Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-10
NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Russia has t~hirty-three schools In which
to educate men 10 manage and operate rail
ways.
A convention is to be held at frankfort,
KY, on March %. to discuss some of the
defects Of the public school system Of Ken
lucky.
A bill hos been introduced in the Rhode
Island legislature for compulsory educa.
ton, and is exciting much atten ion. There
are provisions In the law for the appoint.
ment of trusnt officers to enforce it, and
there are penalties attached for violations
of sny of the various portions of the act
by parents and employ ers. The bill is so
sweeping, and will be opposed to strenu'
ously both by the parents, who need ths
money their children would earn in the
cotton mills, and by the mill owners, who
need cheap labor of that character, that it
will probably fail to become a law.
The Massachus It's agricultural college is
In a lourishing condition, according to the
last report. The net income is, however,
too small, while the work of instruction 10
practical science IS very great, much
greater than in an Ordinary classical col.
lege that has no special scientific depart.
ment. The report adds that while money
Is given 80 freely to educate men away
from productive pursuits, it is certainly
strange that iu Massachusetts, not q dollar
has ct been given by private benevolence
for the endowment Of q chair Of instruc.
ton in the Massachusetts, agricultural /.
lege, an institution founded to fit men to
become intelligent producers in time of
peace ADD efficient defenders OF the state
and union In time Of war.
The original amount of Stephen Girard's
bequest, made 6fty.two years ago, was two
million Of dollars, which, by careful invest.
ment and honest management, has in
creased to over twenty millions Of dollars.
The splendid college, which forms the
nucleus of the gift, Is always full, with q
surplus Of applicants who are com PEELED to
wait their turn to be accommodated with
its educational facilities At present the
college contains one thousand one hundred
and rea,h Sadents. In another generstiou,
II the fund continues to be managed with
the same good dgment as in the past,
the Girard College, with the additions It
will receive, will rank first of all the edu-
c~stional institutions of the world, if 1t does
not. In fact, approach near to that con-
summation already.
The question whether or not the study
of German shall be discontinued in the
public schools is being agitated in Daven.
port, lows, which hns a large and iphuen-
tial German population. The Davenport
Gazette appears to express the right view
when it says: at Is fortunate for the in
terests Of public school instruction in
Davenport, Father than otherwise, that
German is taught in the schools. 1t re-
moves the last ground for excuse for the
maintenance Of distinctively German
acknn1u hu thn=o u,hA aIoa mould ha opvn-
PEELED to insist upon and support such
schools. There Is, too, it must he G need.
ed, q large measure of intrinsic justice in
granting to the large number Of tsx pay rs
of German birth, who in this city desire
instruction in the German language for
their children, q qualification OF their
wishes to q fair extent. The most that
can be urged justly is, that such instruc-
ton hal not be crowded n every &C.
partment of the schools, rs it was three or
four years ago, Or seemed to be, but GER
tsinly is not now"
1t appears that the discipline of the st.
Louis public schools is very rigid. More.
over, the system employed introduces the
use of technical phrases such as Axis of
symmetry" and "tsngential union of lines
to children of tender years. According to
the st. Louis Post. Dispatch, much dissat-
istsction is expressed IN regard to these
features. For my part" said a teacher,
''the terrible things are driving me crazy,
and If there Isn't some end to these new.
tangled notions I'll have to either commit
suicide or get married. AS it Is now, 1
have to sit up till after midnight studying
my lesson for the next day, and then 1
don't feel so sure that I know what the
whole business Is about. We have natural
science, language lessons. drawing, and
the Lord only knows what else, In the
smallest Glasses. The children are obliged
to toe the tacks, stand twenty minutes In
line at Rotations, keep ti.ir hands behind
them, their chins, up, and II the superin.
tendent catches one Of thsm looking to the
right or left the poor child Is sure to hear
rom him.