262 



sci^jsrcu. 



[Vol. IX., No. 215 



little volume of selections from Nepos that has 

 recently appeared in Macmillan's series of ele- 

 mentary classics is at once the handiest and best- 

 prepared edition for the use of beginners that we 

 remember to have seen. It is edited by G. S. 

 Farnell, M.A., who has prefixed a brief introduc- 

 tion, and appended some helpful notes and a 

 vocabulary. The passages for Latin composition 

 are a good feature, and should materially aid the 

 teacher. 



— The programme for the annual meeting of 

 the superintendents of schools, concluded yes- 

 terday at Washington, was a comprehensive and 

 attractive one. The subjects of discussion, and 

 the speakers invited to discuss them, were as fol- 

 lows : ' Public education on the Pacific coast,' Su- 

 perintendents Campbell of Oakland (Cal.), Water- 

 man of Stockton (Cal.), and Fay of Eureka (Nev.); 

 *A teacher's certificate, county, city, state, and 

 national,' Dr. A. J. Rickoff of Yonkers, J. P. 

 Wickersham of Lancaster (Penn.), Dr. W. A. 

 Mo wry of Boston, Superintendent Lovett of 

 Huntsville (Ala.), W. W. Jones of Lincoln (Neb.), 

 and Superintendent Hard of Gallipolis (O.); ' Civil 

 service and public schools,' L. D. Brown of Colum- 

 bus (O.), Superintendent Manley of Galion (O.), 

 B. L. Butcher of Beverly (W.Va.), Superintend- 

 ents Morgan of West Virginia, Barringer of New- 

 ark (N.J.), Littlefield of Newport (R.I.), and Bal- 

 lard of Columbus (O.); ' Powers and duties of 

 ofiScers and teachers,' Superintendents Marble of 

 Worcester (Mass.), Cornell of Denver, Hinsdale of 

 Cleveland, Wise of Baltimore, Latham of Dan- 

 ville (111.), Green of Long Branch (N. J.), and W. 

 E. Sheldon of Boston ; ' The best system of coun- 

 ty and city school supervision,' Superintendents 

 Holcombe of Indiana, Greenwood of Kansas City, 

 Johnson of Columbia (S.C), Sabin of Clinton (lo.), 

 Paine of Tennessee, Speer of Kansas, and Mac- 

 donald of Topeka ; * The best system of state 

 school supervision,' Superintendents Easton of 

 Louisiana, Edwards of Illinois, Preston of Missis- 

 sippi, Pickett of Kentucky, Lawhead of Kansas, 

 Palmer of Alabama, Buchanan of Virginia, and 

 Tomlinson of Winston (N.C.); 'The relation of 

 our public schools to the general government,' 

 Congressman McKinley of Ohio, A. J. Michael of 

 Cleveland, and Superintendents Newell of Mary- 

 land and Cooper of Texas. 



— Writing from Paris, the Journal of educa- 

 tion's correspondent mentions two subjects of 

 general educational interest. The first is, that 

 there is at present a perfect glut of teachers in the 

 scholastic market in France. The impetus given 

 by the republican government to education has 

 caused such an influx of young men and young 



women to the profession, that more than twenty 

 thousand who have gone through the necessary 

 training and passed the examinations cannot find 

 places. Most of these would, under ordinary 

 circumstances, not have become civil-servants ; 

 and the increase in the number of these, in a 

 country where the true function of the state is 

 considered by too many to be that of providing 

 posts for its citizens, is a very serious matter. 

 The second topic of interest is that the Chev6 

 method of singing at sight is gaining ground in 

 France, as well as in Belgium and Holland. 

 Although not so thorough in fundamental prin- 

 ciples as the tonic sol-fa method, which has done 

 such a vast deal for singing in England, this 

 method stands next in order of merit. The de- 

 grees of the scale are indicated by figures, in- 

 stead of by letters as in tonic sol-fa. He adds 

 that it is a curious fact that Germany, where 

 rational and ii'rational methods on every possible 

 subject are being daily elaborated with exemplary 

 care and Teutonic patience, still plods on with 

 the old method, which has but one point in its 

 favor compared with the above-named ; namely, 

 that it is the only possible method, practically 

 speaking, for instrumental music. But as a 

 means of affording a ready insight into the prin- 

 ciples of modern music, it can hardly be called a 

 method at all. 



— The Athenaeum reports that a movement in 

 favor of university extension, soniewliat after the 

 lines of Professor Stuart's scheme, which Cam- 

 bridge has worked with signal success, is being 

 proposed in Scotland. The University of Glasgow 

 is considering the subject, and St. Andrews has 

 formed a committee which is to inquire into the 

 need for instruction and its capability of supplying 

 it. Several of the Edinburgh professors have 

 signed a rather vague fly-sheet that has been put 

 in circulation ; but no general conclusion has been 

 reached, and it is uncertain whether the universi- 

 ties will divide the work among them, each acting 

 separately, or whether there will be a common 

 organization. In fact, the question in Scotland 

 takes a different form from what it does in Eng- 

 land. England had a large body of comparatively 

 idle fellows : Scotland has none. When Professor 

 Stuart began his work, there were large districts 

 in England untouched by university influence : 

 there is almost no such district in Scotland. The 

 number of undergraduates at Oxford and Cam- 

 bridge is small in proportion to the population : 

 the number of Scottish students is very large. 

 These and other circumstances will compel the 

 Scottish universities to handle the question in a way 

 somewhat different from that pursued by Professor 

 Stuart. 



