"Mr. Wilson talks of the difficulty of a 'bored and weary schoolmaster teaching science informally.' Passing by the fact that, if he be bored and weary, it is largely due to his own want of interest in teaching, or in engaging that of his pupils, I would maintain just the opposite opinion—that, assuming a teacher to he such, informal teaching in natural history has a wonderfully invigorating effect, and reawakens the attention which may have become dull by monotony. Thus I have often found, during a lesson in Latin, e. g., Virgil's 'Georgics,' passages to be constantly occurring when 'collateral science' can be invoked. And, what is a proof of its value is, that it becomes suggestive to the pupils themselves, so that I have been obliged to check the superabundance of questions lest a Latin lesson should resolve itself into one on natural history.
"Beyond such informal teaching as this I would never encourage it as a principle for teachers solely to act upon with young children, though, of course, there need be no restrictions in giving it them. But if science is to be taught at all—and all such informal methods are not really teaching—let it be thorough as far as it goes, lest it should lapse into a slipshod informality. It is the charm of the schedule-system of botany that it demands close and accurate observation in the dissections, and the writing compels accuracy in the result, as well as impresses the facts firmly upon the memory."
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN 1876.
One of the objects of this Government, avowed by its founders in the preamble to the Constitution, is to establish justice. The implication here is that there are such things as human rights which require to be protected, and that it is the office of government to enforce this protection. The first utterance to the world of the American people, in detaching themselves from the parent-country and proclaiming independence, was an affirmation of "inalienable rights," to secure which "governments are instituted among men." We may infer from this that it is the first, the supreme, and the acknowledged duty of the governing power in society to guarantee the rights of citizens, and to see to the strict enforcement of justice. The presumption is that, in the free interactions of citizens in the social state, wrongs will occur, rights will be violated, and injustice be done. The innocent will be circumvented by the crafty, the weak will be oppressed by the strong, the unscrupulous will combine to plunder the helpless, and, to prevent all this, Legislatures enact laws, courts are established, judges, sheriffs, and constables appointed to carry them out and secure the requirements of justice. This is the boasted theory of our civil institutions, but, after a hundred years of experience and improvement and progress, it is painful to note the enormous gap that still exists between theory and practice. That government should fail to secure its great ends in a perfect manner is what might be expected from the imperfection of all human institutions. Though devoted assiduously to this great object, such are its difficulties, and such the ingenuity of the practised perpetrators of wrong, that we should be entitled to expect from government only a very partial accomplishment of its purpose. Another and a very powerful cause of the inefficient execution of justice in society is, that government perpetually forgets its supreme function, in the pursuit of other ends. It attempts to do so many things that it does nothing well, and sacrifices the very object for which it was instituted, in the attempt to accomplish others which it had no business to undertake. Instead of confining itself vigorously to establishing justice in all the relations of society, and then allowing the widest liberty of individual action and enterprise, it meddles with everything and everybody, interfering, checking, and restraining, where it should let things alone, and undertaking to play the part of Providence in controlling the whole course of human interests. Justice is thus not only neglected, but injustice is wrought in all directions,
