COMMITTEE OF BRITISH ASSOCIATION.
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to him in his daily life. Let us get him imbued with that idea,
and votes will follow."
Mr. W. F. Stanley, of Croydon, held that if science is to
make headway in the future we must get hold of the "boy in
the street," rather than the man. He pointed to the excellent
results achieved by the various Polytechnics, and suggested that
the local scientific societies should get into direct touch with
these institutions.
"I think," remarked Mr. Stanley, "if our societies can
affiliate themselves to the polytechnics, and have representa-
tives on the committees of these bodies, which, so far as I am
aware, are very anxious for their admission, we shall have
begun to unite our societies together, and we shall be able to
draw them to a focus."
Several high authorities on scientific education contributed
to the further discussion of the subject. The Rev. J. O. Bevan,
expressed his fear that the suggestions had come too late, and
that efforts ought to have made long ago for securing the due
representation of science on the various educational bodies
which had recently been constituted. He referred to the
unsatisfactory way in which science is, in many cases,
introduced to the young student, and observed that
" Science is often at a discount in the minds of the public because, as a matter
of fact, the science which is taught in some of our schools is, not to put too fine a
point on it, no science at all. We want it taught by well-trained teachers,
rather than that the children should be crammed with certain facts of science by a
teacher, who, because he has just taken a course of twelve lessons in agriculture,
for example, is supposed to know all about the nature of the soil, the value of
manures, the rotation of crops, and so on. As a matter of fact he knows very
little, and parents unite in holding him up to scorn. I do not want a cook who
can present yards of certificates, and yet spoils my dinner. Science is at a
disadvantage. Let us be careful; we not only want science taught, but we want
it taught in a proper scientific way."
The Chairman (Mr. Whitaker) pointed out that at the
Croydon Natural History Society, a junior class of members had
been started. The young members pass into the Society as full
members, when they become a certain age, without the formality
of election, but merely by an increase in their subscription.
Mindful of the immense value of imbuing young people with
scientific tastes, it seems to me that much good might arise from
the general adoption of such a course as that which has been