The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-24
Adult schools of Europe,

Little attention has been given in this
country on the part of the public authorities
TO providing scools for adults. Public effort
here has been directed mainly to making
provision for the children, apparently on the
popular maxim in nance "Tske care of
the pennies and the pounds will take care of
themselves" The night schools which
have como into being in many of our cities
within the past few years furnish almost the
only example in America of adult schools es
tablished at public expense. They have, as
rule, proved failures. In Europe adult
schools are numerous. They arc held not only
OF evenings, but on Sundays, and on certain
| afternoons of each week. To ascertain
something mote respecting these institutions
we asked our Washington correspondent TO
Investigate this subject ut the educational
bureau, and have received the following
interesting facts. II will BIO observed that
these schools have deminished in numbers
and also in attendance in France since prim-
| nfy Instruction has been provided on much
more liberal scale than formerly.
Adult schools have been established IN
nearly NIL the European countries, and they
are compulsory in all German-spcaking
countries for all boys and girls between tho
ages OF fourteen and seventeen who have
left the elementary school and DO not enter
any higher school. These review schools, az
they arc economy called, are open every sun
day morning, and three or four times week
from to 0 o'clock in the evening. In I'D.
dition TO the ordinary school branches, sew
eral epecialtes, ms agriculture, horticulture,
domestic economy, industrial drawing, book
keeping, otc,, are taught.
In France, Belgium, Holland and Italy,
the adult schools are almost exclusively at
| tended by men between the ages of 20 and
Az. Nothing bu. reading, writing and arith-
melic arc taught since tho majority OF the
pupils do not know the alphabet when they
enter tho school.
STATISTICS OF ADULT SCHOOLS.
!. Prussia has not reported tho number of
schools, but they are now found in almost
every commune.
2. Saxony has 1877 adult schools, with
10000 pupils and G,S20 teachers.
3. Wurtemberg has $50 adult schools, with
$4,000 pupils. In Wurtemborg tho adult
schools lay great stress on agricultural
teaching
A. Bavaria has 1906 adult schools with
1864 pupils.
B. France adult schools we're FIRST esiab-
lished in France by Able do IL Sale, ut the
beginning of tho eighteenth century. Their
number did not Increase very rapidly. In
lSi7 there were only 6,S77 adult courses with
ia, l6d pupils. Ii is duo to the efforts OF NJ.
Durny, minister OF public instruction under
Napoleon Ill, that these schools became
more general He succeeded in obtaining
a national subsidy for the adult schools in
1857.
The statistics published by NJ. Durny
show that there were in France in 1877, 49,,
3o3 adult courses, attended by 829656 pu-
pills, viz, TAI, 002 men and S2,5iS women. In
1907 France had g. 1873 adult courses for
men, and 6,2S7 for women; total, 27,4l7
courses.
The total number ofpupls Of adult schools
In the same year WAS 605,67 viz, 500,O53
men and l05,7 40 women. There is thus "A
decrease in the number of schools and pupils
since 1857. II must DO observed however,
that tho number of illiteratc adults (for whom
tho French adult schools are intendedl is de-
creasing as the primary schools become more
numerous and efficient. This decrease will
DO found to have taken place in the adult
schools to supply primary instruction. The
number of secondary schools TO supply in
sruction IN agriculture, horticulture, draw
ing aud designing, and various other branch
% of an industrial character, has not only
not decreased, but the number of schools
is continually growing, and tho attend
ance increasing in all parts of western Eu-
rope.