The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-19

deal on modern education. According to law all boys between the ages of 5 andf12 must attend school. and there are now primary schools, secondary schools and colleges almost every where There are altogether 5000 or 5000 teachers and the school children are numbered by the hundreds of thousands. There are private gymna- siums and commercial schools, normal schools and agricultural schools. There are trade schools at Athens and Patras run by the government and there Is a university here which has more than 2oG0 students.
 One of the political jobs given out by the government Is that of school teach ing This is not governed by civil ser vice rules and a new set of instructors Is usually brought in with each change of government. The schools of each district are looked upon as kind of political perquisite of the ministry and they are farmed out for votes.
 Another objection lies in the school books, which are changed every year or so, new books being written. There are annual competitions for the writing oi school books and the publication of such books Is so proftab ble that tn ere is talk of making the business a state monopoly, the government fixing the price of each book.
 The salaries of the school teachers here are exceedingly low while the r3- quirements as to their education are high. The director of primary school now receives about $30 month and il the director is a woman this sum is cut down to s24 Women are not popula, as school teachers and the girl teach CT loses social caste, as some of the Greeks look down upon ladies whc must work for their bread. As ths schools rise the wages of teachers in crease. Some receive $40 and $50 a month and the directors of the gym nasiums get from $40 to s70 month In the higher schools the expenses o1 the students are very low. In the uni versity the tuition for the fouryeal course is only SIPS with an eXamina- tion fee of $50 for the legal and med ical branches. A diploma costs $10 and one can, outside his living expenses go through college for total of about $150. l am told that the education IT the higher schools is excellent and tha it compares favoraby with that of oul academies and colleges.
 As to the education of the girls, it is not so general as that for boys. Only about one-sixth of the primary schools are girls schools, and the numoer who frequent them is under 40,000. The girls do not, a rule, go to school with the D0yS, anu eHcn sex HdS US own ScnOOl- house. There are some advanced schools for females, The best is the Arsakeion | the head of which is here at Athens, witt branches at Patras, Larissa and Corfu | The Arsakeion is the Smith, Vassar, Vel | lesley or Bryn Mawr of Greece. It ha. altogether about 200 students, of whom i l3OG are in the branch here at Athens 1 This number includes, however, the kin
 dergarten and day scholars as we'll al I those of the college proper
 l During my stay l have gone through | this institution. It is a training college
 for teachers as well, and 1t has a three
 year normal course. One of the cQmpui
 sory studies is music, as are also sewing | and housework. The courses are so va
 ried that girl may so in at six years
 and graduate at something like 20. having | a complete education according 10 thi
 Greek standard, I am surprised '' lht
 Knowledge of the classics shown by tlcss | girls. They are taught ancient Greek
 and they can read fiuently Homer, Piatt | and aXenpphon. The older girIs speak
 read and write French, and not fey English.
 As tc the fees of the Arsakeion, the.