New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-14
NOTES ON EDUCATION.

ngtie population OF the year was 41e,o22 whte anu
142,624 colored; number of schools. Att wni'e'
1884 colored; total sixty-nine of which were
under the control of city boards. White pupils Gu
rolled 261, 297 coored 60. 1884; total 327 aver
sce daily attendance white 144.S06; coiored. 81
Aas-total I75.sOd. Number of white male
teachers employed. 3.762; female, LBS; col
ored male, 1881; colored female, 422-
total. e.733. In photography there were 254,9os
students In reading 204,627, writing 144,s23'
arithmetic 1913, 1884, grammar 1924, geography
74.O36, United States history 1882. Tennessee
elements of geology 1910 elements OF agriculture
800 To each white teacher there was an average
daily attendance of twenty-seven white pupils, and
twenty-one colored. The receipts of the year
amounted to 81 ,2O6 ,392. Expenditures of which
S7o5 4s3 was for teachers and $57, S04 for school
stes, etc.. $91s, $685. balance on hand, $2S7.529.
There is. il appears an old rule recently revived
by the indianapolis School Board, prohibiting the
study of the history of the War of the Robe lion In
the public schools. The rule appears to have been
made on the plea that such study would be "preju-
dical" to youthful minds. The Journal OF that
city calls for the abolition of this rule and demands
that other kindred abuses shall be remedied "A
general overhauling" 1t says "of the entire ma
chnery Of the schools, and q casting out OF some
of the distressngly elaborate portions would I'M
doubtedy result in good, besides giving the board
something TO think about.
II is stated in The Philadelphia Press that the
death of the late Mr. Packer makes the residuary
Iegateeship of Lohigh University an established
fact. Judge Packer gave the library OF the Uni
versity $500 O0O and the University itself 81 ,50O
600 i'm Lehigh Valley stock, at par, worth to-day
considerably over 81, O00, 900. The income has not
been paid over IN full, but the University received
$4,000 the first year after the death OF
the Judge, and to have $4,000
wear additional until the full amount
of the income was paid over the surplus meanwhile,
bong added to the principal. AS the dividend upon
the stock was $4,000 last year, it will be seen
that the principal viii be very largely increased
before under the provisions of the WILL the Univor-
sity will be entitled TO the full income. At the
death of Mrs Harry Z. Packer the University, to-
eether with st. Luke's Hospital, comes in for the
half of his third, the sixth of the estate which
he had night to will away. which will increase
their income nv not less than 100000 a year.
Twentv-one years after the death of Miss Mary
Packer the University aud the hospital receive
third Of the estate and the sixth bequeathed to
them by Mr.. Packer will also be paid over. 1t is
estimated by that time the principal sum which the
University viii have received from the estate will
be not far from six or seven millions, which will
make 1t the richest in the country in productive in
do much good for the cause of liberal education in
this State.
The Rev DIR. Samuel Eliot formerly superin-
tendant of the public schools of Boston. and prcs-
dent of Trinity College Hartford, Conn. delivered
an address in Boston the other evening on Public
Education" In his opinion il would be a good
thing if the number of women on the school com
mittees should he increased, especially as large
percentage of the women are teachers. " 1t Is the
purpose Of the schools" he SAID, to instruct a
scholar to live and not TO earn his living 1t is not
the object Of our schools 90 turn ont carpenters or
cooks. Schools are founded to train character. The
moral training Of the children should also
be considered, and the conscientious and
faithful work of scholar should
also be encouraged. Rewards and punish
ments should be given moral grounds, and the
child who does something wrong should not be
vindiotively treated bat kindly admonished not
to do the deed again. There should be a constant
regulation of the school by motive. At present
parents and teachers too little satisfied with
the act and not with the motive. Each citizen
should take a genuine and unreseTved pride in the
public schools, aud feel their Importance and on
this account we should not attempt TO conceal the
fact that the public schools do not do all that we
may expect Of them while on the contrary they
should do more, and for this should never
An interesting experiment was made few days
ago in the chemical department of Amherst College.
Once In three years the attempt is made to con-
dense carbonic dioxide. The Springfield Requblioan
which describes the experiment, states that it is
both difficult and dangerous, and for that reason
is forbidden by law in all countries except the Unit
ed States. Two iron cylinders are used, one the
generator, the other the receiver. They resemble
howitzers fitted with strong iron bands and pecu-
liar valves. Biearbonate of soda and sulphunc
acid ale placed in the generator in such a way as
not to mingle until the cylinder is Sc
curey closed. Tha union of the substances
generates carbohc acid gas with terrific pressure
(beng about ton TO every four square nches), and
this passes into the receiver which is packed in ice
and salt. The process is repeated twelve times,
until the gas in the receiver is forced by pressure
and cold into liquid form. When this is allowed to
flow out il eyaporates so rapidly that il forms a
solid, snow-like mass having the surprising temper
aturr of 40 degrees below Mercury poured
upon il freezes instantly, and the effect Of touching
IL is about the same as handling red-hOt coal The
great danger in the experiment artists from the tre-
mendous pressure-and thus the liability of burst
ing cylinder. The experiment saturday, which was
In charge of Instructor Pond and the Senior chem
istry division, was Of great interest TO the entire
college.
Principal Twtchell, of Hartford. Conn.,, III a
paper which he read the other day before the
Hartford County Teachers Association, made the
following practical suggestion about government
in the school:
"There is such thing as teacher being mon
arch in the school room, and that, too in absolute
authority, asking fayOrs from his pupils recev-
ing inspiration from them-in short without the
pupil having any share in the government of the
school, taking no part IN IL only that OF obedent
aud datifu subject performing the will of his mas
ter. say that such government is possible yes |
am inclined to think that il is the most common |
kind of school government, and not only the most
common, but the easiest-but not the best |
1t ~ the kind of government that demands O |
powerful will on the part of the teacher-it is |
of the head and not the heart. can conceive of |