The subjects actually taught in the elementary schools - In the report of the National bureau of education for 1888-89 (pp. 373-410), from a selected list of 82 of the most important cities of the nation, statistics are given showing the amount of time consumed in the entire eight years of the elementary course on each of the branches constituting the curriculum. The returns included 26 branches, one of which was spelling. The total number of hours of instruction in the entire eight years varied in the different cities from 3,000 to 9,000, with a general average of about 7,000 hours, which would mean that each pupil used about four and a half hours per day for 200 days in actual study and in recitation or class exercises. The amount of time reported as used by pupils in studying and reciting spelling during the eight years varied from about 300 to 1,200 hours, with an average of 516. This means that from 37 to 150 hours a year, with average of 77 hours a year for eight years, was devoted to spelling. The English speaking child who learns to read has to use an inordinate amount of time in memorizing the difficult combinations of letters used to represent English words. This report of the bureau of education gives the time devoted to reading in 82 cities as ranging from about 600 to about 2,000 hours, and the average as 1,188 hours. Thus from 75 to 250 hours a year, with an average of 150, are spent in learning to read. Geography is reported as using from 200 to 1,000 hours, with an average of about 500, or 25 to 125 hours per year, the average being rather more than 60 hours a year. This, we see, is less than the time devoted to spelling. Arithmetic, as shown by the report, still receives more attention than any other branch. The amount of time used varies from 600 to 2,240 hours, with an average of about 1,190 hours that is to say, from 75 to 280 hours per year —an average of 150 hours a year. No other nation gives so much time to arithmetic. The question naturally arises whether corresponding results are obtained in the mastery of this difficult branch, and whether so much arithmetic strengthens or weakens the national character on the whole. Turning from arithmetic to grammar, we find a great falling off in the amount of attention it receives compared with the time assigned to it a few years ago. The 82 cities report a very large substitution of "language lessons" for technical grammar. Grammar proper gets from 65 to 680 hours of the course, with an average of about 300 hours. This would allow from 8 to 80 hours, with an average of 38 hours per year, if distributed over the entire course. But it is evident that grammar proper is, as a study, not profitable to take up until the seventh year of the course of study. But the language lessons, which are practiced in all the grades above the lowest two, more than compensate for any curtailment in technical grammar and "parsing." Mathematics gives an insight into the nature of matter and motion, for their form is quantitative. But the form of mind on the other hand is shown in consciousness — a subject and object. The mind is always engaged in predicating something of something, always modifying something by something, and the categories of this mental operation are the categories of grammar, and appear as parts of speech. The child by the study of grammar gets some practice in the use of these categories and acquires unconsciously a power of analysis of thoughts, motives and feelings, which is of the most practical character. History, which gives an insight into human nature as it is manifested in social wholes-tribes, nations and peoplesis a study of the elementary school, usually placed in the last year or two of the course, with a text-book on the history of the United States. The returns from the 82 cities show that this study everywhere holds its place, and that it receives more than one-half as much time as grammar. Considering the fact that grammar is begun a year earlier, this is better than we should expect. With history there is usually joined the study of the constitution of the United States for one-quarter of the year. Besides this, some schools have taken up a special text-book devoted to civics, or the duties of citizens. History ranges from 78 to 460 hours, with an average of about 150. General history has not been introduced into elementary schools, except in a few cases by oral lessons. Oral lessons on physiology, morals and manners, and natural science have been very generally introduced. The amount of time. assigned in 66 cities to physiology averages 169 hours; to a course of lessons in morals and manners in 27 cities 167 hours; to natural science on an average in the 39 cities that give a systematic course of lessons, 176 hours. Singing is quite general in all the schools, and instruction in vocal music is provided for in many cities. Lessons in cookery are reported in New Haven (80 hours); and Washington, D. C. (114 hours). It is also taught in Boston, and many other cities not reporting it in the list of 82. Physical culture is very generally taught. Of the 82 cities, 63 report it as receiving on an average 249 hours a year. Manual training - Manual training is by no means a novelty in American schools. Thomas Jefferson recommended it for the students of the University of Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin included it in his plan for an academy in Philadelphia. An active propaganda was carried on in behalf of manual labor in educational institutions for many years, beginning about 1830, and some of our foremost institutions had their origin under its influence. But what is now known as “manual training" is traced to an exhibit of a Russian institution at the centennial exposition in 1876. The value of the system of hand training there suggested was recognized by such men as John D. Runkle and C. M. Woodward, who became advocates of the new idea and introduced it into the institutions under their charge. Strong opposition was met among schoolmen for a time, but manual training has steadily grown in popularity, and with its growth it has constantly improved in matter and method, and consequently in usefulness. In 1898 manual training was an essential feature in the public school course of 149 cities. In 359 institutions other than city schools there is training which partakes more or less of the nature of manual training, and which belongs in a general way to the same movement. These institutions embrace almost every class known to American education, and the manual features vary from the purely educational manual training of the Teachers college in New York city to the specific trade instruction of the apprentice schools. In many cases the legislatures have taken cognizance of the movement. Massachusetts requires every city of 20,000 inhabitants to maintain manual training courses in both elementary and high schools. Maine authorizes any city or town to provide instruction in industrial or mechanical drawing to pupils over 15 years of age; industrial training is authorized by general laws in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana (in cities of over 100,000 population), Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Congressional appropriations are regularly made for manual training in the District of Columbia; Georgia authorizes county manual labor schools, and in Washington manual training must be taught in each school under the control of the State normal school. Kindergartens- Kindergartens are authorized by general law in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin. Cities also establish kindergartens through powers inherent in their charters. In 1897-98 there were public kindergartens in 189 of the 626 cities of 8,000 population and over. In these 189 cities there were 1,365 separate kindergartens supported by public funds. The number of kindergarten teachers employed was 2,532, and under their care were 95,867 children, 46,577 boys and 49,290 girls. Information was obtained concerning 2,998 private kindergartens in 1897-98 and it is probable that at least 500 others were in existence. The 2,998 private kindergartens had 6,405 teachers and 93,737 pupils. It will be seen that the |