BY J. BROWNLIE HENDERSON. XVli. 
plan which has made Prussia the leading power on the 
Continent of Kurope—the education of the people. They 
instituted a complete system of compulsory state education 
which is still in existence, and which enabled them in less 
than 60 years to dominate both Austria and France in war, 
and is now seriously threatening to dominate England in 
commerce. France, even after the defeat of 1870, was badly 
provided with schools. As late as 1873, when the Prussian 
illiterate were under 1 per cent., more than 30 per cent. of 
the adult French population were entirely illiterate. The 
leaders of the nation then recognised the national danger 
and the way out. They followed Prussia’s example, and 
in a few years had in working order what has been 
characterised as the most thorough and comprehensive 
school system in the world. By 1895, 91 per cent. of all 
the children in France attended school regularly. 
Along with this enormous increase in the number of 
pupils in the primary schools, came an_ increased 
demand for secondary technical schools, and these are now 
firmly established on a good basis in several countries. 
There also came with this increased activity a radical 
change in the methods of teaching, most of which had been 
outlined long ago. It is not my intention to discuss these 
methods in detail this evening, though some of them, such 
as the kindergarten, could well be adopted in Queensland. 
Such details are matters of consideration for experienced 
teachers themselves. 
I have briefly given these few facts as to the growth: 
of educational ideas, so that we may be better able to judge 
as to whether we are doing in Queensland what we might 
be doing. 
1 think I might shortly sum up educational facilities 
in Queensland as follows :—We have, considering the smal] 
population that is spread over such a large area, a very fair 
proportion of primary schools. The subjects taught in 
these schools are reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, 
history, geography, drawing and music, and for the girls, 
needlework. In the larger schools a few elementary science 
subjects are also taught, and there has lately been added 
to the syllabus the hundreds of years old subject—nature 
study. So far as it goes, our elementary education is good— 
