Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-09-18

Coeducation 8 Feature of the System-An
 Must Attend School Up to the Age of
 Fourteen--The Subjects Taught-Teach-
 CTS Qualifications.
 The common school system of Japan is in my opinion the chief support of the empire and the promise of the fu- ture. There are only two grades of schools-the ordinary and the higher
 Children of both sexes, between the ages of 6 and 10, attend the former
 Children between the ages of II and II are eligible to the higher grade schools. Every municipality, township, village, town and city is required to build schoolhouse or schoolhouses, according to the census returns of children of school age. The houses are constructed according to the capacity and require ments of the school division In the
 cities the school buildings are quite
 commodious and pretentious, though all are seemingly overcrowded. In the country many of them are poor wooden structures. It is obligatory for all ehil- dren between 6 and If years of age to attend a common school until the course
 is finished. The law is not rigidly en- forced because of the poverty of the country and the absolute necessity for children to aid their parents by some kind of labor. But where children are
 permitted to attend school there is no trouble about the attendance. There is
 no such thing in Japan as schoolboy
 Creeping like 8 snail unwillingly to
 school ]" They go trotting to school with happy faces. They all wear black or white cap with leather visor, and they carry their books in leather satchel. The majority of them are stu dious and fond of books. Children of notoriously bad character or who are constitutionally disqualified for receiv- ing instruction are not admitted to the schools
 In the ordinary or lower grade school the subjects taught are reading, com position, caligraphy. arithmetic and gymnastics, The latter is optional, ao- cording to the character of the locality. One or more of the following subjects
 are also taught in addition to the above:
 Japanese geography, Japanese history, drawing, singing and handiwork. For girls sewing may be added. In the high CT grade school the curriculum embraces l moral lessons, reading, composition, l caligraphy, arithmetic, Japanese geog-
 raphy, Japanese history, foreign geog- ] raphy, science, drawing, singing and gymnastics. For girls sewing may be
 added. Foreign geography and singing
 may be eliminated. One or more of the following subjects may be added, ae- l cording to requirement.: Elements of geometry, foreign language, lessons in agriculture, commerce and manual training. In all the schools great stress
 is laid on essay writing. Every class is
 trained in calisthenics. Where singing l is taught, the children enter into it with great zeal, and they make themselves
 heard for considerable distance. In i the common schools the summer Yaca- 1 tion lasts from two to six weeks and the winter vacation from one to five 1 weeks. The number of holidays shall not exceed 90 in any one year. In schools of the ordinary grade military drill is left optional In the higher
 grade the military training of the male pupils is obligatory. To this branch
 great attention is given and every boy
 who leaves school at the age of 16 has in him all the clements of the soldier, save perhaps efficiency in the manual
 and use of arms. They are made famil-
 jar with the highest forms of discipline Teachers in the schools must have due qualifications They arc selected and an- pointed by the governor of the prefec- ture or the city in which they are to teach. These teachers are regarded as government officials, and a small pen sion is provided for them when they are incapacitated by age or permanent ill., ness Their salaries are small, ranging from 10 yen to 25 yen per month. Text
 books are chosen from those authorized
 by the minister of education, and are selected by the governor of the district upon the report of committee selected
 by him. Last year Japan expended on common schools the sum of 9,055, 980 yen. The government maintains num-
 Der of high grade schools, and the coun- try is well supplied with excellent pri- yate schools and colleges, which are maintained by tuition fees, and in some cases by government contributions to cover deficits. Last year the number of children educated in Japan at public expense was 3,2S0, ,452, and the average daily attendance was 2,489,657 pupils. John A. Cockeril1 in New York Her aid.