ON THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 489 
Report of the Committee, consisiing of Dr. J. H. GLADSTONE 
(Chairman), Professor ARMSTRONG (Secretary), Mr. STEPHEN 
Bourne, Miss Lyp1a BEcKER, Sir Jonn Luszock, Bart., Dr. H. 
W. CrosskEY, Sir RicHarD TEMPLE, Bart., Sir Henry E. Roscoe, 
Mr. JAMES Heywoop, and Professor N. STORY MASKELYNE, ap- 
pointed for the purpose of continuing the inquiries relating to 
the teaching of Science in Elementary Schools. 
In presenting the report for the present year, your Committee have to 
record with great regret the death of Miss Lydia Becker, who has been 
a member of this Committee from its first appointment, and has always 
taken an active part in its proceedings. 
While in some former years your Committee have had to chronicle a 
decreasing attention to Elementary Science in the schools, and futile 
attempts of the Legislature to improve education, they are able this year 
to speak of good promise, if not of actual progress. 
The return of the Education Department, issued this spring, shows a 
slight turn of the tide in 1888-9. The following are the statistics of the 
class subjects as compared with the six previous years :— 
Class Subjects.— _ 
Departments 1882-3 | 1883-4 | 1884-5 | 1885-6 | 1886-7 | 1887-8 | 1888-9 
English . 4 - | 18,363 | 19,080 | 19,431 | 19,608 | 19,917 | 20,041 | 20,153 
Geography . - . | 12,823 | 12,775 | 12,336 | 12,055 | 12,035 | 12,058 | 12,171 
Elementary Science . 48 51 45 43 39 36 36 
History : : ; 367 382 386 375 383 390 386 
Drawing . 3 - == — = 240 505 — — 
Needlework. - . | 5,286 | 5,929 | 6,499 | 6,809 | 7,137 | 7,424 | 7,620 
The number of scholars examined in the scientific specific subjects are 
as follows :— 
Specific Subjects.—Children | 1882-3 | 1883-4 | 1884-5 | 1885-6 | 886-7 | 1887-8 | 1888-9 
Algebra. 26,547 | 24,787 | 25,347 | 25,393 | 25,103 | 26,448 | 27,465 
Euclid and Mensura- 
tion 5 ; . | 1,942 | 2,010 | 1,269 | 1,247 995 | 1,006 928 
Mechanics A. . | 2,042 | 3,174 | 3,527 | 4,844 | 6,315 | 6,961 | 9,524 
. BS™. ; — 206 239 128 33 331 127 
Animal Physiology . | 22,759 | 22,857 | 20,869 | 18,523 | 17,338 | 16,940 | 15,893 
Botany ; 3,280 | 2,604 | 2,415 | 1,992 | 1,589 | 1,598 |} 1,944 
Principles of Agricul- 
ture ; F é 1,357 | 1,859 | 1,481 | 1,851 | 1,137 | 1,151 | 1,199 
Chemistry . 1,183 | 1,047 | 1,095 | 1,158 | 1,488 | 1,808 | 1,531 
Sound, Light, and Heat 630 | 1,253 | 1,231 | 1,334 | 1,158 978 | 1,076 
Magnetism and Elec- 
tricity . . | 8,643 | 3,244 | 2,864 | 2,951 | 2,250 | 1,977 | 1,669 
Domestic Economy - | 19,582 | 21,458 | 19,437 | 19,556 | 20,716 | 20,787 | 22,064 
Total - - | 82,965 | 84,499 | 79,774 | 78,477 | 78,122 | 79,985 | 83,420 
Number of eo | 
in Standards V., VI., 
286,355 325,205 352,860 393,289 |432,097 |472,770 |490,590 
and VII. J 
