BiCKEETON. — Or University and Ge^ieral Education. 157 



have not acted as a bar to progress. In Prussia at present fully one-third the 

 time in elementary schools is spent in drawing, principally by the use of 

 instruments. Professor Fleming Jenkins, in his presidential address to the 

 mechanical section of the British Association, 1871, devoted more than half 

 his speech to its importance. He thus defines it : — " It is the art of repre- 

 senting an object so accurately that a skilled workman, upon inspecting the 

 drawing, shall be able to make the object of exactly the materials and 

 dimensions, without any further verbal or written instructions from the 

 designer." He goes on to say : — " This kind of drawing educates the hand 

 and mind in accuracy, it teaches the students the elements of mensuration 

 and geometry, and it afibrds considerable scope for taste where taste exists." 

 I have too much to say on other topics to dwell further on this subject, which 

 would require a whole evening to say all that its importance deserves. The 

 study of mechanical drawing should be commenced in the elementary schools 

 by practical geometry, then proceed to making plans and elevations of simple 

 solids and the construction and use of drawing-scales. 



The other subjects for elementary schools should be — Freehand drawing, 

 as far as copying simple curves and models ; arithmetic, including decimals j 

 algebra to equations ; as much theoretical geometry as the first book of 

 Euclid (it is, however, the opinion of some of our ablest geometricians that 

 Euclid is not the best teacher) ; mensuration of surfaces ; as much chemistry 

 as to understand the simple processes of nature ; the elementary parts of heat, 

 light and electricity; human physiology and the elementary principles of 

 hygiene j some science of observation — as geology, botany, or some branch of 

 zoology ; a slight knowledge of the geography of the world, and a little more 

 of his own country ; English grammar to the rules of syntax, and about 1,000 

 roots of the English language ; gymnastics, drill, and vocal music. The 

 following are the additional subjects that might be taught on payment in 

 elementary schools according to the demand of the neighbourhood j I do not, 

 however, consider that these subjects should wholly depend for their support 

 upon the fees charged : — Elements of French or German, Latin, history, 

 music (instrumental), colouring (water-colour drawings), political economy. 



Advanced Schools. 

 The attendance at these schools should not be compulsory nor free. The 

 fee charged should not be large for the general curriculum of the school, but 

 additional fees might be charged for extra subjects. In order to prevent these 

 schools from becoming mere elementary schools for the wealthier classes the 

 pupils should pass an entrance examination, showing at least the minimum of 

 knowledge of boys leaving the elementary schools. The ordinary course of 

 these schools should be as follows : — Making finished mechanical drawings, 

 projection descriptive solid geometry j freehand drawings ; algebra to 



