NOTES ON EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 208, 27 May 1908, Page 11

NOTES ON EDUCATION

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'American • Teachers to Visit .Britain and Europe.—ln view of-.what has recently appoarcd in-tlio columns of Tiie Dominion with ■ referouco to a suggested scheme for an interchange! oF teachers, it is interesting to note that Mr. Alfred Moselcy, C.M.G., tho wellknown English educational expert recently visited America, to arrango for a number of 'American, teachors to cross the Atlantic to study; British and European -teaching ' methodsii'A'ilargo: deputation of Liverpool teachers met Mr. Moscley before he left, and discussed with. liim matters connected with tho .reception of American .instructors, and > instructresses. This is tho sequel to the ■ visit last year to America and Canada of a;largo number of British teachers. , : 'American v. English Boys.—Sir William 11. Preeco, iiv tho course of a paper oil "Tecli- . nical in America,'* read at the .■• Iloyal■ Society of -Arts recently, ■ said that • Great Britain had had some influence in ■stimulatingi-tho advance -of/technology in Amorioa.-!. <The ' Amorican boy; posessed tho energy ..anc/smartness'of a new race. The'; European boy was mentally two yearsbehind him. -His precocity was: assisted by, his keen-/ ness ;and his vivacity: He worked with an ■ object-' and : determination to succeed. Ho \threw the.'",;same : determination' into his' studies .that lie applied to his games. -Fortunately.for Americans, education had been kept outside politics,* and it was not, as with ■ us, ■ the shuttlecock'of party ; ENGLISH EDUCATION-BILL. .-SOME ori^ONS • A.jnanifo3to on .the. Education; Bill,- issued recently., by the' Fabian Society; .states:— " That : the -Bill,. .if it /becomes law; can . hardly fail (a) outside tho single school areas to broak ■up and dislocate the local organisa- : . tion ]under-.municipal.'-control; (b) 'to lower the ediicational'.efficiency of the schools which" contract out: (c) to bring back a tax on tho ■ parents inv-the-shape: of-school-foes ; '(d).' to restore jthb,'old . condition of things in which - teachers' salaries wero' depressed and school ~ equipment V stinted,'/because the managers'.' : v.-oro poor; -'(c) to'.makeit more ; difficult for /the .'-local/education'' authority/to/maintain regularity 1 of "school attendance,, and to - see : that ovefy' child is "at; a' school suited to his 1 or'her' peculiar 7 needs and capacityand (f) greatly i:t6sKMper/-!if '\'not''to . render'_nuga- ~ 'tow. % medical, inspection of children m' tlio schools which will cease to be. under)local 'control/' / ~ ! " In ,vie\v ? of ; 'these'considerations, it seems ~ to! the ; 'oxebutive .'committee, of !the. Fabian ' Society 'lhat/ihb Nonconformist members in, the House of.'Commons woiild- act in a spirit; of patriotisp/.and ,'iii conformity with ." tho.' great, osaiuple : of;their forerunners-of; IGBS, • - if they informed Mr. M'Keniia that, whilst, gratefjilly recognising his,attempt to redress their religious grievances, they preferred not/ to acOept redress for their, :CO-religiomsts at ■ the cost of/so heavy- a blow-to . national efficiency ;as.his Bill would entail." ' . The^Catholic"Education .Council recently . /passed'vthelfollowing'resoliitidni-T-" 1 That.this' Council condemns tho Government Education Bill 'as/ placing denominational schools "in a : position of inferiority outside the public :olem'entaiw' school "syslem of the country,i;iij >which they have .hitherto- had that! recognised place to which thoy are entitled."; ;• ■ ' '.■■_, '_' v /'.'■ Lord /Rosebery. and.-the Education' Bill.—' Lord Rosebery, writing to a correspondent with'-raferehce' to the present position'of parties, regarding the Education Bill, says ho is • ' quite'.'.'Of l opinion' that a-conforenco between i Churchmen'/uid•, Nonconformists,:might- now-be-of in settling tho, education question. v . .SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND CLASS;■ ' ; ' , DISTINCTIONS. '■■'■■Speajiing,;.recently; to.;-a .deputation .from, ihfe'Secondary.