SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17395, 4 March 1922, Page 6

SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS.

THE STRAIN OP CHEMISTRY. (JHOM OTJB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) \ LONDON, Jan. 10. Sir Erneat Rutherford has been elected president, for the coming year, of the Science Masters' Association, in succession to the Master of Balliol. At the 22nd annual meeting of the (Association, 1-eld during the education conference in London, a practical discussion on" Physical Chemistry in Schools was opened by Brigadier-Gen-eral H. B. Hartley, oi; Balliol, who Reported that in reoent years Practical Chemistry had enjoyed a striking record of sucoesses in the extension of the atomic theory, which'had ated in the theory of the construction of the atom, the development of the molecular theory and the law of mass action, ,the theory of solution, the-ex-tension of the doctrine of energy, a/id in other directions. Hitherto the subject. 3iad': been .treated rather- as . a separate branch' of but .thetime had come to incorporate such of the generalisations as they were sufficiently sure of in the main body of chemistry, in order to help in breaking down the. old distinction between and organic chemistry. He did not desiro the introduction of a fresh and special subject, feut to coordinate to Physical Chemistry with a great many chemical phenomena. One of,, the great difficulties in teaching chemistry was tho tremendous strain it involved on the memory and a slighter strain on the reason. There were sucli an number of, facts that they must make the utmost use of any generalisations they could, and up to the present that had not, been done. They must get away from the idea that analysis should bis taught aa a series !of routine operations in order to do certain things with a certain amount of accuracy. They could make all the operations appropriate with exactly the same training in accuracy, and it was much easier to justify their insistence on accuracy. He had been Viuch struck during , the past three years by the results of setting prob-; lems which did not involve qualitative analysis, but what happened to known Bubstance8 > when mixed and how they .reacted with one another. The uoys who had been trained in formal, qualitative analysis' did less well than those trained by ihe problems. There was an- advantage in tackling all these things as problems in rather an unconventional manner. _lt was;'a great danger to conventionalise, because one or the first'Tluties of teaching was to F.eek for originality. The moment at which these methods could be introduced must be a matter for individual decision. It was the co-ordination of the elementary and the advanced teaohing right through the boy's course tliat mattered pnd made for intellectual economy. Ita this way they would make chemistry of more value as a subject of education. 111 the course of discussion Mr Fisher (Eton) .urged that schoolmasters should use the microscope more than i<t the oase. It was a much neglected instrument jn the teaching of chemistry.