New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-17
NOTES ON EDUCATION.


Williams College has two new prizes wh'ch arc "
=, .,o roo,orls of proficiency in the classical IAN
as They are intended only for the graduating
Class The first prize will be TlZo' inc Secohu gov
The sewing department lately established IN the
Girls Normal School in Philadelphia is sad 10 DC
thoroughly successful. 1t is expected that at the
end Of the first year each pupil will be able to cut
and make a fine shirt. The instruction VIII NC con-
tnued through the four years OF the course
A journal for the uso of young girls in learning
Italian has just appeared IN Florence the best
writers in Italy contributing TO its columns Each
number will contain articles popular science and
contcT porarv history. a story, etc. he cost loi
English subsCribcIs-and probably LOT Amei'c'ii
Ones-is 81 90 year.
A fellowship in mining has been estaollsheu ~
Princeton which is to be open to the Senior Class
and TO postgraduate students. The income OF Tue
fellowship is 5000 and The Fellow will he required
IN snend one wear in the continuous study of the
mines and mining interests OF looIado' lhe nIe'
award will be made Oh examination next June
The SUPERINTENDENT of Public Instruction of Wis
consin has wisely prepared a circular containing
new and excellent designs for school buildings lor
town and country, and directions as to the oeSt
methods of lighting, ventilating etc. The hygehic
ARRANGEMENTS OF the average school house are as a
rule very bad and to dliluSc correct Information III
regard to them ought TO he considered duty DIV an
State SuperIDtcndents. 1T should not he mater
trustees.
The Harvard register contains the names OF
1852 studentS-an Increase of eighteen over laS'
year. The divinity school has % students the Ia"
school 151 and the medical school 2il. Inc Sclch-
tfc school has 80 students-a loss of seven as COM
pared with last year. The law school VIII gIadu-
ate class of twenty-four next June. There were
fifteen specal students last ycarths year there are
tbirty-fonr and the number studying Tor the hghcr
degrees il fOTty-One. There are now w cl'CClNo
studies open TO undergraduates, ana more Iha Iort
arranged with SPECIAL reference 10 inc nceIa "a
graduates One hundred and one students hoId
scholarships.
DR.. William Libbey, Dr. II. f. Osborn and DIR. W.
H. Scott have been appointed assistant professors III
Natural Science at Princeton. The number OF fresh
men admitted this year is 49, The whole number
now receiving instruction at Princeton Is 1'|' ana
there are thirty-fve professors. President McN"sh
reports that a number of the students are dcvOtng
too much of their time and energy to games ana
amusementS. and the faculty has rfSOlNeh !" pun
limits to the time thus employed IL is encohiaGihS
10 see a movement in this direction III Is IN 700
many ways made apparent that to great nnmhc'
OF students everywhere the business OF college Is
amusement and learning an incidental OccuP''io"'
SUPERINTENDENT Lnckey. of litt>burg. has Indi-
ciously recommended that each alternate FRIDAY
should be designated as Authors Day III the
public schools the afternoon to be spent by '"e
pupils in reading and rccitng from the writings OF
ex client change in the examination for admission
10 the High School He requires that the cXanllna-
tiuu in geography shall he confined To the lorallon
and description OF places that are mentioned IN
connection with the daily events brought 10 pIhIc
notice IN the new, papcrS during the Sch""l year.
He rightly thinks that this plan VIII cause pupS l"
acquire familiar kuowicdgc "l tno chrtril '"pr"
OF the time. 10 viii he alpy DAY l"' me amer
can schools when every city mas superintendent
of Mr.. Luckey's active and practical sort oi Iniid
A system of cconomizing teaching power has been
carried into eject in Birmingham, Liverpool and
some other large towns III England. Unhcr tins
system practical teaching is given TO boys and girls
of the fifth and higher standards, and also to the
pupil teachers The subject chosen for the boys Is
mechanics. that for the girls domestic economy,
giving each of these SUBJECTS wide range of mean
ing There is IA central laboratory in which the OK
permenIs are prepared, and from which the appara |
tus ready for use is conveyed in light handcart To
the various enthusiastically six ~ number III Bir- |
mngham belonging to the Board. la tins way IL |
is p0sSlble 10 give twenty lessons week aud the |
circuit Of the schools can be made in fortnight.
In the intervals between the visits of the demon
str1tor the class teachers rccapituato his lessons,
and give the children written examinations About |
100 children are now being instructed III inns |
way. To make the instruction as real as possible |
children are brought oat to nd ~ performing inc
experiments objects are passed round, and qucs- |
tioning at the of the lectures is encouraged.
Mr.. Norman Lockycr, +. II. $. IN a recent adj
dress at Coventry said that Englishman are face to
face with the fact that it is for the good of the
Nation that those who have passed most successfully
through the elementary education must continue
that education in a secondary school whether for
two or for three for six years MASTERS little for
the argument He declared himself against the
binding of technical schools for such students, and
added that the education should be- and can easily
be- something like this: The boy will go to an
elementary school till he is thirteen. He Will then
pass with exhibition if necessary; to secondary
al GfN
his scIence-nOW class subject IN the elementary
scho0l-and begin the study of languages. At
sixteen he will leave school and begin the battle ol
life, and can still in the evening proceed inrther
with his studies in pure science II the secondary
education has lett him too III equipped IN that
direction. Having thus got the principles OF pure
science into his mind. ne will be able to take up
tie technical instruction ia the pa ticuar industrial
art to which lie Is deyotimg himself.
Mr. Matthew Arnold declares that the memorizing
and recting of poetry in elementary schools sug
gests high and noble principles Of action. and in
spires the emotion 50 helpful in making principles
operative lie wishes to see this pOetica exercise
made part of the regular work of schools Several
of the British school inspectors emphatically con
denim the present style of reading books used IN the
elementary schools. They hold that they are only
calculated TO disgust children consisting as they
do of a hotch-potch of general information and
moral anecdotes; and that the odious system OF
graduated reading books appears to be designed |
with view to crush out anything like budding |
taste for reading. These inspectors recommend that
these books should be replaced By the entire works
of standard authors or by other books of cOntnu- |
Gus narrative, and they add that the contrast be- |
tween the feelings of "a child alured TO read by such
books as Robinson CrusOe " and OF another pushed |
painfully through lessons on coalmining and !
material history is a very strong one. There will !
he time for the coal mining when Defoc and his |
like have created the power of reading easlv |
These are golden words and are TO be commended to
fhe school authorities of more countries than Eng |
land 1t should be said TO its credit that in thus
particular Boston give lesson to The British |
scnool department. though her system OF supple |
mentfry reading as yet includes only the standard
fairy tales.