8 
392 Foreign Literature and Science: 
ny other places. Its design is to instruct, while it amuses; 
those childres whose parents have not the means of procuring 
books. A ‘ Society of the friends of youth and the promo- 
tion of knowledge,” has been formed for the purpose of mak- 
ing a collection of books, which are lent to children under 
the responsibility of their parents, at the rate of about one 
- cent per volume, and two cents when _the volume contains 
parents in easy circumstances, for the purpose of increasing ~ 
their means of usefulness by donations of books, &c.—Idem. 
17. Education in France.—The following impressive ex- 
hibition of the state of education in France, was given by, 
Cu. Durty, in his introductory lecture at the opening of 
the normal ceurse of eametry and applied et alg on 
the 29th of pce 1826 
“J present to your notice a map of the kingdom, which 
represents by shades, more or less deep, the degrees of igno- 
rance or information which prevail. 
Those departments whose primary schools contain the 
tenth of the whole population, are coloured with the deep tint 
no. 10; those departments whose schools contain only the 
20th part of the total population, are coloured no. 20; those 
whose. schools contain only the 229th part of the population, 
I have coloured in Ts no. cu, &e. 
What then, you will say, does France contain departments 
where there is but one child at school, in a population of 229 
inhabitants? Yes, gentlemen, such a state of things does 
exist, and even still worse. But, it will be observed, this must 
immediately in some corner of Lower Brittany? No, gen- 
tlemen, Lower Brittany is rather better. It has schools 
which contain the 222d part of its population. It mustthen be 
on the summit of the Alps orthe Pyrenees, where the poor in- 
habitants have to struggle against eternal frosts and avalan- 
ches, in cultivating a contracted territory. No, gentlemen, 
re 
the inhabitants of the Upper Alps and Uj 
toa people as to have to. struggle against natural obstacles. 
That obseure place, where only the 229th part of the human 
frequent the 
species schools, is in the middle of the kingdom, 
Sia 
