The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-10-20
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IN EUROPE.

The claw" on school attendance
is very severe in the countries
visited by Mr.. Arnold. Take the
case of SaXony, which is very fully
set out in his report. There child
has TO attend the popular school
uninterruptedly from six years old
to fourteen, and is only allowed to
be educated elsewhere on its being
shown that he will there lose neither
in the quality of the education he
receives or in the time during which
he has to be under instruction. He
undergoes one examination year;
but no success at the annual eX-
animation will release him from the
examination for his certificate of
discharge" at the end of his school
course; but if child in his four
teenth year at his latest eXamina-
tion has gained the mark of 'satis-
factory" and there is urgent reason
for his withdrawal-but the parent
wanting his child to go to work is
not recognized as an urgent case
provision is made for releasing
him. Ordinarily, however, he can
only be released by passing the final
examination at the close of his four
teenth year; and if he fails in this
he must attend school yet another
year. The school holidays nomi-
nally amount to only forty-four
days, but they often extend in
Germany and Switzerland to ten and
even twelve weeks; and, adds Mr..
Arnold, sit is wholesome and right
that this should be so; few people
would be disposed to find fault with
it," When the schools are open the
only excuses for absence which are
allowed are seemingly, the illness
of the child or serious illness in the
child's family. And the fine inflicted
for contumaciously keeping child
at home may run up to as high as
30s. These are the regulations
how are they observed' Inspectors
and teachers report that as whole
| children are sent to school regularly.
An examination of the school regis
ter shows, too, that very few alb
sences are contumacious. The chill
dren in Germany and Switzerland
especially in the country parts
have acquired the ''habit of coming
to school as matter of course,
and the parents have the habit of
onpuiacnip oS a ,nattar pf nOurCa in
their children's going" But magis-
trates are complained of on the Con-
tinent as well as in England for
being too lenient; and one magis-
trate on being asked what he would
do if a parent tried to excuse his
child's absence by saying he was too
poor to do without his labor, re-
piled, 81 would remain silent" 1t
is added, however, that in that
gentleman's village there has beer
no need to summon for non-attend-
ance for the last ten years. The at.
tendance in the great centers Of
population Gas in England) falls
below the average; and in Berlin,
which has about l35, 900 children at
school, penalties for irregular at.
tendance were inflicted ON nearly
200 heads of families during the
year lSS4-and this, too, in city
where all school fees have long
been remitted? In France the chill.
dren have not yet got the habit O.
regular attendance; and they at
tend far worse than in Germany
and this, Notwithstanding that
child may get three months leave
year in addition to the holidays, ant
in certain cases be allowed to atten'
only half-time.- London Times.