The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-21 00:00:00

STATISTICAL SOCIETY,

At a meeting of this society held last evening—
Colonel W. H. Sykes, 11(1.P., president, in the
chair—the following gentlemen were elected fellows
of the society :—P. Hill, T. Hudson, E. A. Hadley,
H. W. Thompson, J. T. APnett, E. T. Blakely, W.
H. Davis, Geo. Senior, H. Sutton, and F, P.
Fallt;ws.

Mr JAMES HEYWOOD read a paper upon " The
Extension of Modern Subjects as a part of Regular
Study in F. Inestianal Institutions.'' The author
commenced by observing that, for the assistance of
undergraduate studies at Oxford, an annual in-
come of nearly £22,000 a year is set apart from
the college endowments. This large amount is
distributed into about 360 scholarships, usually
tenable for five years each, and of an average yearly
value of £6) in each. case. Professor Faraday is
opinion, Mr Heywood remarked, that one-fifth
of the time which an individual devotes to
study ought to ba devoted to the attainment of
natural knowledge ; and assuming that conclvsion,
we find that the proportion of one-sixth of the open
scholarships of Christchurch which were reserved
for the benefit of natural science by the Oxford
Parliamentary Commissioners of' 1854, may be re-
garded as nearly representing the proportionate
claims of that branch of knowledge on Oxford en-
dowments. It is to be regretted, however, that
Christchurch's example has been bat little followed
in this respect in other colleges. Mr Hey wood pro-
ceeded to show in some detail the present course of
education at Eton, Rugby, at the Marlborough and
the Wellington Colleges, end at some other semi.
neries. He exhibited by means of a series of ssatiss
tical tables the hours at which the students at each
of these establishments have to devote to the differ-
ent branches of learning. A modern school has been
established at Marlborough College specially to
afford a systematic education in the different sub-
jects likely to be required in a public competitive
examination either for civil or military service. Ito
distribution of employment in regular school les%
eons is exemplified in the following table from the
appendix to the report of the Public School Cam-
mission. Wellington College has been arranged on
a plan of the classes of boys in the older portion of
the school being subdivided into a classical and a
mathematical department. The follow:Pp, table il-
lustrates the employment of time in lessons at 117e1
lingten College : —Modern languages, according to
the head master of Wellington College, are decidedly
popular subjects among the boys; and while
" many enter the college firmly grounded in one
or the other (French or German), many also, who
have begun both langpges in college, are as forward
as any boys, cacept those who have not only lived
abroad, but- while abroad have been carefully
taught." The Rev. J. It. Bright writes to the Public
School Commissioners respecting the modern school
in Marlborough College, " that if there were the
same appliances for modern us for classical teaching,
the same well annotated books, the same carefully
arranged grammars, the same accepted curriculum
of classical authors, an education might be given in
modern as accurate as in ancient subjects; while
in comprehensivness, in so far as it would ba con•
cernod with the wider field of modern thought, it
might even have the advantage." University Col.
lege School, in Upper Gower street, London, is
arranged so as to give considerable school-time to
modern subjects. Its junior department, for boys
from 7 to 9 years of age, has about 26 pupils. They
have 221 hours of school work in a week, dAtri•
buted as follows :—Arithmetic, 6; reading, spelling
dictation, simple composition, repetilien of poetry,
13 ; French, 2 ; geography, 3 ; history, 11-; ob.
jests, 1 ; writing, 4; total, 221. Mr. Hey-
wood concluded by stating that the prece-
dent of direct legislative interference with
local statutes about scholarships was Ef t in
1336, when religiou3 tests were removed from
Cambridge C)11?ge exhibitions and scholarships, by
the following clause of the Cambridge University
-et :—" It shall be necessary for any person, on ob-
taining any exhibition, scholarship' or other college
Emolument evailablo'for the assistance of an under-
graduate student in his ecademical education, to
make or snb3crihe any declaration of his religious
opinion or belief, or to take any oath, any law or
statutes to tho contrary notwi'Lhstandieg." Cum.
bridge would probably be a suitable locality for a
new college in which modern subjects should be