MANCHESTER: JOHN HEYWOOD, EXCELSIOR BUILDINGS, RIDGEFIELD, LONDON: JOHN HEYWOOD, 18, PATERNOSTER SQUARE; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & Co. The National Schoolmaster Advertisements, January, 1879. EDUCATIONAL WORKS BY H. MAJOR, B.A., B.SC., INSPECTOR OF BOARD SCHOOLS, LEICESTER. The Leicester Register of Fees and Attendances. 1s. "This is about as complete a school register as it is possible for the wit of man to devise. It is printed on good paper, and will be found thoroughly serviceable."-National Schoolmaster. Notes of Lessons for Infant Schools. 2s. 6d. "Most valuable."-Educational Guide. Geography of British Isles, Europe, Colonies, Asia and Africa, and of America and the Oceans. 1s. each. Especially written for Pupil-teachers and class teaching. Science Questions and Answers. Model answers to questions already set. Elementary and Advanced (separate) in each subject, 6d. each. Science Questions (only). 2d. Ten years' Government questions, Scripture Readers. Standard I., 6d.; II., 8d.; III., 8d. New Code Readers, with all the Class Subjects and Arithmetic in Six Standards. 6d., 8d., 10d., 1s. 3d., 1s. 6d., and 1s. 6d. Pupil-Teachers' Questions and Answers. Model answers to questions already set. 6d. each year of apprenticeship. Pupil-Teachers' Questions (only). 2d. each year. Graduated Exercises in Arithmetic. Problems already set in public examinations. 2s. 6d. Cyprus. Halfpenny Geography for schools, with Map. 6d. per dozen, post free, from H. Major. Post-free for published prices from H. Major, B.A., B.Sc., Inspector of Schools, Leicester] MANCHESTER: JOHN HEYWOOD. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO. NOW READY-NEW EDITIONS FOR THE NEW CODE, 1878-9, They embrace the following features: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Home Lessons, English History English Literature, Drawing, Dictation, and Examination Tests. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. Manchester: John Heywood. Birmingham: Midland Company. The National SUMMARY. Lord G. Hamilton, HE Clerk of the Newcastle School Board has taken upon himself to speak to Lord G. Hamilton on the subject of night schools. And though there is just a faint shade of the ludicrous in the correspondence, we are very glad it has taken place, for the regulations concerning night schools are as bad as they can be. This is a bit of Mr. Forster's bungling; at least he is responsible for it. like his chief, is not fond of " a process of memorials and deputations," and Sir Francis Sandford feels it necessary quietly to assert that the subject is already thoroughly understood by the Department." We hope when the Code appears next February, that some new regulations will appear on the subject. 66 25th November, 1878. EVENING SCHOOLS-ARTICLE 22 TO ARTICLES 106-112 NEW CODE. Sir,-As the time is doubtless fast approaching when their lordships will be called upon to consider proposed amendments of the New Code, and knowing your extreme willingness to listen to arguments advanced by practical educationalists against any of the articles of the said Code, I venture, on behalf of the members assembled at the late conference of school board clerks, to send you two copies of the School Board Chronicle, containing a short paper on "Evening Schools" read at that conference, and the discussion thereon. The views expressed in my paper met, I may state, with very general acceptance, and called forth a unanimous expression of opinion that the time had come when Education Department should be urged to do something more for evening schools, the present condition of which is far from being satisfactory. Should their lordships or yourself, sir, consent to receive a deputation from the large provincial schools boards on this subject, I have no doubt but that there would be a hearty and general response from those bodies.-I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, ALFRED GODDARD, Clerk to the School Board of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. (Signed) Sir Francis Sandford, Education Department, CODE-A.G.G., 78/25700 A. 29th November, 1878. Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 25th instant. I am directed to state that as the paper enclosed will be considered before the Code for 1879 is issued, the Vice-President does not think that it will be necessary to receive a deputation on a subject which is dealt with very fully by the report of the conference, and is already thoroughly understood by the Department.-I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, (Signed) F. R. SANDFORD. A. Goddard, Esq., Clerk to the School Board, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. No. 98.-January, 1879. The Evening Standard has the following paragraph on the London School Board budget for the coming year. It is to be hoped that the board will be content with an expenditure of half a million a year, or they may produce a reaction which would be fraught with ruinous consequences to the future of education :— An increase in the school board rate never comes as a surprise to the inhabitants of the metropolis. By this time they have become so accustomed to the process, that only an unforeseen reduction would cause them any astonishment. It is some consolation, however, to learn that Mr. Freeman's budget for the ensuing year contemplates an increase of but a farthing in the pound; and, as the local authorities this year levied a sixpenny rate for the fivepence farthing demanded by the school board, it is probable that for the next twelve months the rate will remain at the same figure. The total sum required by the board for the year ending March, 1880, is estimated at £605,184, against £546,803 for the year ending March next; but, as the current year's accounts are expected to leave a balance of £53,937, the net increase will be £44,941. An attempt has been made to restrain the West Bromwich