\Schools. Association/ Mr. ,R. /rKoiina/ex-President of'the Boardvof. Edu- ■ oatipnr : .had.. ; BOmething.to say.concerning the • " diss "./or/ 1 ' social distinctions' ■ which-, threatened to arise l between, the. " free " and; . the., "paying" pupils'.at. secondary jinstitu-' tioris. - , The ' secondary schools' regulations, provide, among other things, that 25 per'cent... of; the accommodation-' of a school may'be ~-sefc apart ;for the ''free" scholars.The ! deputation was headed by Sir Philip Magniisj the, well-known educa'tionis't. who dcclaired, that the' regulations referred to had- creatod something approaching-coii- V sternaiion"and dismay amongst public bodies, * r . cases'- had/int'rodiiced into..the . • •. a. spirit froin' which they , had bedn, hitherto entirely' free..'; Sufficient ■ have been. given . of . them to allowt of ; -tljeir being discussed. while they, were in a provisional form. Mr. 1 M'Kenna's reply was refreshingly/candid/ .to .the-25 per: cent. accom-roodation-clause, lie said that this percentage, had been reduced in many cases. No school had boon fined 'in consequence of the changes in the regulations. But additional money ■ having ibeeri 1 . obtained .from the Chancellor, of the Exchequer, thai money was, used for • a particular-'purpose. The view which, 'he' • personally hela strongly, was that that addi- ■ tional money; whatever might; have happened in the past, ought, to be. used, for the pur- . pose of education; and not for tho purpose of : continuing/or bolstering up social distinc- ; tions!;' The. old schools which lived upon social *.distinction's were not fined, hut tho additional 'money was: to be used for tho . purpose of. iimproving the general level of education in-all schools.; He thought it ought not to be'used for maintaining a particular class of-'school-which" ;prided-itself on social ';' superiority,'and -was'-'not willing :to afford.' -.. a' .higher, type' of/oducation to the V great; majority Of the' children: of this' country.' ' . llo''ventured toVthiiik. that ' 1 the children , coming; from the '• elementary; : schools wore . a good deal, above, the average of tho ordin-, ■ ary paying 1 scholars .attending-; secondary schools'. Ho'asked' tliem to_ put to tliem-selvqs-tho question whether.it was .concoivablo ' thit the 1 governing body of any . secondary school would refuse as a paying scholar any scholar!who now canie'^to the-school asra free soholar from a-public elementary school. Of course, it was obvious that if the free . scholars' wero-paying /'scholarsVthey -would bo gladly:accepted/and no' suggestion would . be rnadp, that the educational. level or tho, school was'.heing lowered; ' " TECHNICAL EDUCATION. ,/. STUDENTS' WORK AT A LONDON POLYTECHNIC. < An eloquent exposition of tho advances . which' : .are..b'emg* ra'ade' iri' instruction connected with arts, and, crafts, was 'afforded' by a display "of'students' work at' 'of the London;; .polytechnic, institutes recently.-There;-are/no/fewer- than-, 3000 students,, male' .and' foraale, attending ;• the night : schools at this, , institution. In addition to tho niglit : . students there aro 60 day scholars:-Japplying -themselves to. domestic econoiiiy, 80. girls in the trade schools —waistcoat-cutting, dressmaking, 'upholstery—lSO boys in .technical • training prcparatory to - joining tho engineering trade, " and ,65 _ boys in tho day oakery schools. Tho/tarious trade processes wore ishown' and thp .firiiahed products put on viow. Specimens .of boosbinding, which transforms a two-shilling hovel into a'work of art worth many pounds, wero displayed as .the result . of the , work of students. A-vast hall, was filledwith table delicacies, as tho outcome ,of trddo cunning imparted to''tho rising generatioii iby. the heads . of'-the ; " National" School.: of. Bakery and. Confectionory. ' Girls wero, seen at work planning and preparing appetising, meals from: plain materials— threp-coursb dinners, for- instance, at an expenditure'. of 9d. per meal, sufficient for sevoral persons.- Marvellous dressmaking creations, fit-for, th'o adornmont of ladies of high degree, , wore also shown.