The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-17

prescribed number of hours per week. He is at liberty to maintain school of his own, but it must conform to government standards.
 A typical school programme includes: German, two hours week, with let ter writing, business forms bills, re- ceipts, etc.; materials two hours, com prisipg a study of ore processes, blast furnace practice, Bessemer, open hearth furnace, etc, and woods, their kinds, properties and diseases; arithmetic, two hours a week, particularly drawing six hours a week. During the latter part of the course business law, civics and industrial history are introduced. Some of the schools have sessions from to a. m., others to ' D. m, or at any convenient time; and few hold ses- sions for an hour and a half or two hours on Sunday. though Sunday school work Is no longer as frequent as 1t Used to be. either in municipal indus trial schools or shop schools.
 Foundry School Conditions
 American roundrymen are interested in Dr. Brandt's description of German foundry school conditions because of the light 1t may throw on similar prob iems in this country; and they are es- recially impressed with his summary of the purpose of the continuation
 
 minister of commerce and industry: The compulsory industrial continua tion school should aim at the vocation al education of the young people be- tween 14 and IS years of age, to pro- mote that education and to train them to become valuable citizens and re- spected men"
 Certainly we can get many valuable lessons from the study of European 1npfhnBc of and while might be impracticable to follow out their system to the letter there are many features of it which would prove i of value in this country, where indus- i trial education has been until late years sadly neglected, and where 1t Is also so badly peeded to give this great industrial nation better and more eff ficient labor and skilled help in the various manufacturing concerns.
 Wants Old Text Books
 sThe bureau of education announces that it wants gifts of old or rare text books. Government bureaus are so in the habit of giving away books and documents instead of receiving them that request of this kind warrants at- tention.
 The point is that the United States bureau of education is endeavoring to ! get together the finest possible collec- ton of textbooks in English. French. ! German. Spanish. Italian, Scandinavian. Dutch and Greek Languages published within the last two ce injuries and hopes tfat possibly some of the many edu- cators and investigators who have been the recipients of tre government s bounty by receiving valuable docu- ments in tho past may return the com pllment now with Gn occasional text book of bygone days. An antiquated { speller or musty Xenophone may be Just the book needed to fill an im- portant gap in textbook history. The library of Congress is aiding in the task and the bureau would appreciate gifts from individuals as well. When this library is complete" says Commissions CT Claxton, it should become the Mecca of all students of this phase of educaton."
 In the meantime the bureau continues 1 to be generous i1 it's opportunities to lnvestigators It now has one Of the largest and mosl complete libraries of