New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-12
NOTES ON EDUCATION.

school age in Scotland is .l69943, OF ""onn oo0'
ego are in the elementary day-Schooi''
During the past two years the Roman 0a.nolos
of Belcium have built in every district where a
sa.o.ry,ont school exists free religious school In
onnositon 70 il. It was generally thought that the
oxnor;uent ,vould prove to be failure but the
,oontrarv ia the case. On December Is, 1850, the
number of pupils attending the Roman Catholc
schools was $50, $50 On December 10, 1857, the
ottepdance had risen to 500, 437, an increase or
do O57 The Roman Catholic schools are, there
fore in much more lourishlng condition than inc
1881 only amounted to $40, lis.
Mr.. James f. Croker, Superintendent of Educa-
lion in Buffalo, believes that there should be only
Two terms in every school. He regards it as waste
of time to have three examinations IN the course OF
n school year. "But" said he, 1.-The three eXainI-
nations yearly are not the only evil of the present
system The pupils have too many studies forced
upon them at time 1t has long been my conVc-
ton that the best way to educate the great number
of pupils in our public schools was to endow them
with sound practical knowledge on subjects when
will be of to them in business Ninety pei civ
of those who enter the tenth grade never Teacu to
first Where do these all goi Plalnly, OUT lto ln1
business or working world. nave seen .le GIll
effect of oyercrowding pupils. and OF demorailzlhg
them by frequent. fever-creating examinations.
have seen the good results OF partial changes In Ino
would be attended with the best OF pIac'ic"i IT,
sults.r
advocate of system of technical or trade education
and from time to time it has thrown out some Vaiu-
able suggestions on this subject In recent issue
II NAYS a high tribute TO Peter COOpers scheme OF
nracteal education. 1t calls attention to the many
experiments now being made in giving boys man
nal education Such an education would be, TO many
boys. an ncalculable blessing. " Instead OF near
ing il saws. $50 many meaningless pattudes
uttered by platform orators or ofce-seekers, eager
to secure the popular vote, with reference 10 the
dignity of labor, it pity that suchmen ana even
those who are continually advancing new theOnesln
political economy. do not show that they properly I'M
derstand the real worth and value of labor No matter
how much men may have differed as to the ultimate
economic value of labOr-savng machinery, only one
Opinion mas ever been expressed as TO the Dement'S
resulting from schools which furnish puIely llac,
tical education and q training that gives clearer
vision to the eye and increased Skill ana Vlsor 10
the hand and arm"
Ten years ago the Legislature of Massachusetts
enacted q law establishing free evening drawing
classes in the larger cities where they might be
needed They have been very successful wherever
they have been established. and nave done much To-
ward encouraging love of mechanical art among
working people.
The AlbaRy Times speaks of the two great eylls oil
American schools, overcrowdiug and overteaching
and makes the following suggestive statement: ut
is fact which Americans may well acknowledge
first as last that their educational system contains
some radical defects. Our school children are far
from strong. mentally and physically, and the edn
cation given is often far from practical ANY well
considered plans to improve the system by remedy
ing these defects should meet with careful consider
alton"
In n recent address before the teachers of Atlanta
Ga, the Kew G. L. CLANCY gave some interesting
facts in regard to manual training In Paris there
are forty primary schools TO which workshops are
attached and In which manual instruction begins
lat ten wears of age. The competition" he SAID,
:" of the ruling powers Of Europe to-day is not more
for conouests of territory and balance of political
mower than for industrial supremacy Already III
our own country the peaceful racket OF the loom
has silenced the rattle of the infantry, and the
Incoming of cannon around Atlanta has found a
better and more harmless substitute IN the boom in
real estate. The. triumphs OF the coming genera
ton are on that line. and That people VIII achieVe
them which believes as Prussia believes. that what
ever Won would have appear in the nations lie you
must put into the public schools, and thus beley-
ing puts manual training there"
The English Commission which was appointed TO
examine the French system of technical education
has made its report, in which the following sugges-
ton appears: 1.-The instruction in the use of tools
during the elementary school age, besides being of
service to every child, whether destined TO become
"a mechanic or not will tend in the former case to
Facilitate the learning of trade though IT NAV not
actualv shorten the necessary period of apprentice
ship. We should be glad to see this kind OF manual
instruction INTRODUCED INTO some OF our own ele-
The spelling reform in Germany is not meeting
with the success which it deserves Each State in
ssts on carrying out ITS ideas. and all officials
of the Government obliged to conform to the ole
method, So that If the scholar should learn the
new method at school 1t would be OF little use to
him A writer Oh the subject questions why life
shonld be made SO hard for the school children
through teaching them a language which Will be OF
$50 little use them outside of the schoOlhouss >.
still il ia stated that April, 1888, ali schools
fxt.- aud nQIn
'Iaphv
A new spaper ha. been established in Washington
70 advocate compulsory education supplemented
by generous appropriations of public money for
common schools The chiet argument of those
who are behind this movement is, that ignorance
begets crime and that virtue and education 90 hand
in hand. The Philadelphia Record denies this. 1--WE
read in GoOssIs" it says, " that crime came into
the world with knowledge. and all history proves
that superior knowledge has never prevented or
abolished il. The wisest nations have been and
are the wickedest. As education raises the grade
of intellect it gives a keener edge to misdong. But
if men were made good as they made to read
and write why should the Federal power be ex-
ercised for this end IL is the state that deals
with our family ties and our homes, that supports
poverty, Furnishes crime and stands III an almost
paternal relation to the people. Inc federa power
has been purpOsey and wisely excluded from any
participation in the local government Many OF
the States il is true nave gone so far as 10 provide
AN optional education IN the common schools. but
even they have hestated to nterrOse with force IN
matter Nhich is first and foremost the concern OF
pareuts The interpretation of the Federal Govern
Inent would be IntOlcrabe usurpatiOn. There
are too many Federal ofiicehoders already, with
out establishing now ones IN every school house
We are governed too much: