New-York tribune., 1878-03-21
NOTES ON EDUCATION.

The seml-annual dividend of the Kansas
scnool fund amounts at present to s15i.ooo.
Many female students at Oberlin now take
tic Classics, and keep up their studies successfully
The Wisconsin Legislature has appointed a
commission 10 consider every light the question OF
textbooks
Columbia College has now 1,34O students
The senior class is signing petition for the abolition OF
"cram week."
There seems to be a possibility that the
study OF foreign languages and the klndergartens VIII
be given up together in st. Louis.
Next year, at Harvard, an elective in Ger
man literature will be given by Professor Bartlett Inc
course Will begin wifi Leasing taking up the best writers
of Germany since his time.
very large and enthusiastic meeting has
been held in San Francisco to protest against the pro-
posed legislative bill abolishing the teaching OF music
aud languages in cosmopolitan schools Speeches
strongly opposing the bill have been made in the Senate
Michigan University now has 1880 students.
The plan of allowing the graduates of certain high
schools in the state the university without ex
animation has been very successful. Committee OF
the Faculty will visit every year any pubic high school,
on request School Board and if their report to the
Faculty satisfactory the graduates OF the school IN
spected can the university without examination
The Seventh Harvard Bulletin contains the
following new articles written for the pamphlet by men-
bers Of the Beard Of Instruction: DR. LOdge-Contin'
uation of his history notes. Professor Wnsor uADr-
rap)The Literature of the separatiss and Purans. as
founders respectively of Plymouth and Massachusetts
3. Professor Dunbar-Iiterature of gold aud silver,
apropos OF the reconciliation Of silver a. Professor
Abbott-Recent theological books. 8. Dr. Emorfon-On
the historical OF the conflict between the Emperor
and Pope Gregory 6 Beginning of list of the varieties
in the Charles Sumner collection T. 5aflnnng OF fu
photography OF Michael Angelo, with opous notes by
Professor Norton These articles written with good
deal of care by competent persons OF value TO st
dents in choosing books for reading and IN writing on
special topics.
The public schools of Tennessee have grown
stoutly during the past year. The increase in enroll
ment has been 20 per cent over the previous year; e;
average attendance Il per cent increase in school pop
ulaton, 7,Si0 increase in number of teachers. 100;
in the number OF schools 69i counties assess
ing supplementary property tax. 52 counties supple
mentary tax and poll tax, 4s; counties supplementary
privilege taxes %: counties supplementary property
poll and privileges 81 number of counties levyng sup
Elementary so out of 81. The school population is
441.972 against 4S4I31 the year previous enrolment
against 19i190 the year pteylous increase
OF 39,0ls average attendance. 1866 against 125
Dos the year previous increase of 2O656 number of
schools 459l against 1897 the year preyious-an in
crease of 69l schools.
Df. IL. w. Ddt, NlltinS VI h'uciIVd,
tions the scrupulous fashion in which countrymen
preserve the trusts left for special purposes. He
perhaps, thinking of oxford he wrote. The endow-
left to the school of Medicine there have been
says The Fyaminer no.secsSy diverted TO other pur
poses Dr. Matthew Lee, in the last century, left an en-
howment in the hands of the governing body OF Christ
College, to support reader anatomy the anatomist
specially required to carry the dissection Of the
human body in the somewhat restricted that was
then usual in medical education. DR. Lees foundation
brings in s3 600 year, but not one arhing
of expended i'll strict of his bequest Read
In zoology, chemistry. history etc. paid from IT,
and there annual charge on it OF in the shape
of classical exhibitions for boys FROM Westminster
School,"
Colonel HigginsOn gave very clever and
entertaining lecture in Boston, last week, on the study
OF history He held that history. to be attractive to
children, not be told in the form Of fiction Chill
dren for, 0l, not the fictitious but the real
and their imagnations make the real out OF the fc
tion thus putting us In the position OF talking history
them in spite Of ourselves To illustrate bis point.
Colonel Hggnson told Of little boy whose only knowl-
edge OF the kind squeakng rubber cat at home.
One day. while visiting lie found real cat, and 10 the
friends who would take her from him after he had made
her squa!l replied, Oh don't; 1t is the most real
best noise heard cat do" All our making history
attractive TO children Is based upon making IL real To
them. There two three perfectly simple prinei-
ples which lie al the bottom Of the study and II
only hold them shall succeed in removing some
thing Of this special aversion to history which lies in all
our minds The first principle in the study OF history is
a study OF facts The power TO learn depends
mainly upon the presentation. In regard TO history the
problem should be solved by making 1t interesting; by
meeting feeble memories half way The vast
memories Of which We read very rare
gifts They hardly to be created or trained. The
second principle is almost nseparable from the first.
In order fix firmly in the mind you should illustrate
them-light them up Don't think it is trife. Don't
stand the dignity Of history. When you secure the
bone the skeleton OF facts give your knowledge flesh,
cover it with living graces Give the history what
makes alive Don't imagine you cease to read history
when you lay aside the book called history. Historical
novels old customs old furniture, old kitchens and old
clothing and the like just important as the books
Without them the truth cannot be seen. There are
whole pages Of histories which valuable for
real knowledge OF the period for which they treat as
stray anecdoe in the OF newspaper which made
that period living thing. The facts which TO us
the unimportant facts sometimes the important
facts History should be studied for the principles Of
life as well as for statistics We should strive TO know
less OF dates and OF popular traits less OF the
cessons and of the characteristics. Our study Of
history ought not TO be merely study OF facts i'm
It spirit OF candor, such judicial spirit that shah
know both sides and cherish spirit OF forgiveness
kindness and sympathy instead Of turning history into
an inheritance Of hared-an example Of onesded treat
ment.