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liighcr standard of work in all the subjects dependent upon the pupils' knowledge of English would he reached by the schools as a whole. In a very satisfactory number of schools the work in this subject is very good indeed, in a large number it ranges from satisfactory to good, and in a considerable number it is poor. The poor results are undoubtedly due to inefficient teaching. Both pupils and teachers are confronted with serious difficulties in this subject. The pupil's difficulties arise largely from the hindrance which the idiomatic and grammatical peculiarities of his own language prove in the acquisition of this new language ; from the mental process which he at first must naturally follow of thinking in his mother-tongue, and in attempting then, through its idiom and construction, to translate his ideas and thoughts by means of the new vocabulary he is in process of acquiring ; and from the peculiar usages and grammatical construction of the new language. The inevitable tendency to think in the mother-tongue and to translate into the new language receives full scope when the pupil's efforts in composition take the form of written work. If realprogress is to be made, however, translation must be checked at all costs, and the best means of checking it is by using the direct method of teaching and thus giving the pupils abundant oral practice. The pupil must be taught to speak the new language, and as his vocabulary is increased his efforts in this direction will gradually enable him to think in the new language. The difficulties of the new grammatical usages and construction can be overcome by persistent practice in oral composition. The problem confronting the teacher is to appreciate and understand clearly the problem confronting the child ; to discover the methods of instruction and treatment best likely to solve the child's problem ; to prepare suitable schemes of work which will assist in the solution of the problem ; and to secure for each child a full measure of oral practice. The teaching of this subject in a Native school offers fine scope for the display of skill, initiative, and resource on the part of the teachers ; and it cannot be impressed too strongly upon the teachers that while all the other subjects of the school course should be used as a means of strengthening their pupils' English, the subject itself must occupy an important place on the time-table from the point of view of the time allotted to it, and must receive systematic and specific treatment on its own account. It must not be regarded in any way as a subject which can be taught incidentally. Reading and Recitation. —So far as clearness, accuracy, and fluency are concerned, only a comparatively few schools fail to reach a very satisfactory standard. When, however, the pupils are required to give evidence of their ability to interpret the thought-content of what they read, the varying degrees of success achieved by the teachers in their treatment of the subject become very apparent. While the comprehension of the reading-matter is good in a large number of schools and improvement is noticeable in others, there is still a great deal of mechanical and indifferent work in this respect. Teachers must recognize that no reading-lesson can be considered as finally dealt with until the pupils have mastered not only the words but the ideas contained in it. Silent reading, which should encourage and cultivate reading in the true sense—getting the thought from the printed page —does not receive sufficient attention in many schools, and in some schools where it is practised there is neglect on the part of the teachers to ascertain what information has been acquired by the pupils from this reading. An intelligent treatment of reading in its true sense —as distinct from the mechanical process involved —together with a proper treatment of recitation, should result in giving additional strength to the pupils' English. A great deal of monotonous reading is still heard, and the responsibility for this defect rests upon the teachers entirely. The monotony of utterance and lack of expression are particularly noticeable in the recitation, in which subject the results are still disappointing in many schools. Frequently the amount learned is quite insufficient and the memorization is faulty. Teachers are again advised to make a selection of pieces for recitation which provide scope for dramatic effect and which appeal to the pupils' interest. Additional reading-material in the form of simple readers is available for distribution among Native schools, and it is hoped when each school receives its quota that the purpose aimed at by this supply of reading-material for the higher classes of the preparatory division will be realized. Spelling and Writing. —In a satisfactory number of schools the writing is very good, in some it is excellent, and in others it is poor. In those schools where the work is unsatisfactory the teachers are satisfied with less than the pupils' best efforts, and the result is indifferent and poor writing. Insufficient attention is paid to the need for a correct posture in writing and for a correct manner of holding the pen or pencil, and insufficient use is made in many schools of the wall blackboards for free-arm writing by the younger children. The young children should learn to write on these blackboards before attempting work on slates or paper. In spelling a very satisfactory amount of success is achieved in many of the schools, and in others again the spelling of the pupils is quite unsatisfactory. In the latter schools the teachers fail to realize that the hand and eyes are the effective instruments in securing accurate spelling. Arithmetic. —In the preparatory classes good methods are usually employed to enable the pupils to gain an intelligent conception of number, and to acquire by the use of objects a mastery of the arithmetical facts implied by the composition of numbers. There is still, however, in a considerable number of schools a tendency on the part of the teachers to rely upon the use of tables and figures, rather than upon the use of objects, in the teaching of these arithmetical facts. This "short-cut" method is quite unsatisfactory, and it is certainly'not educative. Until teachers realize the danger attendant upon the premature use of arithmetical symbols the progress of the pupils in this subject will be disappointing. They must realize that the composition of numbers prescribed for this division of the school, and the meaning of the four processes, can be taught without the use of symbols at all. When the symbols are required they can be introduced. In the work prescribed for Standard I many teachers overlook the injunction that the work is to be very largely oral and mental, the consequence being that working of sums on slate or on paper constitutes the principal work of the pupils in this subject. At every stage the work in this subject should be characterized by thoroughness, and when the pupils reach the higher classes they should be speedy and accurate in the mechanical operations. In these classes the working of arithmetical questions —as distinct from purely mechanical work—is

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