National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-29
EDUCATIONAL NOTES.

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tits the perfectly candid opinion oflths Chicago
Post and MaH that Hcasual visit to almost any
schooIroom, WIllimpress the practical and obssrV-
ant man that the educational machlue still moves
In rut. There Is too much book, and too little
emit thought on the teachers part TO adapt Bis in
struction 70 the capacities and permanent OF
the pupils"
Iii suggested by divers Ohioans that there
are too many feeble colleges in the State and that
consolidation Is desirable. Counting out the
leges and universities In Ohio, tWenty-six ofWhioh
are UNCONVENTIONAL. The aggregate income Of
theSe 10. lns To dqIing lsIS was on less
penses and outside salaries. Some Of these ''col-
leges" have 10, II, II, 8, and even as the total
number OF students In the collegiate departments.
At the recent meeting Of the Northeastern
Ohio Teachers Association Superintendent L M
Clemens, Of Wooster, said that It was fact that
In the schools Of that town the boys do not read
as we'll as the girls, and the same was true Of
many other schools: The girls read ten times As
ing was better than was afforded by the best text
books, they very naturally excelled the boys. Mr..
Clemens said that he was hardly prepared to de-
part 80 far from the beaten track as to adToctae
dispensing with the readers.
The University Of Michigan is on.the way to
more severe requirements for admission to the
medical department. During the present year
selves before the dean Of the faculty, who in
qplres into their educational history and adVan-
tage, receiving from each written statement,
of record. II he is not satisfied as TO their quail
fications for admission. they appear before the
n Indeed not auaIied In Iitsrary and dsnsra ae,
quirements, they are refused admission.
The bill for the unincation ofthe educational
departments Of New Yok State has been drawn
by the Joint Committee Of the State Teachers
Association and the COnVocation Of Colleges and
Academies 1t IA IN he q n
Legislature, and provides for the creation Of
Board Of Regents Of Public Schools and
Academic Institutions of Learning" this board
to do away with the present Board Of Regents
and State Department of Public Instruction.
The nine members are to be appointed by the
Governor and Senate, and will hold ONCE three
years. At the expiration Of Superintendent GIL
mours term the Board will have power to ap-
point new Superintendent.
1t is said that the 1--WE years experiment in CO.
education at Swarthmore has convinced the
authorities there thstthe systemis a wise one.
The Philadelphia Press declares that 'the point
which college like SWarthmore must make in
order to establish its rights to existence is that
the average life Of its women graduates is equal
to the average life Of women graduating from
other institutions in which the sexes are not
brought into mental competitions" and 1t adds:
"The college is as yet tar too young to permit of
any such presentation being made, and in the
meantime 1t must be regarded in the light of
very important and useful practical experiment.
Ex-Msyor T. M Allen, of Hartford, has offered
free Industrial school for the instruction of boys
and girls In the business ayocstions OF life agri-
culture, and the mechanic arts. He suggests
that every boy, while he is acquiring q knoWl-
edge of the arts, sciences, and modern languages,
should become practical sgriculturist and mas
ter Of some useful trade, and that the girls
should be instructed in all the practical duties of
the household, understand and become familiar
with the chemistry Of the kitchen, and made to
wardrobe, and aiss that they learn bookkeeping,
banking, teleRraphy, photography, or any other
occupation that is within the measure OF their
strength and adapted to their tastes.
A majority Of the Committee of the Course Of
Study in the Detroit School Board has reported
against instruction in drawing except in the High
school and in the last two years ofthe Union School
course. The report says: AIN the first eight years
hours of the school session are deducted the times
giving to opening end closing exercises, recess,
assembling and Diminishing classes, there is left
from four to four and half hours Of actual school
work viz study and recitation Is this too long
for thorough, careful drill in the elementary
branches referred to in the commencement Of this
report? Can we afford to shorten, to eurtan the
training in essentials to make room for training
in superhuities2 Shall we turn out the boys and
girls into the world, poor readers, indifferent
spoilers, faulty arithmeticans, nlegible writer's,
If only they may have acquired smattering Of
free-hand drawing, useful to but few, useless to
the greatest number, soon forgotten? Your COM
the people, forbids US thus needlessly to expend
their money or thus imperfectly to teach their
children or 10 waste their precious time"
Aspeakeri in Texas Teachers Instituterecently
uttered the sensible opinions that we are always
glad to note. He said: Normal schools are e.
tablished for the training of the professional
teacher. But what are the best Of them more
than academic institutions, comprising . limited
course, where a little Of the art Of teaching is
gathered from instruction in the model school?
PedagOgies is a science as we'll as an art, and 1t
is to the scientific the more attention should be
given befere real progress can be attained.
Young men and women, ambitious Of becoming
teachers but educated, go to these normal schools
Where, in year or So they expect to complete
can such give to the study OF the profession,
where all their time was necessarily employed
in acquiring the rudiments Of an education2 II
the profession Of teaching is 10 take rank with
other professions, it must have seminaries estab-
lished where special attention is given tothe his
and pedagogic as a science and an art. And
this should be postgraduate course"
The Atlantic, in discussing co-education, notes
the result Of the conference held in Berlin last
year to determine improvements in the higher
Prussian schools for girls. Five Of the members
highest distinction for their practical knowledge
of the subject; four were Government counselors
experienced in matters pertaining to admins
tration, and eminent as educationlsts, and the
rest were directors Of normal schools or higher
female seminaries, and teachers who had acquired
the highest reputation for their pedagogical
science. At the outset It was assumed that the
difference between the sexes requires q difference
In methods; and that general culture is to take
the prec edence Of that education required to 1T
girls for some special mode Of gaining their live
Ilhood. The conference unanimously agreed
that there should be two grades Of girls schools
above the common school; the lower to be called
the middle, and the other, the higher school for
girls, For the middle schools the subjects Of in
struction are religion, the German language,
arithmetic, elementary geometry, natural his
tory, the elements Of physics and chemistry,
geography, history, the French or English Ian
guage, drawing, singing, gymnasts, and female
handiWOrk. The pupils are admitted at six
years of age, and remain until fourteen or fifteen
years Of age. These schools are Intended to meet
the wants Of the $50 called middle classes Of So
ciety." The higher schools aim at the general
education which is suitable 70 the higher spheres
OF life. Two foreign languages, the French and
English, and their literary masterpieces, are re-
quired. The pupils are to enter at six years Of
age and remain until sixteen, passing through
one class each year. 1t Is recommended that the
number of pupils should not exceed forty in each
Of the lower classes, and that in the highest
classes it should be considerably less. But pro-
vision for the higher education Of women is not
to end with these two grades Of schools. For
those who have completed the middle course, ar
engagements are to be made for advanced courses
in technical branches, with such studies as the
German language, the modern languages, idus-
trial drawing, Bookkeeping, commercial arith-
metic, and various kinds Of female handIWork,
including millinery.
4 WHIMSICAL KING.