New-York tribune., 1885-01-15
NOTES ON EDUCATION.


r. orxer;ng some charges recently made against the
m.naoement of the Harvard Divinity School, the Rev.
sam,e, I Barrows saws: :" From an intimate knowl-
edge of its condition it Is not too much to say that
has il been better equipped for its work or more
successful in performing it than at the present ue;
The requirements for admission have been gradualy
,a;sed DURING the last ten years 1t has invited and
obtained students of high order OF scholarshp,
earnest liberal-ninded and devout Perhaps tneIe
no better way to Judge the school tnan the one efy
ancientiy recommended of judging it by its fruits"
The financial difficulties of the Chicago University
are serious and the Baptsts of the Northwest Will
probably be appealed to to extend assistance 10 H.
In noticing Professor Alexander Graham Bells paper
on the formation of deaf-mute race Mr. H. Mathison'
,mperinendent of deaf and dumb institution IN Belle
yille Ontario. Canada, says: AS far as ontario Is
concerned Mr.. Bell is very much astray IN MS theo-
retical conclusions In the Provincial Institution ior
the Education and instruction OF the Deaf ana Do' az
Ieneve under my charge, there are the histories OF
66l mute children who are now or have Deeh pupiis
since its establishment 1 am acquainted with the
parents of about 800 of the children and nave maze
inquiries during the last five years concerning many
of the Others Up to this time have been unaote 10
find that any of the parents were or are desI OF
dumb A few of the grandparents however were
mutes considerable number of deaf and dumb per-
sons in the province ntermarried and have chii-
drcn and in every that has come to m knowledge
establishment OF small day schools for the education OF
the deaf and dumb to be taught by articuiauon anu
wherever fed they nave oGsn dpnv pIv'a
revival ut the present time of controversy when mas
ragged at intervals for century past WIN all que re-
spec to Professor Bells eminent abilities ne cannot pe
consdered as eompeteDt to give unquestioned opn-
ion in regard TO the best method OF educating 1he oe
and dumb, he is as it were, only an amateur In the
profession"
The public schools of Missouri are in generally
MI a,t- rhnnlf fund1S
s3132331, or $3.50, $751; counting in the university
or seminary fund. Besides this many of the counties
and townships have special permanent funds of their
own so that the permanent school funds of the State
amount altogether to $1O,17S,o05. The annual IN
terest only these funds used Besides this income
the schools receive special annual grants from the
State under the name of school moneys" The entire
receipts from all these sources we're last year
g5.73S OS7. a handsome sum for state like missouri
to spend on education There are 7S5,122 school
children in the State 44,795 Of whom are coiored
There were taught last year SSi wnte scnoos' anu
The total value of school property is $S,o25,54S
There are 1914 students at Oberlin College. The
catalogue states that young able to obtain
both room and meals in of the college boarding
halls for 50 week. And even these figures can 9c
further reduced TO 81 80 by any one willing TO DO
houscwork for an hour or two day.
The Importance of the study of contemporary history
Is beginning to engage the attention of educators
at seems to us that is upon the whole about as well
TO know what is going own day as it is to
know what went on in the days of Perices. We have
known college graduates who had read Herodotus,
Thucidides Zenopbon, Caesar, Livy and Tacitus IN
the original Greek and Latin, and who were wofuly
ignorant of the history of the United States and the
mother country But just as American and Eng'sh
history of more practical value TO the student than
the history of ancient Greece and Rome the history OF
the world from day day p 1885 is of more import
ance than the annals of the remote past All this Is
most commendable; but even contemporary history TIy
cannot entirely supplaDt the history OF the past lhere
pught to be room enough for both."
A correspondent of " The Glasgow Standard thus
pleasantly describes one of the tendencies Of modern
education IN Norway: In the board schools of Nor-
way in addition to the three RS, the elements OF
physiology and of physical science are taught as Is
also one or more of the modern languages OF these OF
late years English has become the favorite 1t Is the
language most commonly taught in the primary
schools has the foremost place on the modern side
of the secondary, grammar, schools which are
planted IN all the considerable towns, and which are
often the recipients of large private endowments Sir
Charles Dike in his Greater Britain predicts that
n few centuries hence English will be the universal
language Perhaps this vaticnation is OverbOd; but
modest prophet may at least suggest as higd prob
ability that in the year 20O1, Norway Will have be-
come bilingua and that the English will be as com
monty spoken there in Wales or in the Highlands.
Education it appears from what has beeH @ sad aooyG'
navan peninsula. Even into its most mountainous
and sparsely peoped regions the schoolmaster pene-
trate In these gions be inerates teaching in rota
ton for week or two at time during inc
winter and spring at each OF several isims
or hamets. do not suppose that English Is
taught by these itnerant instructors OF youth but
little English il picked up by their expupiis turned
postboys from tourists little more by chill e or
their Norwegian analogues from sportsmen who have
spent long summers in their company more still ny
farmers returned from heightened soiourns in the
American backwoods or praifies Thus English
speech is slowly but surely making Its way even into
the remoter corners of Norway
"There seems" says "The Scotsman" " to be a
probability that the educational affairs of Scotland
will be better attended to- 1t has often been com
planned that these neglected by the Government
The complaint may have been untounded. But
whether that be not it is said that steps arc to be
taken TO remove these complaints. The proposal now
Is to elevate the Scotch Education Department to
position of absolute independence OF the English De-
partmen having at its head special permanent secre
fary responsible to the president and veepresdent OF
the Council alone. Such step will leave for future
decision the question whether this separate Scotch De-
parmen shall be under the future Minister OF Educa
tou or the Minister for Scotland for it will be
situted that be transferred 10 either according
ss Parliament may settle when 1t meets IN February
No State in the Union surpases Texas in the Iounf
cepce with which it has endowed its public schools
The people are fully alive to the Importance of educa
tion and the school buildings In the larger cities
fully equal to any in the North. The State Superin-
tendent of schools says that the constantly increasing
demand for good teachers acIds excellent Opportun
ties for professionals TO locate in Texas The salaries
of city-ud snperintendents range from 81 200
30 50 500 per annun the salaries Of teachers from
minimum of $50 TO a maximum of 800 per month.
The State Normal Institutes insufficient 10 supply
the extraordinary demand for good teachers present
prevailing in the State and such teachers as favor
liberal salaries and generous treatment will be as
eured OF a position The communities constantly
Increasing and the liberal State support il an induce
ment for the immediate Organza IN of school in each
community, hence the demand for teachers is
stany on the increase, and is indisputabc fact
that the efficiency of the system will not be COM