268 



NATURE 



[April 20, 191 1 



Kcrschensteiner, in which he descrilws the compulsory 

 ( oiitinuaiion schools of that city, where more than yo per 

 cut. of the ihililren twlween the age» of six and fif<hU'«'n 

 an- in attendanct: at one class or other of p ' ' "<l, 



and wliere the piipiU in the compulsory on 



schools average jjo hours p<.'r annum of ....uf. 



These schools are of two kinds, a hif^hlv or^ianised kind 

 for youths between the ages of fuurtei-n and eightf-en 

 during their apprenticeship, at which th<'y receive instruc- 

 tion in sp».H.ific relation to their trades, and a continuation 

 school for girls, at which three years* attendance is com- 

 pulsory subsequent to the close of the primary-school 

 career at the age of thirteen. The boys* schools cater 

 specifically for every trade in which there are twenty-five 

 apprentices, and there arc fifty-two special trade schools 

 as well as twelve general schools. The girls' course of 

 instruction, at present, d<'als almost exclusively with 

 domestic matters, but attention will be devoted to indus- 

 trial atTairs as the scheme is thoroughly developed. " The 

 only path to real State-community," remarks Dr. 

 Kerschenstciner, "is to accustom the children from their 

 earliest years to do their work, not only for their own 

 personal advantage, but also for the advantage of their 

 youthful companions. Only thus can we hope to develop 

 the two great fundamental virtues of devotion to aims 

 outside ourselves and of consideration for the interests of 

 others. And only thus will it in all probability be possible 

 to preserve our great modern constitutional States from 

 the dangers which threaten them through their own indus- 

 trial, economic, social, mul political development." 



At the afternoon sessions of the forthcoming Imperial 

 Education Conference, which will be held on April 25-28 

 Inclusive, the following papers will be read and followed 

 Ijy discussion : — Tuesda}, April 25 : Mr. H. J. Mackinder, 

 M.P., the teaching of geography from an imperial point 

 of view, and the use which could and should be made of 

 visual instruction ; Prof. H. E. Egerton, some aspects of 

 tile teaching of imperial history. \\'ednesday, .\\>\W 2(S : 

 Ml. Marshall Jackman, experimental work in the bach- 

 inj^ i>f arithmetic in elementary schools; Mr. J. d. Lej^go, 

 practical education in elementary schools; Mr. J. Strong, 

 secondary education in Scotland. Thursday, .April 27 : 

 Dr. j. .\. Ewing, C.B., F.R.S., engineering education; 

 Mr. J. II. Reynolds, higher technical instruction. Friday, 

 April 28 : Mr. R. Blair, trade schools ; Mr. Graham 

 Balfour, continuation schools. These sessions will be held 

 at the Foreign Office, and persons who have special know- 

 ledge of, or interest in, the various subjects which are to 

 be dealt with at each particular session have been invited, 

 but in \ i. \v of the small space available the number of 

 inviiaiiiin^ has had to be strictly limited. 



The London County Council has rdently d. i i(l( d to 

 make a maintenance grant of 8000/. to the Imperinl College 

 of Science and Technology, South Kensington, S.W. In 

 return for this grant it secures the privilege of nominating 

 twenty-five students for one year's free instruction at the 

 Imperial College. These places are to be filled as from 

 October, iqii. The instruction will be of an advanced 

 nature, and therefore only advanced students who are 

 qualified to enter on the fourth year of the course should 

 apply. There is no restriction as to income, but intending 

 candidates must be ordinarily resident in the administrative 

 county of London, and must lie students at an institution 

 aided, maintained, or approved by the Council, for this 

 purpose, who have attended regularly courses of instruction 

 for at least two sessions. The free studentships do not 

 entitle the holders to any maintenance grants, but cover 

 all ordinary tuition fees. No examination will be adopted 

 for the final selection of the students from the applications 

 received. The free studentships will be awarded on con- 

 sideration of the past records of the candidates, the recom- 

 mendations of their teachers, the course of study thev 

 intend to follow, and generally upon their fitness for 

 advanced study in science applied to industry. It is quite 

 possible that, in special cases, the free places nia\ Ije 

 extended to two or more years. Application forms 

 (T. 2/268') can be obt.ained from the Education Officer. 

