NA TURE 



[November 24, 1898 



Specific Subjects — Childn 



-93' 1893-94 1894-95 1895-96 1896-97 



Algebra 



Euclid 



Mensuration 



Mechanics 



Animal Physiology 



Botany 



Principles of Agriculture ... 



Chemistry 



Sound, Light, and Heat ... 

 Magnetism and Electricity 

 Domestic Economy 



Total ... 



28,542 31,487 I 33,612 



927 1,279 t.399 



2,802 3,762 4,018 



18,000 20.023 21,532 



13,622 14,060 15,271 



1,845 t,968 I 2,052 



1,085 ! 909 '.231 



>,935 2.387 . 3.043 



1,163 i,i«8 I 1,173 



2,338 I a,i8t I 3,040 



26,447 29,210 ' 32,922 



38,237 I 41,846 : 47.225 

 1,468 I 1,584 1 2,059 

 5,614 6,859 I 8,619 



23,806 24,956 ! 26,110 

 17,003 18,284 19.9S9 



2,483 ] 2,996 



1,196 ' 1,059 



3,850 4,822 



94 



937 



98,706 108,434:119,295 134,008 146,30; 



3.377 



82s 



5,545 





164,089 



It appears that the mathematical subjects still command the 

 most favour on the part of the teachers, algebra having taken 

 a very remarkable lead. All the physical sciences have increased 

 even more than might have been e.-cpected from the increase of 

 scholars. The principles of agriculture is the only subject that 

 shows an actual decrease. 



Estimating the number of scholars in Standards V., VI., and 

 VII. at 615,000, the percentage of the number examined in 

 these specific subjects, as compared with the number of children 

 qualified to take them, is 266 ; but it should be remembered 

 that many of the chiidren take more than one subject for exam- 

 ination. The following table gives the percentage for each year 

 since 18S2, and shows that science is gradually recovering from 

 the great depression of about eight years ago : — 



The Returns of the Education Department here given refer 

 to the whole of England and Wales, and are for the school year" 

 ending with August 31. The statistics of the London School 

 Board are brought up to the year ending with Lady Day, 1898. 

 They also illustrate the great advance that has been made in the 

 teaching of elementary .science as a class subject, and they give 

 the number of children as well as the number of departments. 



The last year shows an apparent falling-off in the teaching of 

 this subject, but, as has been mentioned above, the Government 

 having made the giving of object lessons obligatory in the lower 

 standards, 442 departments, with 75,993 children, have already 

 adopted them. This has caused a reduction in the teaching of 

 " Elementary Science " under that name; but, taking the two 

 subjects together, this must be regarded as a very consideiable 

 gain. 



The Education Department continues to meet the objection 

 against the limitation under the Code by which only two class 

 subjects are allowed to be taught, by adding combined courses 

 of study. This year a new course of this character has been 

 introduced into Schedule II, described as "Elementary 

 Science and Geography Combined.' And as, under the present 

 regulations, one of the class subjects must be such .is can be 

 taught by means of object lessons in the lower standards, some 

 such subject as the combined one above mentioned must be 

 taken. A copy of the .scheme is given in the Appendix, by 

 which it will be seen in the lower standards the phenomena of 

 the land and water are to be illustrated experimentally as an 

 introduction to geographical science. 



A similar principle has been adopted in respect of the specific 

 subjects. Hitherto chemistry has formed a course of itself, 



NO. 1517, VOL. 59] 



and physics has been divided into two separate courses, the one 

 dealing with sound, light, and heat, and the other with 

 magnetism and electricity ; but they formed only three out of 

 the nineteen subjects from which choice could be made. A 

 separate course of elementary physics and chemistry combined 

 has now been introduced, which is set out in the .•Vppendix, 

 and which is admirably adapted for experimental investigation 

 at the hands of the students themselves. 



The work under the Evening Continuation Schools Code 

 continues to progress, as will be seen from the following 

 table : — 



Units for Payir 



England and W.-iles 



Euclid 



Algebra 



Mensuration ... 

 Elementary 



Physiography 

 Elementary 



Phy 



Chei 



Scienc 



mistry 

 e of Com- 

 Things 



Chemistry 

 Mechanics 

 Sound, Light 



and Heat .. 

 Magnetism anc 



Electricity .. 

 Human Physio 



logy 



Botany 



Agricuhure 

 Horticulture .. 

 Navigation 



6,657 

 32,93' 

 4.045 



595 

 3.940 

 4.521 

 -■,554 



6,223 



3,484, 7.814 

 84 



336 



3-579 

 438 



.607 92,52 



5-6 1896-7 



7.S25 



90s 



4,694 



14,260 



50,748 

 6.325 



9641 

 2.196 



134,260 



London School Board 



893-4:1894-51895-61896 7 



.778 



3. "79 3.41 



It is again evident that the mathematical subjects are rapidly 

 increasing in favour, and that agriculture is decreasing. It will 

 be noticed with satisfaction that the science of common things 

 is receiving greatly increased attention, but it is a matter ol 

 regret that there is a decrease in the time given to elementar; 

 physiography, and still more so in the case of elementarv 

 physics and chemistry. Agriculture would become a mon 

 valuable and probably a more popular subject of study if a realh 

 good practical course were devised. 



An important change has been taking place in Scotland. The 

 Code of the Scotch Education Department now admits of the 

 possibility of gaining the full class grant, although only tw.' 

 subjects are taken. As one of these must be English, aud in 

 the higher standards provision must be made for history 01 

 geography or both, the teaching of science as a class subjec 

 has been greatly reduced during the last two years. But a neu 

 article in the Code for 1895 oD'ers a special grunt of a shilling 01 

 the average attendance of boys who are satisfactorily taugli 

 " elementary science " ; and this has far more than made up thi 

 deficiency. In fact the aggregate total of children learnini. 

 elementary science in the Scotch schools has risen from 34,151 

 in 1894-95 '° 85,671 and 133,855 respectively in the tw> 

 succeeding years. 



Vour Committee have frequently referred to the anomaly that 

 pupil teachers are not obliged to receive any instruction lit 

 natural .science, although they may have to give instruction ip 

 such -subjects, either specifically or in the form of object lessons ; 

 indeed, if they should be in charge of a cl.ass of the three lower 

 standards it would be obligatory upon them to give such object 

 lessons. .-^ Departmental Committee, consisting of the Rev. T. 

 W. Sharpe, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, •£ 

 Chairman, and several Inspectors and Principals of Training 

 Colleges anil I'upil-teacher Centres, have reported upon tltc 

 pupil-teacher system. They recommend that the age for enter- 

 mg its pupil teachers should be rai.sed, and that the interval 

 between the elementary school and their apprenticeship should be 

 passed at a secondary school. This would by no means ensine 

 that the young people would receive any instruction in scienQe 

 during that period of their career. No alteration is proposed 



