The daily gazette., 1876-06-07
The SWEDISH SCHOOL HOUSE.

THE SWEDISH SCHOOL HOUSE. |
One of fhe Host interesting Dis
plays la the Entire Erhibition. |
On grassy knoll, some three min
utes' walk from the art gallery and
about the same distance from the
Swedish exhibits In the main building
the Royal Swedish Commission has
erected an ornamental structure OF
hard, pine wood, some sixty by thirty
six feet and twenty five feet high con-
tanning one Of the most in teresting dis
plays in the entire exhibition. That
the little kingdom of Sweden with its
4 4,500, 600 Inhabitants should have
thought fit to construct in our park, at
a cost exceeding $4,000 Swedish
school house and to have sent over as
its commissioner for the educational
department DR.. G. J. Meyerburg, one
of the first government school inspec-
tors of Stockholm, furnish in them.
selves ample proofs of the importance
attached to education in all its branch
es in Sweden, So far as education is
concerned in that country every man
is on an equality with his neighbor-
from the infant school to the universi-
ty, the individual no matter to what
class or station he belongs, has not, as
scholar, to pay one cent, the govern
ment and the provinces paying for the
entire cost of the work. OF course,
such a system has its disadvantages, as
for instance. when a young man after
having studied for five or SIX years at
the expense Of the nation quits his
country, but the fact remains that one
peasants sons may acquire by such a
system precisely as good an education
as the young noblcman. An institn-
tion giving all classes an equal chance
in the battle of life has the true repub.
lican ring about it, and is we'll worth
a brief description. The name of Graf
Rudenschold, through whose constant
exertions the system of infant school
instruction in Sweden has within the
last twenty five years been SO highly
improved and developed, should be an
honored one with us. His younger sou
during the civil war joined our forces
under General Sherman and after hav-
ing distinguished himself throughout
the campaign, fell before Richmond.
The building exhibited here, like that
at Vienna Id 1873, represents a coun.
try school house, and it should be OBJ
served that everything in and about 1t
appertains to the class of primary in
struction. Capable of accommodating
fifty children, it, in compliance with
the law of 18th June, 1912, contains q
school room 4S by % feet, and IL feet
in height, thus allowing 212.2 cubic
feet of air, and IL. square feet OF floor
space to each child, while the area of
the windows would be 36 square feet
for every pupil.
Within this building will be found
everything that can conduce to the
more facile imparling of instruction
as well as to the comfort, convenience
and health of the children, For arith-
met.c there is an abacus or instrument
for performing calculations by balls
sliding on wires, the lowest line repre-
senting units, the second tens, and so
on, besides this there are bundles of
sticks, containing one hundred, ten
and one; thus early familiarizing the
child with the decimal system, which
it is now proposed exclusively to adopt
| III OWtucu, uClC dlC CuOCo pldCtl'
cally instructing the child in the ele-
mentary principles of geometry, while
the geographical studies are rendered
pleasant through the names of towns,
districts and provinces being pasted on
small blocks of wood, which the pupils
vie with each other in fixing ON the
blackboard in their proper position
There are maps of the disticts and
special maps illustrating the mountain
ranges, the water surface, the political
divisions, climatic characteristics and
vegetation of Sweden. Then the occu-
pations of the inhabitants in different
parts of the country are shown by such
, illustrations as the following: Hun
ting tie bear, spearing fish, grindstone
quarries, timber floating, haymsking,
driving the oxen, 1axdressing, and
hiring of servants at fairs. There are
excellent collections of minerals, in
sects, shells and agricultural aid to the
study of zoology and botany. In this
connection must be mentioneda splen.
did herbarium, with as fine specimens
> of dried plants as could be found any
; where. There are penholders Of cork
and reed; light cheap and durable
globes not costing more than $3.50
: desks and stools of the most compact
and practical character, harmonium,
and a thoroughly good library. Pine
tar is extensively employed in the
schools for the purpose of purifying
: the atmosphere. On reading this de-
scription many reader may perhaps
object, that with such training the
, children become untitled for the hum
bier positions in life which many
among them must of necessity fill; but
while the course of study above indi-
Gated, occupies the forenoon, the after
noon is devoted to practical instruc-
tion in trades, such as carpenterlng,
, cabinet and willow-work, bootmaking
&c., so that even while the youth is
| going through an apprenticeship for
his future calling. The walls are adorn-
ed by various maps of estates, stables,
mills, and drawings showing the differ
ent degrees of skill attained by the
pupils. All honor to Bernadotte, who