New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-03
NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Women have recently been elected 10 the
tendency Of schools in several New Hampshire
towns.
Michigan University has just conferred
degrees upon 193egal graduates, los young doctors
and fifteen dental surgeons.
The Junior electives for the Summer term at
Amherst are Latin. Greek Organic Chemistry, Zoology
Physics, English Literature, German and Botany
Professor Mark W. Harrington, a graduate
ofMichigan University, and recently teacher in the
Imperial University Pein, has been elected TO the
chair Of astronomy in the former institution
A bill giving Boston women the right to
vote for members Of the school Committee has been
passed in the Massachusetts senate, and there is fair
prospect that it will be carried in the House.
In every Italian school, public or private
girls are taught to sew and embrOider, and soon as
they can they take their dresses 10 school to make
there Themselves. The Government teachers OF plain
sewing cutting, cmbroderinG and fitting have to com
pete for their places like any other professor
Cornell University has just established an
governmental station which is prepared to analyzc
different kinds of commercial fertilizers in the aoora-
tory and TO test them in the field TO examine seeds
that arc be adulterated aud to identify and
name grasses. weeds other plants The board OF
control is formed Of several professors OF the university
and Of the chief officers Of several agricultural societies
OF this State.
The estimate for next years expenses OF
the San Francisco public schools has been reduced
ss99sO This VIII probably reduce the teachers eaa-
ties about 10 per cent-whlch extremely poor econo-
my. Boston pays tho highest salaries TO male teachers
New.York comes next and san Francisco third Female
teachers receive higher salaries in san Francisco than
In any other CITY, They get average salary OF 1870
while in other cities their average salary is 500
The instruction about to be given at Oxford
to women Will be such to assist those who pre-
IN the Oxford examination for
eighteen years Of age The passing Of this examination,
however will not he compulsory the students. Two
halls Of resdoucc are TO be established for those
Ing from distance to attend the lectures provided by
the ASSOCIATION. Each student is to have room 70
herself and the charges Tor board and lodging Will he
about S1oj per term.
The plan for consolidating German-English
instruction proposed ST. Louis and mentioned in This
column last week be tired in SIX OF the schools and
the results reported 70 the School Committee Accord
Ing to this plan GcrmanEngliah teacher VIII be
placed in charge OF d room each foor and viii give
German that floor in addition to the reg
uar WORK in her and while she IS teaching Ger
man in another the regular teacher OF that room
viii conduct the regular class rectaous in the German
Teachers 1t is also proposed TO rerench in the
matter OF drawing,
Charleston, s. c., has a population. white
and black Of 10000 OF this number 1,-sl children
between the ages Of six and sixteen The private
schools Of the city said TO be literally supported
while I'm the public schools the goOdy numbers
Of 2O36 white and ,907 coored pupils The course of
instruction in the colOred schools said to be the
the white schools. ana the public performances Of
The pupils in the former nowise inferior 10 those
generally to be heard such occasions in other public
schools The Charleston NocS says that it is common at
the North to sheer at Southern schools This is very
great mistake. Since the close Of the civil war the
South has greatly improved in educational opportuni
ties, and The North IS not backward in cOmDendatOn
and congatulation. There no necessity for South
Carolina to put that chip on her fair shoulder nobody
wants TO knock it of
The kindergarten has been abolished in
Boston as a measure Of retrenchment. Special commit
tees have been ordered expedency OF
ducng the amount of gcomcrical drawing in the Gram
mar Schools and OF reducing the number Of evening
drawing schools. For the next school year there will be
only special teachers OF drawing Committees have
also been ordered to ascertain whether not less
ponslve clearinghouse than those in use can he pro
cured. Other cities will watch with interest BOstOn's
course IN relation to reduction in drawing for she has
been the leader in the Of drawing in the public
schools and has been held up by interested
model in this particular. Possibly BosOnians begin TO
sec that drawing isn't worth The money II There
is a good deal truth in what Tie Boston Transcript
saws Of the School Committees decision in regard 10
ductiou: This decision Will he heartily welcomed by
at least two cldssesthosc who do not know
thing about and those who do very much for
art 10 the former the machinery for turning
out draughtsmen and designers by platOons seems a
simple Of the Of tho city, and the labor Of
the teachers and pupils 10 the latter it seems worse
than waste Art is not for every bOdy-nOt indus
trial art od-fashOned system OF permissive draw
ing exercises once in while enough 10 catch any
natural genus there may be floating through the pablo
schools an such alone is worth educating, and educa
ting as can only be done in school specially intended
FOR the teaching OF drawing The fine arts are ndls
pensabe in their place but their place evidently not
the common schools"
The recent discussion on the reduction Of
teachers salaries the Board Of Education
evolved the usual OF The Mayor Of
The city was present and extremely anxious to cut
down the budget advocating reduction OF or 10 per
cent on the ground that prices had gone down and good
teachers could be obtained for less than $3.50 One Of
the commissioners asked for reduction of 10 per cent
saying that he could hire today for four shllings
who demanded six shilincs before. Another commits
sioner met the argument that servant girls got
with their 1920 year. with the sapient remark
"But they work day in the week and every day
in the year" Nobody seemed TO be able to admit the
conviction that in the days before teachers salaries
were increased they were ab0mjnaby low in proportion
10 other salaries Those people who rank the services
Of their cnldrens teachers with the services OF their
cooks il is probably useless TO reason with; they Will
only by seeing entire lack OF improvement
in their children. A teacher" says The National
Journal Of Ldlcdion lis not tolerably good but
absolutely poor; nuisance 10 be abated. Nobody,
whose opinion can stand two legs, will seriously OBJ
icc 10 obtaining rst-rate teacher for the wages that
have been paid, in flush times, TO secOndate buGgor
The large amount Of work done by our normal and
training schools and institutes is all the time reinlorc
ing the upper OF the army Of applicants II every
school committee the United states next Summer
would make Z strike for better grade Of teachers,
while holding salaries mp fair living rate this great
spasr OF economy might be sanctlcd 10 the spiritual,
as well as educational good, Of all concerned"