5 6 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



that tlie protest against the excessive and unnecessary time given 

 to mathematical instruction in all our schools which has begun, 

 will continue, none can doubt. As is well known, no primary or 

 secondary school programme of this country can be scratched 

 without revealing an omnipresent Tartar known as arithmetic. 

 This mathematical Cossack is ever found firmly settled in his 

 saddle, and foraging for subsistence hither and yon, upon friend 

 and foe alike. The result is, that in the classical preparatory school 

 the boy is hampered and handicapped by serious mathematical 

 studies which absorb time that he could more profitably devote to 

 his mother-tongue, to modern languages, and to science studies. 

 On the other hand, in the scientific or English courses, the pupil 

 fitting for the scientific school, or for business, is forced to take 

 unwelcome draughts of Latin. These last are somewhat diluted, 

 it is true, and are given perhaps on the general principle entering 

 into the administration of certain family medicines, viz., that if 

 not of any direct service to the patient, they can do him no pos- 

 sible harm. But in point of fact, while as a rule the Latin given 

 in these brief courses can be of little or no value to a pupil fitting 

 for the scientific school, time is taken from subjects having a 

 direct personal bearing on his future career. It is interesting to 

 note how, in France, this feature of instruction is managed. 



A French boy having passed through the grades of the lyce'e 

 classique, as exhibited in the preceding table, and intending to 

 devote himself to a literary profession, proceeds without further 

 ado to his examination for the baccalaureat es leitres wherein 

 mathematics plays but a subordinate part, as is indicated by the 

 small percentage of time given it in the lyce'e course. But, for 

 the benefit of graduates designed for the national schools, or for 

 those who prefer to present themselves for examination for the 

 baccalaureat es science instead of es lettres post-graduate lyce'e 

 mathematical courses are instituted. The classe de rnathema- 

 tiques elemehtaires , for instance, has for its object the study of 

 matters comprised in the programmes of the baccalaureat es sci- 

 ences, as well as those of the military (Saint-Cyr), the naval, and 

 forestry schools and the central school. The curriculum of this 

 class devotes seven and a half hours per week to mathematics, 

 four and a half hours to science studies, two each to the mother- 

 tongue, Latin and modern languages, three hours to history and 

 geography, one hour to philosophy, and four hours to drawing. 

 This course is of but one year. It is usually taken by pupils from 

 the classe de rhetorique, but may be taken by pupils from the 

 classe de philosophic who wish to review and increase their mathe- 

 matical attainments. A much stiffer and more comprehensive 

 drill in mathematics is afforded by the classe de mathematiques 

 speciales. This course is also of but one year. The instruction 



