New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-27

making, and she must put fo:th oetcl
mined and definite efforts 20 keep pace
| with the march OF events. Consequently,
a new departure was made IN ScienllI IN,
teaching. and course was ORGANIZED an
der inc name Of special secondary m
str,7ction' II was not professional edu-
cation ON the one hand. neither was II an
extension OF primary education as COIL
te,isplated by NJ. Guizot, but its object was
70 suppfv the leaders of the great INDUS
trial army. rust the higher primary
schools of n few years later were to pro-
vide the under officers and the lower PR
mary schools the rank and file
The official programme provided Tor
specialization, according to requirements,
instruction in geography and commercial
law In the great maritime cities, for in
stance in metallurgy and agricultural
chemistry in mining and agricultural re-
gions. and in designing in the lace ana
cotton centres This new secondary IN
struction was based on the Prusslan
Realschule. but no proper provision was
made for the training of a corps OF spe-
cial teachers. wherefore the French
"nra ctjcar, secondary school was placed
on a much lower plane than the classical
ones. This condition was gradually
changed. the subordination of scientific
Ia classical training enduring, however,
until 1902, when the two disciplines We're
finally placed on parity To-day the
course in letters and the course in SCI
erce extend side by side with the most
liberal opportunity Of passing from one
TO the other" At the same time impor-
tant reforms and simplifications were in
troduced in the classical course. Public
state secondary education for girls was
established in 1880, through the increas-
ing efforts of NJ Camille See.
1t would be impossible within the scope
of this review to enter into the thorough
detail of Professor Farrington's study.
which ranges from the thoroughgoing
Capitalization OF education in France
and the nultifariouS duties of the Minis
ter of Education to complete programmes
of the studies and the shortcomings of
French school buildings. apd which takes
the pupil into consideration as closely as
the teacher Much of what NJ. Demolins
said in his book is Of necessity repeated
here. but Professor harrington holds that
the French system answers best TO the
requirements of the nation:
tory the more is one forced to the con-
clusion that a nations educauonal system
is the natural outgrowth OF the Soc1ai
ideals of the people. TheSe latter deter
mine the school. While the school plays a
large part in perpetuating these IDEAS, 1t
has relatively little power to nodlIy tneli
Thus the French educational system
IS necessarily the outgrowth OF the SOCIAL
conditions there.
The French teacher devotes himself al
he love on
! the intellect of his pupils. VINO lead
collective life the moment they enter
! Ivcee. every hour Of the day belns
planned for them, and lived under con-
slant supervision. so far as my CD
| seryations and inquiries CO." says the
aufhor. there is an entire absence of all
that training to fit a young man TO meet
situations, TO handle his fellows, that
the athletic activities and the freer at
mosphere of our own institutions 90 SO
! much to encourage" The small MINOR
| itv of head teachers Of secondary schools
who would like to give their boys more
freedom are restrained by peculiar con-
| ditions:
| In case of accident while the boy is under
| the jurisdiction of the school authorizes
whether on the playground or on an e3
| c,1rSion the state is liable Tor damages. IL
No school officer happens to be present, the
headrnaster himself may be sueo LOT hesn II.
gence in this respect During the ia 81
| twenty wears the increasing ACTIVITY VI
| nI1,nerous INSCRIPTIONS lawyers IN ptiSillhS
such cases upon contingent tees mas gone
| far to make the masters perhaps ~ ~
cautious and has seriously retaroeu !Lie
| growth of any tendency toward reuu: !s
| rhe strfctness of the surveillance 'ndl Hight
! otherwise have been IN evidence
/ Curiously enough, the atmosphere OF
the French girls lycees is striklngly
different. The repression, the lack OF
Individual freedom. the barracks regime
or tho bovs' schools is entirely lacking
! there.
| Reverting for a moment to CLASSICAL
| efucation in France. we find that the
da.y Of Greek as an essential instrument
| of General culture has plainly passed
there. Former classical scholars are Tree
| "a admit that Greek is practically deao-
MANY are frank enough to recognize that
,be dav is not far distant when II VIII
hove aisanpeared entirely from the col
les-es and Will be found only in the larger
! lycees' Great progress has been hlaut
! in the study Of modern languages pu'
the results of the methods in use appear
/ 70 he sti1l in doubt Instruction iii his
| ferry is satisfactory that in geography
| less so. Mathematics is taught WIN a0-
nirable thoroughness. The usefulness ol
! the course in Morale in the fourth anu
third forms also remains still to be seen
Professor harrington translates the "oFu
as AN elementary treatment OF ethics
pc,-haps conduct is better rendering
/ Of its meaning In gymnasium work TIE
author was struck by the pupils ach VI
spontaneous interest. It was evidently
to them nothing more than announcer
course OF the curriculum. but Mr. FAR
trineron assures us that, apart from
these supervised gymnastics, the ffeiicH
schoolboy is beginning to take an inter
est in outdoor athletics.
| Summing up, he finds that 1t Is stli
too early TO judge of the measure Oh
success of Frances present answer TO the
| demands made bv the new conditions OF
existence upon education. He takes INTO
consideration the tentative solutions II
this country and Germany, ana oplhes
that the new French system is, above al
else, thoroughly adapted to the condl-
| tons and needs of French lie, into
| which he enters with informing THOR
oTghness whenever necessary. The book
/ is amply provided with Appendices