Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-14
SCHOOLS OF EUROPE
IMPRESSIONS OF LEADING AUS
TRALIAN EDUCATORS.
Systems in England Outside Of London
Superior to Those Of the
Metropolis.

J. w. Turner and G. M. Knibbs, promi-
nent educators of Australia, who were In
washington recently, are now in New
/ York, where they. have given out the result
of their impressions on their tour of the
world. They came to this country as COM
missioners of education for New South
Wales Ito make an examination of the
school systems Of the United States.
The Schools of England.
Messrs. Turner and Knibbs spent a num-
Der of months in Europe, and their obse--
vations and impressions of the school sys-
TENS across the Atlantic are of interest.
They spoke well Of the systems in Eng
land outside Of London. Birmingham, Man
chester and Leeds have model systems, and
their impression was most favorable, but
when It came to London it was very differ
ent. The schools there, to their surprise,
lacked organization and discipline. and they
deplored the fact that the great city OF
England and of the world was not abreast
with some OF the smaller English cities.
The schools Of Paris, and the few they
visited In the interior towns. are looking
AFTER the education of the common people
IN a thorough manner, and do not compare
unfavorably with the English schools.
The Swiss Schools.
But when Messrs. Turner and Knipbs
Switzerland they grew enthusiastic. The
little republic, right In the very heart of
Europe, is looking after the education OF
it's rising generation in manner that COM
pares favorably with the leading systems
OF the world. There is no country prob
ably where more languages are spoken tina n
IN switzerland, and even the poorer classes
teal Enguists. 1t is too often the case in
England, and probably in America, that
young people who have studied German
and French year or two at school cannot
use 1t at all in after life in any practical
sense, the Australians said.
Inc schools Of northern Italy are good,
but In the south of the peninsular kingdom
they are rather inferior. Belgium has a
rochial schools interfere somewhat with the
interest taken In public institutions of
learning. AS compared with Germany Aus
tria-Hungary has very inferior system
of public education. The parochial schools
here conflict with the interest in the gov
eminent schools. Germany has what may
be called a substantial thorough and COM
plete system of government schools. Ger
man educators are thorough and sure, and
their perfect work is in evidence at all
sides.
The Scandinavian countries have excel
lent systems.
The Russian Schools.
But it was when Messrs. Turner and
Knibbs got to the subject of Russia that
they evinced the great surprise they met
with upon their visits to the government
schools there. There Is a wrong impress
sion abroad in the lands, they said, about
the educational advantages provided by
the cars government. That government.
is looking after the education of the COM
mon people very creditably, according to
these gentlemen However, they only Wis
tied the schools of St. Petersburg and Mos
cow. In both of these cities the public
school system has provided great amph;-
theaters that will accommodate 10000 peo-
pie each there are two in ST. Petersburg).
These are open day and night, and Russia
being very cold country, they, of course,
are heated. so that people can stay there
and read in portions of the great structures
that are partitioned off for such purposes
as study and reading rooms. Here are day
classes and night classes, with free in
struction. The main part consists of a
great promenade, where the people can get
recreation. The government supplies a
musical program, and the effect of this is
to encourage men who might otherwise go
to the drinking inn to take their families,
some members of which could be in the
study rooms while the father and mother
and younger children, possibly, were spend
ing an evening together listening to the
music or reading, for there are numerous
reading rooms hard by.