£8,446 128. 11d., or a total of £189,011 28. 4d. ($945,055.50), of which the Government provided 66 per cent; Scotland, £40,916 11s. 2d. ($204,582), from Government 73 per cent.

PENSIONS.

The bill for pensions to teachers has made little progress during the year, although its ultimate passage seems certain. The National Union of Elementary Teachers maintains a committee to push the measure and to create a public sentiment in its favor.

ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF SCHOOLS.

The elementary schools recognized by the Government are infant schools, schools for older pupils, and night schools. In board schools sectarian instruction is strictly prohibited; in private schools it must be given, if at all, before or after the hours of secular instruction and must not be forced upon any child. Grants are made solely for secular branches. These are arranged in a progressive series of seven grades (standards), each intended to occupy a year. Since 1890 teachers have been free to classify pupils according to their attainments, so that a pupil may be in different grades in different subjects, provided, always, that he passes the lower-grade examination in a subject before being advanced to the higher.

Outside of the conditions imposed by the government as before indicated, which are intended merely to secure an economical administration of the public money and to protect the religious scruples of parents, local managers have the utmost freedom. The boards have very extensive powers, as they may levy rates for school buildings and current expenditures and develop their schools on as liberal a scale as local sentiment approves. Teachers are wholly under the control of local managers with respect to salary, tenure, etc.

The grading of schools is necessarily determined in the main by the mode of examination, the subjects additional to the obligatory branches forming an important factor in this respect.

There are either class subjects or specific subjects which may be taken by pupils above the fourth grade and for which special grants are allowed. The nature and degree of classification on the basis of these various provisions depend upon the size of the school, the arrangement of the school building, and the number and grade of the teachers. The English department places stress upon the separation of infants from older pupils, allowing a grant of 98. per capita if the "infants" are taught as a separate department under a competent teacher, and in a room specially furnished for the work, as against 78. where these conditions are not fulfilled. As a result of this policy, out of an average attendance of 1,121,990 in the infant grade (1890-91), 917,068 were taught in 6,924 schools, each under a certificated teacher.

All but 13 of these schools received the higher rate, i. e., 9s. grant. Out of 5,309 classes, 4,224, with an average attendance of 169,996, received the 98. rate, while 1,083, with an average attendance of 34,859, received only the 78. rate. In two cases the grant was refused.

Infant classes have much less development in Scotland, where the recognized school age is 5 and 14, inclusive, as against 3 to 14, inclusive, in England. The children below 7 years of age, which is regarded as the upper limit of age for infants, form only 21 per cent of the enrollment in Scotland, as against 31 per cent in England.

It appears from the reports that in England 91 per cent of the schools for older scholars and in Scotland 99 per cent go beyond the bare requirements of the obligatory subjects and provide instruction in one or more, class subjects, viz., English, geography, history, elementary science, special needlework for girls. The grant allowed in England for these subjects was estimated on 96 per cent of the total attendance of older scholars and in Scotland on 89 per cent of such attendance. English is the class subject most generally taken. It is worthy of note that after August, 1893, no "school for older scholars" in England will be able to claim a grant unless one class subject is taught. The remaining optional subjects,' classed as specific, would be considered high-school studies in this country. As they can not be taken by pupils below the fifth grade, which on the average it is supposed will be reached at 11 years of age, they form in reality an initial stage to secondary schools, and in some cities have led to the organization of what are called higher board schools. In England 90,087 pupils were presented in 1890-91 in one or more of these subjects, of whom nearly one-third were from the London schools. The number presented in Scotland was 45,386. The grant for these studies is the only portion of the government fund still allowed on the results of individual examination, all other grants as before stated being estimated at a certain rate per capita of average attendance. This policy gives a special motive to managers for securing as high an average as possible.

That it is not sufficient to overcome the various conditions which interfere with regular attendance is evident from the fact that in England the attendance is only 77.72 per cent of the enrollment (68 per cent in infant schools, 82 per cent in schools for older scholars), showing but slight increase over former years. In Scotland, where there is a uniform compulsory law, but where the severity of the climate and the large proportion of sparsely settled regions depress school attendance, the average is 79.3 per cent.

