The Mena weekly star., 1909-11-04

~'o~ Nauh ia 0dt uWu, tue education of the rural inhabi- tants IS as carefully considered, the standards of work are fixed, the supervision as thorough, the results as good as in the primary departments of our cities. These countries have courses of study tested aud prac ieally applied to the elementary grades of their schools. These courses are fixed by legislation, and usually car ried out by enforcing general rules or decrees. The proper teacher or officer IS compelled to enforce the use of the course of study.
 Ia B-!gium the course of study provides that all pupils shall take the several branches in the order indicated by it, only those books may be used that have been se- lected by law: the teacher must conform to all methods of instruc- tion given in the regulations of the minister of public instruction. The programme of work in the various branches of study is ar ranged by the head teacher, countersigned by the inspector of the canton County ), published by the municipal authorities, and placed upon the walls of the school room by the teacher; the head teacher, or his assistants ,nnot make changes in this out line or study without the approv al of higher authority; the head teacher Iprincipal) aud his assist ants are required to keep daily 
 record of the instruction in each class, the quality of the recita- tious, and the progress of the pupil in his class.work; the clas- s,fic ition of pupils in the differ ent divisions belongs to the head teacher, or, ii case Of dissatisfac- ton. it may be referred to the cantonal inspector; the instruc- tion must be equally distributed among the pupils, and 10 bright pupil permitted to he pushed for ward to give fine effect in the ex amiuations. The room must be ventilated before and after the entering or dismissal of theschool. physicians receiving salary for the care of the poor must visit the public schools at least once a mouth; these physicians must report the sanitary conditions oi the pupils to the proper authori. ties. Pupils cannot be promoted from one grade to another until they have passed satisfactory examir ations and have the ap- proval of the head teacher.
 We quote directly from the programme of education as pub 1 lished by ministerial decree, for
 the purpose of showing the obJect of the government in enforcing l the course of study in the rural schools:
 "If it is important that the
 program should neither alarm Tor discourage anyone, 1t IS of
 supreme necessity that 1t should offer serious obstacles to routine
 and become an instrument of
 progress; that 1t should compel
 the teacher to awakenin his pu- pills a spirit of observation ex- : pertinent, and rsfl ctiou; that ,ustesd of habituating hm to the disastrous methods of verbalism i, should urge him to labor for the sound development of the faeu'' ties. It should constantly be a
 r;,;nae. tn him that his last as well as his first duty IS to make a thorough preparation of his ies' sons, that is to say, to hnd out , the surest. shortest, ana most I attractive way of mixing hts in-
 strucsiou reach the minos a"o
 hearts of his pupils.
 .The program ought 10 'u' fl another important coDdsl'on' IT. should stimulate the teachers n small ceumous ftowuships)l
 while it resp ,uds to more general r requirements. It should a'oass 'ss 4 them and encourage them to lea' !. tbe;r pupils as ar as the eAs'e"s'