60 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



nor as satisfactory work, but that what we do is done in an anti- 

 quated and unscientific manner. • In France, for example^ we 

 find a school system that in its superior primary course gives 

 to the child of the humblest artisan not only a solid foundation 

 in all essentials of mother-tongue instruction, but, by means of 

 its complementary courses, in manual training and modern lan- 

 guages as well. We likewise find a clean-cut, well-defined course 

 in the special secondary schools for the child who seeks prep- 

 aration for commercial or professional life by modern meth- 

 ods ; while, by the systematic arrangement of its classical lycee 

 course, results are achieved which excite the admiration and envy 

 of the president of one of our most honored universities. Turn- 

 ing to our own programmes, we find what can only be character- 

 ized as a more or less futile effort to build on one foundation 

 several distinct structures, each one of which is diverse in the 

 special ends sought to be accomplished. In our effort to do 

 everything, we have failed to do anything sufficiently well to 

 entitle it to favorable comparison with the results attained by a 

 more skillful apportionment of labor. 



We can also learn from the French programmes that if Amer- 

 ican schools are to accomplish results comparable with those 

 attained in France, American children have not only to work on 

 more specialized lines, but have also to work more. There can 

 be no doubt that the outcry against "long school hours" and 

 " home study," which for many years past has been so resonant 

 in this country, has seriously affected the efficiency of our schools. 

 As the exhibit of school programmes here given shows, the average 

 hours of recitation in American fitting schools are very consid- 

 erably less than in those of France. And those of France are to 

 about an equal degree less than the hours of' the German gymna- 

 sia and Realschulen. It is full time that a halt be called on the 

 further progress of this absurd clamor. The idea that a healthy 

 American boy, between the age of eight and fifteen years, let out 

 of school, as he generally is in these days, at from one to two 

 o'clock, should not do a certain amount of systematic study at 

 home, certainly can but be characterized as absurd. It is probable 

 that but few persons, who have not made special inquiry in regard 

 to it, appreciate the extent to which this sentiment against out-of- 

 school study now prevails in this country. If it has had the effect 

 of crippling the public schools, it may be said that it has really par- 

 alyzed many private ones where this feeling is pandered to. The 

 advanced age of pupils entering the private fitting schools, as 

 well as the advanced age of college matriculates, is to a great 

 extent due to this disinclination of parents to submit their chil- 

 dren to regular systematic study in their earlier school life. In 

 collecting the data for this paper the writer has been pleased to 



