm of nature. The danger is not in taking lessons from things at hand, but in not having a foundation back of them that will put them in their appropriate relations. The fault is not in the system, but in its proper adjustment and application.

Prof. F. E. Lloyd-It appears to me that educational fads are not altogether to be deplored. In following a fad for a time, we may at least believe that a teacher gets many new ideas, becomes acquainted with new points of view, and with new lines of thought. A teacher who may be accused of following a fad may not at any rate be accused of being asleep; and on the whole he is better off for the stimulus. We may have no doubt that the pendulum will swing back again, leaving little or no harm done, and, not improbably, considerable good.

Prof. Morrill-We can help the teachers in high school by sug gestions. Suggest changing, and at one time giving wireless telegraphy, and at another time something else. The board may be very anxious that pupils shall understand wireless telegraphy. In that case I should use every effort to persuade the board to let me have more time, and use it for other purposes, and more than that get more money out of them for what I considered the real thing.

Prof. E. B. Callahan-The reason why teachers are so liable to copy the work done by advanced teachers is that they have had poor preparation. As you know, laboratory work in the sciences is a new thing. I think you will find that the teachers of the high school are giving you the highest kind of praise when they copy you; and they follow the investigation of the sand hills because they think it is the best thing to do. The teacher who has a good preparation before he gets into the high school can see the relation very well and is not so liable to copy.

THE TRAINING OF A SCIENCE TEACHER FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

BY PROF. N. A. HARVEY, CHICAGO (ILL.) NORMAL SCHOOL It is easy to say what a teacher should be. He should have all of the virtues and none of the vices of the greatest men. The dignity of Washington, the generalship of Napoleon, the wisdom of Franklin, the statesmanship of Webster, the sympathy of Lincoln, the eloquence of Phillips, the scholarship of Gladstone, the business ability of Morgan, all of these things enter into the make-up of the ideal teacher. But, when a man is found who possesses any small proportion of them, he becomes unavailable for teaching at $60 a month, and is made president of an insurance company, or railroad, or a trust. So our teachers are not and will never be ideal teachers.

In a high school the teachers must be the very best that are available. I feel sure, notwithstanding the prevalent opinion to the contrary, that the high school period is the period of the greatest influence in the life of a pupil. It is a more important period than the period of elementary education, for it is at this