19世纪60年代中期,洋务派在实践中认识到西学之根本在于算学,于是奏请在京师同文馆增设天文算学馆,由此引发了洋务派与顽固派在教学西学问题上的激烈争论。与此同时,通商口岸城市的教会学校开设英语课程、打算用英语教学西学,这一举措随即引起传教士就教会学校英语教学对传播基督教教义的作用展开了全面的争论。比较这两次争论,相同的是争论的内容都是用什么媒介教学西学;呈现南北之争的趋势。不同的是争论持续的时间长短悬殊;争论动机不一;争论分别具有妥协性和非宗派性;争论的结果不同。前一争论对后一争论起到了推动作用。 In the mid-1960s, the Westernization School realized in practice that the fundamental reason for Western learning was arithmetic. Therefore, it requested the addition of an astronomical and computational center at Tongshi Tongwen Hall, which triggered a heated debate over the issue of Western learning by Westernization and die-hards. At the same time, the opening of the English language curriculum at Church Schools in the city of Johor Bahru to plan the teaching of Western learning in English led the missionaries to launch a comprehensive debate on the role of teaching English in schools to the dissemination of Christian doctrine. Comparing the two arguments, the same thing is that the content of the debate is what medium to teach Western learning; showing the trend of the dispute between North and South. What is different is that there is a long period of time between debates and controversies. Controversial motives are different. Disputes are compromised and non-sectarian respectively. Controversial results are different. The previous argument played a catalytic role in the latter argument.