To the day schools, whose operations are here reviewed, must be

'Mathematics, Latin, French or German, principles of agriculture for boys, and domestic economy for girls are included in both England and Scotland. In England physiology, botany, chemistry, physics, and shorthand are also specified, and additional subjects may be taken in either country, provided a graduated scheme of instruction is arranged and approved by the department.

added the night schools, which are assuming more and more the character of continuation schools. To receive Government aid these schools must hold at least forty-five sessions. No pupil who has made less than twenty-four attendances can be presented for examination, nor in a lower standard than the third.

The following tabulation shows the status of these schools for

Among the most important measures pertaining to elementary schools now pending are proposed new regulations for evening schools. These regulations tend to increase the provision for technical and scientific training and to systematize the instruction by means of a graduated course arranged for seven years and adapted to young people from 14 to. 21 years of age, within which limits the age of night-school pupils will ordinarily fall. Freedom of classification will be secured here, as in the day schools, by allowing a pupil to be in different grades in different subjects.

CHAPTER V.

PROVISION FOR SECONDARY AND FOR TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION IN GREAT BRITAIN.1

MATERIAL CONSULTED.-Reports of Education Department, Scotland, 1886 to 1891-92, inclusive Report of British Schools Inquiry Commission-Studies in secondary education-Technical instruction acts, 1887, 1889, 1891-Local customs and excise act, 1890-Welsh intermediate education act, 1889-Files of the "Record of Technical and Secondary Education"-Reports of the Science and Art Department-School reports of London, Liverpool, Birmingham-Files of the "Educational Times" and "School Guardian." TOPICAL OUTLINE.-Scotland: Public supervision of secondary schools, operations in 1890-91-Provision for technical instruction. Wales: Scope of intermediate education act of 1889, action in respect thereto-Existing secondary schools. England: Conditions under which secondary and technical instruction are maintained-Lack of statisties--Reorganization of endowed schools under the Endowed Schools Commission and the Charity Commissioners—Importance of scholarship funds—Recent measures promoting technical instruction-Work of the Science and Art Department-Proposed legislation relative to secondary education.

MOVEMENTS IN SCOTLAND.

Measures looking to the organization of the agencies for secondary instruction and to adequate provision for technical instruction have recently assumed great importance throughout the British isles. Scotland has taken the lead in this respect, the inspection of secondary schools having been undertaken by the Scotch education department in 1886. The number of such schools now under inspection is 55, of which 23 are known as higher class public schools (receive appropriations from local taxes), 22 are endowed schools, and 10 are private schools whose managers have requested the inspection of the department. Steady improvement is noted in the schools whose work has been inspected in successive years. The "leaving certificate examination," which was established in 1888, is found to have a stimulating influence. The number of schools participating in this rose from 29 in 1888 to 50 in 1890, and the number of candidates from 972 to 3,120. Still further increase was noted in 1891, when the higher departments of the stateaided (elementary) schools were allowed to avail themselves of the examination. The number of higher class schools represented in the examination rose that year to 52, while the number of departments of state-aided schools was 63. The number of candidates was 5,500.

By A. Tolman Smith.

The following tables show the particulars of the examination:

A large number of university and professional authorities have announced their readiness to accept the "leaving certificate" in lieu of preliminary examinations held under their own direction.

The series of measures looking to public supervision and support for secondary schools is completed by the bill providing for the transfer to the Scotch education department of the sum of £60,000 (about $300,000) from the local taxation (Scotland) account in aid of the cost of secondary education.1

Scotland was also the first division of Great Britain to secure a special law for technical instruction (1887). This law has, however, proved to be defective in many respects and additional legislation is confidently anticipated. Meanwhile the funds which the county councils have allowed for technical instruction have given an impetus to practical operations.

The bill became law June 27, 1892. It provides also for the appropriation of £30,000 (in round numbers $150,000) to the universities of Scotland.

The new Scotch technical act has been introduced at the present session of Parliament (1892).

3 Under the local taxation (customs and excise) act, 1890. By this act a surplus derived from the duties on liquors was placed at the disposal of the county councils with the privilege of applying the same to technical education.