SECONDARY SCHOOL PROGRAMMES. 53 



braces the elements of psychology, logic, morals, and metaphysics, 

 with a study of the principal schools of philosophy and the vari- 

 ous philosophical authors. In connection with the last-mentioned 

 branch of the course, as is natural, considerable prominence is 

 given to the French philosophical writers, and one hour per week 

 of the nine is expressly devoted to the Latin and Greek authors. 

 This course of philosophy, admirable as it is, and interesting as 

 (perhaps) it may be to the average youngster of seventeen years, 

 can in no sense be properly classed as an adjunct to the mother- 

 tongue instruction, except in so far as history, geography, or any 

 other branch of study, carried on in the vernacular, can be so con- 

 sidered. In the programme it is very properly classified by itself. 



Referring to the courses in modern languages, there is certainly 

 here no question as to where the preponderance lies. In the French 

 lycde the living languages are made prominent from the prepara- 

 tory year, and the strength of the course developed in the first 

 three years. The total is 1,000 hours, or 117 per cent of the whole 

 hours, compared with 380 hours, or 4*9 per cent only in the Bos- 

 ton Latin School. Latin and Greek, which naturally form the 

 pieces de resistance of the French classical course, are, as one 

 might expect, much more prominent than with us. The Latin is 

 begun in cinquieme, the pupil eleven' years of age, with ten hours 

 of recitation per week, and is continued with reduced hours for 

 six years, giving a total of 1,500 hours, against 1,293 hours at 

 the Boston Latin School. In the last year (classe de philosophie) 

 the technical study of Latin is omitted, but, as above stated, one 

 hour per week of the nine allotted to philosophy is devoted to 

 Greek and Latin authors, the original texts being freely employed. 

 Greek is begun in the second term of the fourth year of the course, 

 the pupil twelve 'years of age, with two hours per week for the 

 rest of the year, and is continued through the classe de rlietorique. 

 Taken together, the Greek and Latin recitations of the French 

 course occupy 2,340 hours, contrasted with 1,805 hours in the Bos- 

 ton Latin School. 



The importance attached to drawing in the French scheme of 

 instruction is shown by the considerable time devoted to it. This 

 is in most striking contrast to the almost general neglect of this 

 important branch of education, not only at the Latin School of 

 Boston, but at nearly all classical fitting schools in the United 

 States. In the French lyce'e 7'9 per cent of the whole course is 

 devoted to drawing ; in the Boston Latin School the percentage 

 is 2'9.* 



Among the various illustrations of the difference of the two 



* In the Latin School proper no instruction in drawing is given. The percentage referred 

 to is derived from the preceding grammar-school courses. 



