The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-28

Frances Power Cobbe's recent works on It
aly contain great amount OF valuable infor- |
nation. evidently derived from authentic |
sources, showing the rapid progress of the
country under the new order of affairs. The
following facts respecting the development of
a free school system are drawn from the rec
ord of her observations, and answer most elo-
quently Mazzini's impracticable TRADE in the
last Atlantic. The government which has
adopted these enlightened measures is not re-
dictionary The prominence given TO norman
schools is a noteworthy feature of the systeih
The new kingdom of Italy has crowheu ~
self with glory by its efforts to eStaonsl q
universal system OF education for all classes;o i
its citizens. Not the army even, On WHICH que
whole unity of the kingdom depenus, mas YAK
en- a more 2rommnt place lid iis care.
Tbara were nineteen universities in Italy in
the old times. 1t would have been better to
Consolidate them into one or two institutions;
Int local ieaIousies make such a step imprac-
ticable. No material change has been made,
therefore, in the universities. The total num-
Der OF students attending them, in 1854, was
5.27O. In addition to these universities, there
are throughout Italy various institutions for
the higher class of instruction, lyceums and
technical schools.
Normal schools have been established and
are the best guarantees that can be given that
the government has taken a long look ahead,
and intends to effect deep and complete re-
form. Till of late years the whole educaLoh-
al system of Italy was in the hands OF Inc
church, and so long as this state OF thlngs
continued it was hopeless to expect the youth
OF the country to grow up with liberal oplh,
ions. 1t is so yet to great extent, anu
unayoidaby, owing to the TACT that lay .ea atr
ers. elsewhere so common, had been stricuy
excluded from Italy. In 1858, out OF IL, zo'
masters and 1904 mistresses OF elementary
schools. 637S were eccesiastics and l,loo were
nuns. l-r,
and 10 Tor females in existence in Italy, with
over $500 pupils. each OF whom re-
ceiyes an annual pension" from the govern
ment of about fifty dollars in gold. In addi-
ton to these institutions there are 40 Scuole
Maqistrdle-ten for the training of masters,
thirty for mistresses-in the Sandman states,
which were established in spite Of the church
previous to the year 1859, and which are still
maintained They help to increase the num-
Der of teachers, which is still inadequate to
the demand. In each normal school there
are three professors, with salaries respective
ly of 2,2O0 francs, 800 francs, and 1900
francs. In each female normal school there is
an additional mistress charged with the NOR
al care of the pupils. These pupils are in
structed in the art of teaching tie Italian lang
uaee and rules Of composition, geography and
natural history, arithmetic and elements of
geometry, the principles OF physical science
and elements oil hygIenics, caigraphy, draw
ing and choral singing. The young men are
taught gymnastics and military exercises, and
the young women needlework in addition
These normal schools are greatly inferior to
L,.k< 4.
that Italy has hitherto seen.
The elementary schools are the great glory
of the new government
IN loo4, l-.ese SCHOOLS contained 100000 pu-
pills, OF whom 1900 were boys. There were
1857 teachers, male and female, or about
one to every forty pupils. Our of 7,730 COM
munes, 800 had schools while the total num-
Der of schools was 1886 or nearly three
schools for each commune, two for boys and
one for girls. Thus there are only $40 COM
NUNS unprovided with schools, halt of which
are in Naples and Sicily. The total number
OF pupils forms one twentieth part of the ag-
gregate population. Yet the proportion differs
wideiyin different provinces In Liguria and
Piedmont, Tor example, there is one scholar to
eleven of the population, whereas in Sicily
and Naples there is only one in seventy-fve.
j. Sir' 1880 is only one in every POO females
who attend school.
A..>~o are divided into lower and
higher, and the course in each lasts for two
years. With few exceptions all the teachers
are paid by the communes to which they be.
long and by whom they are appointed. The
law requires the communes to provide gratu-
itous instruction for both boys and girls, and
when any commune is too poor to support
such a burden the government grants subsidi-
airy assistance. In 1868 half million of dol
lars in gold was thus appropriated by the ma
tional government. Inspectors in each prov
ince report on the carrying out of the law
instruction is entirely gratuitous in all these
lower and upper schools.
Infant schools and evening adult schools
have been established in different parts of Italy
In Genoa, for instance, there are four infant
schools, with one hundred pupils and in the
Genoese district there are thirty two thousand
pupils. l