VI. ELEMENTARY INSTRUCTION IN NATURAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY.

In the time of Melancthon, a Wittenberg mathematical teacher delivered an address of invitation to the students. In this he praised arithmetic, and urged them not to be discouraged by the difficulty of that study. Its first elements were easy; multiplication and division, it is true, required more labor, but with attention could be acquired without difficulty. There are, no doubt, more difficult portions of arithmetic; but, he adds, "I am speaking of the beginning, which will be taught to you, and useful to you." In reading this we can scarcely believe our eyes. We shall, however, not wonder, upon becoming better acquainted with the school instruction of that period. At the gymnasia, arithmetic was either not taught at all, or as an extra study. The university teachers, therefore, were obliged to go over what had been neglected at the schools, and teach elementary portions which are now taught in the lowest common-schools.

*

Let us compare with this the task of a university mathematical teacher at the present day. He only inquires, What is the business. of the gymnasium as to mathematical instruction; how far do they carry their scholars? And if the answer is, To the understanding and practice of plane trigonometry; his task is, to make the terminus ad quem of the school, the terminus a quo of his own teaching, and to take his pupils from plane to spherical trigonometry, and so onward.

It is not very long since the first serious introduction of instruction in natural science into the universities; and more importance is daily attached to it. For example, my official predecessor, Court-councilor Von Schubert, was professor of natural history at large, and, at the same time, of the special departments of zoology, botany, and mineralogy. As requirements became greater, botany was first set off, and Court-councilor Koch appointed professor of botany. When I took Schubert's place I stated that, besides natural history at large, I could attend only to the special department of mineralogy; and accordingly Prof. A. Wagner was appointed my assistant to the chair of zoology. When he was transferred to Munich, a special professorship of zoology was founded, which was given to Court-councilor R. Wagner.

Any one even moderately acquainted with the progress of natural history-who has merely heard of the immense number of species collected, examined, and described, in late times, will see that one profes

*See "History of Education,” vol. i. p. 319. The present essay belongs with the previous portion (vol. iii. part 1, p. 180), in teaching natural history, and continues it more into detail, as to the present condition of that instruction in the universities. + Ib., p. 265.

universities. Not being over-filled, personal instruction of in is practicable, wherever they need it.

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Lastly, I should remark, that in great cities the students usi in a scattered manner, and are lost in the crowd of people. to acquire the feeling of a university, the sense of membershi community. Their university years do not assume, to them, nite and peculiar character, as years, not only of learned labor that serious training of the character which their collection to would promote, but which the dispersedness of a great city Their teachers mostly remain at a distance from them, and se the nearer are the temptations which offer, and even wicked themselves upon them.

If it is claimed that at large cities the students have opport of seeing and hearing works of art, it may be answered, that dents from the smaller universities go in great numbers to Munich, Dresden, &c., to see and hear those very works, and full of every thing which they have seen and heard.

The scientific riches of the larger universities can best be ma of by students who have prepared themselves for doing so smaller universities. Thus it is usual for medical students fro smaller universities, during the latter years of their student li even after their degree, to resort to Berlin, Vienna, &c., to becom quainted with the great institutions there; being ready to profi them, even if they can obtain but little assistance. The same is of those who have studied natural sciences at the smaller univers under their teachers; they are prepared to profit by collections, without aid.*

In conclusion: a word on the assertion that the smaller unive ties contain no celebrated men; no virtuosos. This might easily refuted by an enumeration of the crowd of eminent men who ha taught at the smaller universities for centuries, from the time whe Luther and Melancthon taught and labored at Wittenberg, down our own. It is true that the eminent men are invited from the smalle to the larger universities. But they have usually acquired their repu tation at the smaller; have labored there during their best and strong. est years, unexhausted and efficiently. Fame usually comes late,when they are going down hill; the invitation to the great university limps along, when they are longing for their evening rest. We often hear it remarked, that they are resting there on their laurels.

I repeat what I have already said, that for students of theology, law, and philology, the larger universities have not a shadow of advantage over the smaller.

sorship of natural history was necessarily divided among three professors.