School Board from using their school buildings for political purposes. We are sorry to say that it has not met with success. The Master of the Rolls made the following remarks in delivering judgment :— The Master of the Rolls said that, in order to induce him to make an order on the motion in a case like the present, where the defendants had had no opportunity of meeting the case, the plaintiff must show a clear legal title, and also that some serious damage was probable, and he had not been able to do either one or the other. Two questions were raised-first, as to the title of the plaintiff to sue; and secondly, whether under the various Acts a school board had the right to utilise in any other manner their school-house when not wanted for school purposes. These questions were far too serious to decide on the interlocutory application, and as to the latter more especially, as no authority could be produced when a ratepayer had ever instituted such a suit. He considered, so far as the case had been argued at present, that the plaintiff's pecuniary interest in the matter was not sufficient to entitle the court to interfere except by information at the suit of the Attorney-General; and the reason and public policy of such a course were obvious, as the Attorney-General was not bound merely by legal rights, but would look at the matter in a practical way; and if he thought it too trumpery, or what he might call a temper action," he could refuse his fiat. In important cases, this mode of proceeding by invoking the aid of the Attorney-General had certainly worked very well, and no change seemed desirable. In the present case, moreover, the evidence as to injury was far too problematical for him to act upon at all. It was only an apprehended damage after all, which might never, and he hoped would not, occur. But even if there were any damage done to the structure the members of the school board would be liable personally if they had been parties to an illegal use of the school; and, in the next place, the persons hiring the school would be responsible; and it would only be in case of the inability of all these persons to pay for the damage that the burden would fall on the rates. Under the circumstances he should make no order on the motion, except that the costs should be costs in the cause. The last meeting of the London School Board before the holidays was held on Wednesday, December 18th. A vote of sympathy was tendered to the Queen on the death of the Princess Alice. To avoid the expense of sending post-office orders for small amounts to teachers, arrangements were made with the managers of the Cheque Bank to meet this difficulty. The half-yearly report of the School Management Committee stated the results of the inspectors' examination within that period, which were reading, 879; writing, 84.9; and arithmetic, 81.2. "The number of schools under the board has been enlarged by nine during the quarter, that of the departments by 34, and of the school places by 7,639. The per centage of absence during the quarter is 19.8, showing an improvement on the year by 2.6." The School Guardian has an interesting paragraph on the comparative cost of education and armies in different countries, which our readers would doubtless like to look through : COMPARATIVE COST OF EDUCATION AND ARMIES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. In connection with the estimates for education in Prussia which have been submitted to the Landtag, some of the German newspapers have taken occasion to contrast the amounts spent annually in the several countries upon education and upon the army. The following table shows this contrast :— Amount per Head of Popu- Education. Proportionate Amounts spent on Education. Army. In Austria England France.. Germany. Italy Switzerland United States.. Army. It will be perceived that no account is here taken of the (comparatively) immense endowments in England for university and intermediate education, and the absence of which on the continent has to be supplied out of the State funds. Neither is any allowance made for the large contributions from private sources which supplement the grants from the exchequer for national education in England. If all these items were considered it would be found that England stands higher than any other European country in the amount she contributes to education. Looking at the figures in the table, it will be seen that, in the matter of State assistance to education, the European countries rank thus: Switzerland, England, Germany, Austria, France, Italy-the two Latin nations occupying the lowest rank. In military expenditure, however, a different order exists, viz., France, England, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland. It is also only fair to bear in mind the exceptional position of the United States when we note the great discrepancy in the relative expenditure on education and the army there and in the European nations. REVIEWS. Practical Geology by W. Jerome Harrison, F.G.S. London: W. Stewart and Co. By the word " practical," the author indicates the peculiar value which his own work has, in comparison with other manuals of geology. He says the success of my geological classes in connection with the Science and Art Department has been mainly due to a constant insistance of the necessity for field work, combined with the close examination, sketching, &c., of models and specimens. The great thing is to get into the open air, and to hammer away at every rock in the neighbourhood, even though one should be mistaken, as Sedgwick once was, for a parish stonebreaker. Mr. Harrison has a vigorous, forcible, and thoroughly original style of writing, and this is peculiarly valuable in the treatment of such a subject as geology. The work is well illustrated, some of the illustrations being original, and others selected from expensive works of reference. |