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place much earlier than the corresponding change in the boy ; at thirteen the girl is taller than a boy of|the same age/OThe boy does not begin his rapid growth and change till fifteen or sixteen, when he passes the girl in height. As children of fourteen enter the high school, the girl is from one to two years more mature than the boy : she is already a woman in seriousness of purpose, in power of application, and in womanly instincts. During his first two years in high school the boy begins to grow rapidly. Indeed, so rapid are his physical changes that he finds himself unable to concentrate his mind upon anything. He needs more sleep and fresh air than ever before. Nature makes such drafts upon his stomach that he can do little else than eat, sleep, and exercise. No wonder most boys' during these two or three years earn the title of ' that lazy boy.' If he works with the energy of a steam-engine while building a boat or in a game of football, he still fails to redeem himself from the reputation he has made in the girls' class-room. I say ' the girls' class-room,' because I think the class has gone through an unintentional evolution to suit the needs of those in the majority of numbers and maturity ofjmind." The inevitable result is that the boy's education suffers. Mr. Armstrong, who desires to retain the great moral and social advantages of co-education, has attempted to solve the problem by what he calls the method of " limited segregation " —that is, separate classes for boys and girls in certain subjects. The experiments carried out in his own school have been, on the whole, very successful. The separation of the sexes has rendered it possible to use different methods of teaching, suited to the different stage of maturity of boys and girls respectively. As a result, to take one subject only, in the segregated classes a greater percentage of the boys than of the girls gained 75 per cent, of marks, or over, in a foreign language —a place where boys had been found before to fail. A slight loss was noted in moral tone and in deportment. The problem is worthy of attention in New Zealand, where many of our secondary schools are co-educational; as the schools increase in size, we shall, no doubt, become conscious of the same difficulties, which already exist on a small scale. Boys or girls who have completed the full course in an elementary school, have passed a satisfactory leaving-examination, and are reported by their principals as qualified, are admitted free, as in New Zealand, to a high school. Those living outside the city are, however, admitted only under special circumstances, and have to pay $1.25 a week (£lO a year) as tuition fee ; pupils must attend the school in the district in which they reside, except when transferred by the Superintendent of Schools (when he wishes to adjust the numbers in the schools). The privilege of being allowed to attend is strictly guarded ; a pupil may lose the right not only by moral misconduct or lack of diligence, but by absence without satisfactory reason for six half-days in four consecutive weeks, or for defacing or injuring school property. It is not a matter for surprise, therefore, that the attendance is generally good, and that cutting or scribbling on desks or other school property is practically unknown. The subjects are for the most part nominally " elective," or optional ; but in practice the principal controls the choice of work to a large extent ; English is practically compulsory throughout the course, and Mathematics is generally taken, for the first two years at all events ; Physiology is compulsory in the first year, and Physical Culture throughout the course ; no pupil is allowed to take more than one foreign language in his first year, unless he is able to enter an advanced class in the second language ; nor can any one in that year take up Stenography and Typewriting. No pupil can receive a diploma of graduation from the high school unless he has received sixteen credits (which correspond to eighty units as defined in the Free Place Regulations under the New Zealand Education Act) ; his course must include the special subjects of Drawing, Music, and Physical Culture ; pupils who have completed two years satisfactorily may obtain a certificate, stating the work accomplished. The regulations contain one significant paragraph to the following effect : " Any pupil of marked ability who shall accomplish any piece of valuable work along lines of individual research within the scope of the High School studies, and shall submit the same with conclusive evidence that the work is original and the results valuable —such work to be done during the last two years of the curriculum —shall receive such credit or credits for this work towards graduation as it shall be worthy of, in the judgment of the principal and teachers." Some among us who are sceptical as to the possibility of research work being done even by University students would no doubt consider that this provision suggests an impossible ideal —an opinion which involves the conclusion that the acute and experienced men who direct educational affairs in America do not know their business. Examinations are held at the close of each year by the principals and teachers of the schools ; outside examinations