30 THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

its aims and its educational value. Geography no
longer consists of an enumeration of the capes on the
coast line of America, nor in being able to memorize
the various departments in France with their respective
capitals. It now has a high educational value, and, in
the same way that natural science, if properly taught,
should study the relations between individuals and their
environment, so modern geography does concern itself
with the influence of environment on national characteristics
 and character. A general education is not
complete unless it has inculcated some knowledge of
the nations, industries, and climate of the various countries
of the world, and more particularly of the British Empire.
It should be taught by an imaginary series of travels or
expeditions to different parts of the world. From an
imperial point of view this subject, sympathetically taught,
is especially valuable.

In no subject is reform more urgently needed than in
the teaching of English. The neglect of this study in
the preparatory schools of the kingdom has already been
commented upon, but the scant attention paid to English
on the classical side of the public schools is a serious
matter indeed, and is open to considerable criticism.
Conversations with many classical masters tend to show
that this neglect is the natural consequence of two
generally accepted opinions both of which modernists
hold to be utterly fallacious.
The first of these two opinions is, that by a study of
the classics a boy learns indirectly as much English as
he requires during a school career. The second is, that
without a classical education we are unable adequately
to express our ideas in our own language.
Sir Edward Schifer has criticized the latter statement
in the following words :—
“The absurdity of this contention is obvious at a time