New-York tribune., 1884-01-24
NOTES ON EDUCATION
faaison University has now 279 students.

Madison University has now 279 students.
The Chicago Superintendent Of Schools has
wisely directed teachers to employ a minimum
amount of concert recitation, on the ground tna'
At is the most useless and delusive manner IN wnicn
teacher could use the time of her class. lie mas
moreover given much advice in the direction Vi
greater simplicity and thoroughness in teaching.
a lately snooested that teachers should reduce the
tmnhas;s they now put upon statements and
Gonestionsn He disliked, he said. TO near
&oacber sav Give me statement. Now give me
nuestionv No formal teaching is desirable on such
noints. The thing is to get the child 10 taking
freely and naturally. The recognition OF these
distinctions will come to him soon enough and
Yn,lv enonph if the teacher will but make ordinary
nse of the terms the things themselves are USED
Tie would not formally teach what PERIOD OF
canital. or comma is From practice he would nave
nnn;Is know when they ought to be used, and he
rsonh he satisfied with that. Teachers are en-
Yrely too eager to get the pupils into large comp-
.ootod work EMPLOYING numbers in millions when
@bev ought to use tens, thereby adding greatly to
The WEAKNESS and not at all TO the acumen OF the
pupils. dozen brief examples are worth far more
than one example twelve times as long.
Russia has 10000 elementary schools instructing
nbout one million pupils The secondary schools
have about 90 900 pupils In the Universities 'hero
are about 10000 students. The ofhciai repor'S
mako il apparent that, out of thirty-two govern
naents possessing district educationai mStitu'oh''
In only three Is the number OF children a''ehuine
school equal to third of the whoe huhioei VI
school age Il to 13l. In these same lhleo so'oin
,ncpts. moreover, considerable part OF the popu-
,,ior consists of Tartars or German colonists the
nxcention itself thus putting Russian apathy TO-
,varJ elementary education in the clearest Hght'
Tn eeven Governments the number OF schooi-golng
children and children who can read and write COM
prise from % to 80 per cent OF the whole hu'hooI
of school age; in five governments the percehtdee
is from 10 to 90; in nine governments from ~ "
15.,n eight governments less than 10 III thus
becomes obvious therefore, that IN the majority Vi
tbe governments three-fOurths OF the whole NUM-
her of children of school age remain without any
form, of education whatever. As rule, lower edu-
cation in Russia teaches too little and hgher euu
cation too much. But 1t is in the middle-cIaSs euu
cational establishments, the gymnasia, that the
characteristic defects of the system may be pest
seen Think of starting girl of nine years, WIN
ont anv previous preliminary training on course
comprsinC in addition TO all the ordinary suOJects
English, French, German, and Ango-Saxon Inc
task given to the boy not more than year oluer Is
one only nominally less arduOus For the schoIdl
Tins crammed with all the subjects there Is, ol
conrse little leisure after school hOus But the
work done Is far from genuine In nine cases out OF
.on the scholars of the gymnasia do not prepare
their language lessons at all. They acquire smat-
+oripq of French and German, it is true, but the
work NJ prcparng this lesson for the teacher Is done
nv either older brothers or sisters, or by certain
ncdacopic pcrsOnagcs of both sexes who gam thelr
living by doing for scholars what scholars ought 10
do for themselves This system IS fully lecog-
nized by the educational authorities. In one case
the teacher in sgnifying his approval of transla-
lion done vicariously gave the pupil Two marks
II. IL fnNf n
The report of Mr.. Mather, the Commissioner ap-
pointed by the English Government to inquire lnto
our educational system. declares that the eject OF
,ho rrbIic schools colleges and universities is not
specially marked excepting in general education III
+be literary branches and in this direction their
5nAuence is not altogether benefit. Too large
class of young people of both sexes in America are
seeking pursuits that avoid manual labor. Their
education in the high schools and colleges tends
rather to unfit them for the active industries Oh Ie
IN country where the vast resources OF nature are
waiting for willing and trained hands 10 utilize
them"
The largest school in the world is said to be the
Jews Free School, in Spitalfelds, London. III has
n daily attendance Of over 500 pupils Inc lhstl-
tption is also a training college, and nearly every
teacher in the school has been trained within Its
walls. Besides the ordinary branches, the Jewish
child has not only to learn Scripture history and
the elements of religion and morality, but has also
10 be taught to read Hebrew fuently, and to
translate some portions at least of his prayerbook
and of the Hebrew Scriptures.
There are more than 800 students in the Villa
mette University, Oregon.
At the recent meeting of the New-York School
Commissioners and Superintendents in Rochester
Commissioner |. II. Stout expressed the belief that
The work of our county schools would sadly retro
grade, were the institutes to be discontinued lie
tbought there were too many normal schools and
advocated the maintenance of two and that the
money expended on the others be appOrtioned
,,,ong +be commissioner districts of the State