ox THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 



229 



It will be noticed that during the former period, while the study of 

 English Grammar increased with the natural increase of schools, the study 

 of scientific subjects positively decreased ; but since that time, while 

 Grammar has steadily declined. Geography and Elementary Science have 

 increased. 



The number of departments in ' schools for older scholars ' for the 

 year 1893-94 was 22,779, of which 111 did not take any class subject, 

 leaving 22,668 as the number of departments with which the foregoing 

 table has to deal. But it must be borne in mind that History is taken in 

 2,972, and Needlework (for girls) in 7,675 departments, making, with the 

 ■other three subjects in the table, 44,144 in all. This shows an average of 

 nearly two class subjects to each department. As, however, there were no 

 less than 5,975 departments in which only one class subject was taken, it 

 is evident that the plan of teaching one subject in the lower division of a 

 .school and another subject in the upper division, thus counting twice over 

 in the statistical table, is largely adopted. This is further borne out by 

 the fact that, while only two class subjects are allowed to be taken by any 

 individual scholar, there are 4,.388 departments in which three, and 197 in 

 which four or five, of these class subjects are taught. That Elementary 

 Science is taught in 1,215 departments must, therefore, be accepted with 

 the reservation that, in many cases perhaps, it is only a portion of the 

 school that gets the benefit of this instruction. 



The number of scholars examined in the scientific specific subjects 

 ■during the eight years 1882-90 has been as follows : — 



The numbers in the last column of table on p. 230 reveal a general advance ; 

 but the most marked proportional increase is to be found in the number 

 -of scholars taking Chemistry and Magnetism and Electricity. The num- 

 bers during the last four years are : — 



