The San Francisco call., 1909-04-10
Schools Of Great Britain and Ireland

pieces beautifully worked out accord
ing to the design. Pupils are taught to
draw and color from models, still life.
casts, etc, and are given thorough
study of decoration. modelling, design
ing for art glass, carving in wood, de-
signing for wall paper, etc.
In the Belfast municipal technical in
stitute and school of art the course is
very similar to the last mentioned
school. In the Newtownwards tech
nical evening school course in me-
chanical drawing and architectural
drawing is open to adults employed
during the day.
In the grammar department of the
Mansfield Road school, London, which
is type school of that grade, draw
ing includes: /, mechanical and geo
nature, including leaves. flowers,
sprays, shells, insects, feathers. etc.;
8. lettering; a. copying architectural
subjects; 5, designing and coloring,
with inventions in color schemes.
Leaving the actual work of the
schools, we come to a few general
points which can not fail to attract
the visitors notice. First of all CO.
education is discountenanced in the
British isles. and even when girls and
boys attend the same school they are
taught in separate classes. Some dis
cussion has lately been carried on in
regard to its advantages and disadvan-
tages, but the opposition to it is de-
cided and general.
The number of instructors employed
is very much larger for the same
number of students in the British isles
than in our city. and / will cite as an
example the Boroughmuir secondary
school. Edinburgh, where 81 teachers
are employed for 1900 pupils, 81 of
the teachers being men. In the Ma
tional elementary school for girls in
King Inns street. Dublin, corps of
70 instructors is employed for 1000
pupils. My observation and expert
ence convince me that large classes are
educational plumbers. so deadening to
the individuality of the child as to be-
come educational crimes. The large
corps of assistant teachers employed
in these older countries proves the
earnestness of their efforts to train
the individual as a unit and not as an
inseparable part of a homogeneous
mass.
The day OF the pil-teacher, who
has but just completed his elementary
course and who at the tender age of
13 or thereabouts is placed in charge
of other children, is fast passing away.
A general movement is on foot to
train for teachers only those who
education. This change indicates
clearly the necessity which is felt to
obtain instructors who know their
subjects thoroughly. and who by rea-
son of their higher education are
capable of imparting correct informa-
tion and of arousing in their pupils a
desire to emulate them
Everywhere the cry is that there
are five times as many girls as boys
preparing for the teaching profession.
boys finding 1t more profitable to en-
ter into business careers. How to at
tract young men into the schoolmas-
ter's chair seems an unanswerable
problem all over the world. In New
York lady at the head of a school of
over 5000 pupils receives salary OF
500 less annually than a man would
receive In the same position; yet. not
withstandinng this difference in favor
of the men, they do not flock TO the
schooirooln, and one hears on all sides
the plant, There are not men enough
in the schools In my opinion the
competition is not between men and
women teachers. but between the
schoolroom and the business world.
The attitude of the teacher toward
his pupils in very different in England
from what 1t is in our city. In England
the teacher talks to his class and does
not permit the conversational freedom
which is common with us. We discuss
matters with our pupils and encourage
them to express themselves without re-
straint. thereby developing in them 9
desirable self-reliance. a power to rea-
son and a fearlessness which eventually
causes them to undertake any work
however difficult. Repression Of chill
drens individuality would certainly
tend to crush the "go ahead spirit fol
which our people have become noted.
Visiting schools in the United King
dom is not the simple proposition it is
in oGr city. One finds 1t necessary tc
bear letters from some one in authority
or an Introductory card from a friend te
be sure of a cordial welcome, and in this
connection truth compels the admission
that it was somewhat difiicult in some
schools to hear lesson recited or to sci
the teacher handle his class. We were
very well received. courteously treated
entertained, shown books, equipment
ETC., but were sometimes disappointed
in not being allowed to see tile actua
work Of developing a subject.