Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-24

these correspondence schools are beyond
the age usually accepted as the school age,
so are the larger part of the persons who
take advantage of the evening schools no "
maintained by most of our cities of the
first and the second class. The attend
aLCe at these schools in New York city
totaled about 1900 last year, and for sew
eral years the attendance has increased
about IS per cent yearly.
Considerably over third of those enroll
ed in New Yorks evening schools are for
eigners, and by far the great majority OF
them are mature men and women. They
work by day in the sweat shops and in the
streets, peddllng, and by night they See6
the most convenient public school in order
TO learn the language and the ways of the
new country. and thus be the better equip
ped to make their way here.
These foreigners are perhaps the most
earnest of all the grown-up seekers aftec
knowledge. 1t is surprising in what a
brief time, comparatively, they gain a
speaking acquaintance of the language ana
grasp the essence OF the principles UNDER
lying our government. Wherever foreign
men and women are taught the report IS
the same: I'VE only wish the other stu
dents would display the same assiduity and
show much interest"
1t is natural, undoubtedly that the for
eigner should go at his lessons with more
vim than the native. The native has di-
Versihed interests; the foreigners interests
are in his home, his work and his lessons
or clubs, or anything else to divide Ills
time. Therefore, he is able to throw MIN
self, body and soul, into the work and 10
get the most of it. In all likelihood, If the
native American were to find himself III
surroundings where it was incumbent on
him to learn a new language and new
ways that he might get on he would ou.-
shine the native in turn.
Fine Lectures for Grown-Ups.
The public school system of free lectures
for adults has been boon to hundreds of
thousands of men and women longing to in
crease their general or technical knowledge.
This scheme originated in New York
eighteen years ago. the legislature at that
time empowering the metropolitan board of
education to provide lectures for working
men and working women. Later legisla-
ton broadened the scope of the work, SO
that the lectures and courses in instruction
are maintained for all the people Of the
city who care to attend.
Free lectures were first held in 1889. There
were 1856 of them, and the attendance was
% 149. Last year the lectures numbered
4,645, and the attendance, to be exact was
!, f53, SOL.
Free lectures are now a part of the edu-
cational systems of ten cities-Chicago, Bos-
ton and Milwaukee being among the num-
Der that have followed New York In this
one respect at least.
In all these cities not only are Individual
lectures given, there are also systematcal-
ly arranged courses of lectures dealing with
such subjects as Sound and Music, ."
Physics" Matter: Electricity and Radia-
ton Practical Mechanics" Cooking. J"
and lin New York;. course of twenty five
lectures, divided into three parts. on ''Prin-
ciples and Practice In Electrical Engineer
ing" Lectures TO foreigners In their native
tongues on various phases of American life.
development and government, are now given
in two or three OF the cities
All sorts and conditions of people of wide
ly varying years attend these lectures, as Is
evidenced by the letters received by the
directors of the lecture work. Among the
letter writer's who attended the lectures in
a certain public school in New York city
were carpenter, aged seventy; a woman
who confessed to sixty-four years; mu-
stefan. three years older; proofreader,
fifty-fv housekeeper. two years young
err besides many others topping forty.
These public school lectures are in char
acter much like the lectures of the univer-
sity extension scheme, which, In reality, is
simply a comprehensive plan for the edu-
cation of adults. The same Is true largely
of the Chautauqua movement-and behold
its marvellous spread. Then run over the
dressmaking, domestic science-schoos that
profess to teach anything that win be USE
ful to the average woman. whether her
work is in or beyond the confines OF the
home.
And every school for men and women
seems to be doing well - which is proof
positive that not the least of today's pecu-
liarities is for adult education carried on
more or less SYSTEMATICALLY.