 Tendon County Council. Victoria Embankment. London. 

 W.C., and must be returned not later than Saturdav, 

 May 2}-, 1911. 



NO. 2164, VOL. 86] 



-f 



The summer field session (or 1911 of the School 

 American Archscolojrr. of the Archa;ological Inktitutc 

 America, will be held at El Riio de lo» Frijolt-n, n< 

 Santa F**-, New Mexico. Facilities will be i di-nl 



to observe or to participate in the excavati' 

 1908, and now in progress at '!*..-..-.; 

 pueblos and clifT-dwclling«*. Excm 

 facilitate a study of botanical and •• 



ditions of the tribes dwelling in the vicinitv. Uurit 

 August, lectures will be given on the distribution ar 

 culture of the tribes in the south-western scctioe 

 Inited .States; on the evolution of design as ^ 



ancient Pueblo art; on the native ! ■ --' 



of recording them. A course will 

 H. Paton, formerly director of tl. 



Jerusalem of the Archajological Institute of America, ooj; 

 " The Ancient Semites," to afford an opportunity of 

 comparative study of cultures developed in semi-art 

 regions in the eastern and in the western continents, 

 object of the annual summer field sessio- ' •' •■ ' 

 .American .Arch.tology is to bring t<j. 



terested in the study of anthropology, fo .„ ) 



discussion, and to give students the opportunity for n 1 

 work needed to supplement university instruction. At : 

 close of the session opportunity will be given to visit •■ 

 pueblos of Taos and .Acoma, and the Government exc.i. - 

 tions among the cliff-dwellings in the Mesa Verde * ' 

 Park, Colorado. Details of the summer session 

 obtained from the Director of the Si hf.nl ..f 

 .Archaeology, Santa F6, New Mexici 



The council of the Teachers' Guild has ad: 

 letter to the Board of Education on the subje. 

 operation between labour exchanges and local • 

 authorities, approving the principle of such co^' 

 provided that the employment of juveniles be 

 considered from the point of view of their ed 

 interests and permanent careers. The guild reo 

 that the subcommittees to be appointed for this w. c 

 should include county councillors, H.M. inspector a \ 

 council inspectors, directors of technical and corr' 

 classes, representative employers and workmen, a 



sentatives of the head teachers, of the school n: -, 



and of the care committees (where they exist). The cent ■■ 

 oflfices for this work should be located within, and f«. r. 

 part of, the offices of the local education authority. .1 I 

 from age fourteen to seventeen the " juveniles " shouUl . 

 to some extent, under the supervision of the • 

 officers of the county authority. The letter point- 

 important results which may flow from the ado;. .. 

 local authorities of the powers offered to them by 

 Education (Choice of Employment) Act, 1910. We qu 

 the following passages, which summarise views frequently 

 expressed in Nature : — " In the past the lack of adequate 

 linkage between the work of the ordinary schools and that 

 of technical classes has been felt to be a most serious 

 hindrance to technical education. The removal of this 

 hindrance is desirable, but of greater future importance is 

 the opportunity for systematic schemes for the continued \ 

 education of boys and girls directly after they have left | 

 school. . . . The experience of teachers, and of those f 

 engaged in research into mental development, points to | 

 the enormous importance of the period between fourteen « 

 and seventeen years. . . . The work of ordinary element- ^ 

 ary and secondary schools should be in closer touch with 

 everyday life. . . . Some of the work of continued educa- 

 tion should be done in day schools. The cooperation of 

 employers is essential." 



FoRTV-ONE annual conferences of the National Union of 

 Teachers have been presided over by men whose addresses 

 have received and deserved considerable public attention. 

 This year, for the first time, a woman took the presi- 

 dential chair, and special interest therefore attaches to her 

 speech. We recognise in Miss Cleghorn's address a 

 womanly regard and sympathy for the children, which in 

 no wise detracts from the breadth of view evinced by her 

 chairmanly utterance. Dealing first with the infants' 

 departments, she deprecated the exclusion of young 

 children under five when home conditions do not permit 

 adequate maternal care and training. Again, it is a 

 disastrous policy to promote children to the older depart- 