This is the condition of the natural-historical departments in the universities, as to their scientific aims; and how completely have these become changed within the present century!

But the university teacher is concerned, not only with science, but with the teaching of it; not only with beasts, plants, and stones, but with pupils. And has there been a change here, also, within fifty years?

I answer: None whatever. As to natural history, they come to the university just as ignorant as they did fifty years ago, notwithstanding the demands of science have increased in such a great proportion. They bring just as much knowledge of natural history as the Wittenberg mathematician's scholars did of arithmetic: that is, none at all.

What terminus a quo, therefore, shall be selected for the instruction in natural history of the university? The no-point of complete ignorance. Elementary instruction must, therefore, be given, at any rate; just as the Wittenberg professor had to teach his students the four ground-rules.

However disagreeable this may sound, we must by no means overlook this necessity, but rather give it the more attention. We must be definite upon the beginning, progress, and purpose of natural-historical instruction at the universities. And as to the pupils, we shall not speak of those few who devote themselves entirely to natural history, but of those who pursue professional studies, especially medicine.

These, as we have seen, are, in Prussia and Bavaria, examined in zoology, botany, and mineralogy; and thus must apportion their time. and labor among the three; and also, the requirements from them must be proportioned to their attainments in the same. They are also examined in physic, chemistry, and pharmacognosy; which, together with their professional studies, leave them not much time for natural history. The most valuable part of the lectures on it they hear during one short summer term; the more diligent repeating the course, as far as their professional studies will allow, during the next summer term. Let me be permitted the following observations on this point. For teaching Latin, some sixteen terms are employed at the schools; being eight classes. And in one short term-or, at most, in two-the student is expected to acquire an unheard-of mass of knowledge of natural science, when not even the A B C of it has been taught him at school.*

* I am far from requiring that natural science shall be put on an equality with languages at the gymnasium. This would be very absurd; but the entire neglect of it, at this day, seems in

When I was appointed professor of natural history, I set myself about considering my duties. Without confining myself strictly to the usual conception of "natural history," I determined to become, though unostentatiously, a supplementary instructor for the omissions of the gymnasium course, and to teach such studies as my pupils ought to have learned at the school: that is, mathematical and physical geography, mineralogy, botany, zoology, and lastly, anthropology. In this manner also, I became clear as to the just extent and the proper ultimate purpose of my instruction.

My lectures were intended, as I have more fully explained in another place,* to introduce youths before employed almost exclusively about words, and who knew of no organ for learning except the ear, to a department of learning entirely new to them, and prosecuted mostly by the cye. To oral explanations I added, as far as possible, the examination of minerals, plants, and animals. This was, however, only to open their eyes, as it were; for a thorough, permanent, and satisfactory acquaintance with the subjects in hand was not to be thought of; their eyes were too fast shut, and the time much too short. This practice was first commenced in the lectures on mineralogy, botany, and zoology, as connected with general natural history. The exercise of their eyes, before so neglected, and incapable of intelligent observation, was secured by examining minerals, plants, and animals, and was so managed as to proceed together with the elementary instruction in mineralogy, botany, and zoology.

Such lowest classes in natural history require a teacher who can deal with each scholar, with inexhaustible patience, and lead him to consider, in a proper order, the species in their scientific arrangement; while at the same time he goes forward in the development of his power of vison and of comprehension, and in knowledge of the subject.

In such exercises the pupil of twenty years of age has no advantage over one of ten; on the other hand, the younger has, usually, much more receptive capacity, and an apprehension of things, purer and not modified by reflection.

The teacher of these elements must have the feelings and sentiments of an elementary teacher; he must be interested as much in the development of his pupil as in his science; must be able to draw up

defensible. See my observations (p. 140, part 1, of vol. iii. of this work) on instruction in natu ral knowledge at the gymnasium. So far as such studies are introduced there, however, it is naturally the duty of the university to make changes corresponding with the amount of knowledge brought from the gymnasium by the students.

* See "History of Education," vol. iii. part 1, p. 168.