March 18, 1887 ) 



SCIEJ^'CE. 



273 



the overflowing numbers attending the course are 

 accommodated. 



There are four slojd courses given in the course 

 of the year, — two summer and two winter 

 courses. Each course lasts six weeks ; and, as the 

 time is so short, the hours areeomewhat long, and 

 the work rather hard, for those who are not ac- 

 customed to much bodily exercise. The plan of 

 the day is as follows : prayer, 6.45 a.m. ; lecture, 

 7 to 8 ; breakfast ; slojd from 8.30 to 1, with a 

 break of a quarter of an hour ; dinner and rest, 1 

 to 8 ; slojd, 3 to 5 ; coffee, followed by discus- 

 sions, either on the slojd models — which are apt 

 to be very lively — or on ordinary scliool-subjects, 

 for Herr Salomon is anxious to take advantage of 

 the presence of so many teachers by giving them 

 frequent opportunities of hearing each other's 

 views, and thus rubbing each other up by means 

 of a little wholesome friction. 



The whole number of models, consisting of a 

 hundred articles, is divided into two series, — fifty 

 in the first course, and fifty in the second. Many 

 of the teachers return in order to go through the 

 second course, and are sure of a hearty welcome. 

 At the end of the course, each member receives 

 a certificate, in the presence of the whole body, 

 stating that he or she has attended the course, and 

 has made so many models. No special number is 

 required. Every one is anxious to get on ; but 

 strength and ability vary oonsideraljly. and those 

 who come with a knowl='dge of carpentering soon 

 leave those who have had no such previous practice 

 hopelessly behind. But all gain much during the 

 course, quite enough to begin a slojd class on their 

 return to their respective schools, in different parts 

 of the world. 



The difficulty of teaching together representa- 

 tives of so many different nations is not so great 

 as it seems. As far as the practical work is con- 

 cerned, the chief thing is to be shown how to 

 work, handle the tools, etc., and the primitive 

 language of signs goes a long way. The lectures 

 are more difficult to manage, and I can only say 

 how they were given at the course I atlendpd. A 

 daily lecture was given in Swedish and in German, 

 The former was attended, not only by the Swedes, 

 but by the Danes, Norwegians, and Finlanders, 

 who understand Swedish well. The latter was 

 attended by the Austrians, Bohemians, and Eng- 

 lish. If we had known no German at all, I believe 

 we should have received some private instruction. 

 A few words, in conclusion, as to the life at 

 Naas. I think the thing which, above all, struck 

 us, was its complete novelty. We felt as if we 

 had dropped into another planet. The mixture of 

 nationalities and languages, the simplicity of the 

 mode of life, the early hours, the general kindli- 



ness, the absence of all class-distinctions, the child- 

 like enjoyment of little pleasures, the good-tem- 

 pered rivalry in work, made up a sort of hyper- 

 borean Arcadia. On the other hand, it is only 

 fair to say that the general arrangements are so 

 primitive, that no one should go there who cannot 

 put up with a certain amount of roughing it and 

 very simple fare. I may mention here, in case 

 any one should feel inclined to spend the summer 

 holidays in going through a course of slojd at 

 Naas, that ten pounds would well cover the whole 

 cost of the undertaking. A first-class return ticket 

 from London to Gothenburg is £5 5s. (this does 

 not include food). The journey to and from 

 Naas is short and inexpensive, and a very small 

 sum, about Is. a day, is charged for food. Appli- 

 cation should be made some months beforehand to 

 Herr Otto Salomon, Naas, Floda station, Sweden. 

 Another pleasure was the excellent singing, 

 generally given in the open air, specially during 

 the long solemn evenings of the north, when the 

 air was alive with song. A choir was formed of 

 the best male voices, under an excellent conductor, 

 a member of the course, who took great pains 

 with them. The quarter of an hour's rest in the 

 morning was often turned to good account in the 

 musical line. We used to sit about outside the 

 seminary, while the choir would stand on a knoll 

 and give us song after song till the bell rang, sum- 

 moning us to return to our labors. Will you think 

 it strange that this going to school again was also 

 a pleasure ? We quite enjoyed to be the pupil in- 

 stead of the teacher, and were amused to find how 

 much our point of view had changed since we 

 were in statu pupillari. But, let me whisper, we 

 should probably not have enjoyed it had it been 

 for more than a very h raited time. 



We are proud, and justly proud, of our position 

 as Englishmen ; but I think we can well afford to 

 recognize more heartily and generously the quota 

 which each civilized nation brings to the intel- 

 lectual wealth of all. Even those who are small 

 in population, and not so well endowed as our- 

 selves with natural advantages, do their part 

 relatively perhaps better than we ; and Svveclish 

 education, during this century, has advanced by 

 leaps and bounds. I will only remind you of these 

 three facts : it was a Swede, Captain Nordenskiold, 

 who, in the little Vega, first made the north-east 

 passage ; it was a Swede, Herr Henrik Ling, who 

 has given to the world the most scientific and 

 comprehensive system of gymnastics ; and it is 

 Sweden who again comes forward and offers us 

 the hand -education, which, if rightly used, is to 

 give our children a completeness in their training 

 which is at present lacking. 



Evelyn Chapman. 



