The Winslow mail., 1900-11-15
OUR BUREAU OF EDUCATION.
Gets Information on Everything.
from Building Log SchOOlhOuseS
to Eskimo Translat tiOns.

The United states bureau OF eQuca-
ton was originally established to col
lect information concerning the
schools and school systems of the diff
rerent states and of Europe, anl to
make il accessible and of use to all
The people of this country. Educa-
tional experts and specialists are spe.
rially studying the methods of other
countries, devising ways of improve
ment in our own schools and making
researches and experiments. The re-
suits Of all these efforts, says DR.. w.
r. Harris, in Ainslee's, are constant
ly being put into form for distribu-
ton throughout the country. Reports
are sent out making clear the require
ments for admission into colleges,
universities and schools of technol-
ogy. An expert is at work Oh the
laws regarding the legal rights of
children The National Educational
association discussed recently the best
methods of making log schoolhouse
into d better one: how to make the
small school irto a large one: and
how to obtain the best results in
country schools. The bureau printed
and distributed thousands of reports
of these discussions. Last year was
published the early history of the
kindergarten in st. Louis, the first
city in America that introduced kim
dergarters. Pamphlets have been pre-
pared and distributed on agricultural
colleges abroad; the Tennessee cen
tennial the actual work done by the
United States government; discus
sions on the first common school of
New England: the special education
required to give man license to be
a doctor or lawyer; the Eskimo lam
guage translated into Anglo-SaXon in
vocabulary form: reports by super
intendents of states and cities; essays
on the systems of different cities.
Our American consuls are asked by
the bureau for educational informa-
ton. The bureau is in constant re-
ceipt of such questions as: Why is
coeducation to be preferred to separ-
ate education? What is the best
method of imparting instruction in
ompeTdnce! N1ldG dlC LHC duNdI-
tages in electing women to school
boards? Why are free text books Sc
lected? Who selects them? How can
we do away with those districts that
have five or six pupils?
When such questions are received,
if they have been already made the
subject of study, the bureau is pre-
pared to answer them at once; if not,
the subject is carefully considered
and the report made. The bureau, in
fact. acts for the whole country as a
sort of clearinghouse for educational
literature. It has something TO do
as well with the agricultural colleges
of America which receive patronage
from the United States. The bureau
is expected to see that the provisions
of the law are complied with. In 1892
the government began appropriating
money for agricultural and mechan-
ical purposes. Congress thought that
these colleges were using the money
for the regular curriculum of Latin,
Greek and mathematics; therefore in
1890 a new bill was passed giving
them $4,000 apiece, which was in
creased to $4,000, then to $4,000, and
finally to $25 1000, but with the pro-
vision that this money be used only
for industrial, agricultural, mechan-
ical and similar purposes.