778 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Of these sciences, medicine and astronomy were probably 

 taught in the temple schools — certainly the former, for all physi- 

 cians were priests. Engineering and mining were, in all probabil- 

 ity, taught practically. Where or how mathematics was taught 

 we do not know. It is, however, a curious fact that while we 

 possess no other Egyptian text-books, we do possess text-books of 

 medicine and mathematics. The great medical " Papyrus Ebers " 

 is a collection of diagnoses and prescriptions calculated to assist 

 the general practitioner as well as to instruct the student. A 

 mathematical text-book has been published by Eisenlohr. 



Such is as complete a sketch as can be given of Egyptian edu- 

 cation. It is to be borne in mind that it was under control of the 

 government, that it was thoroughly democratic, and that its fun- 

 damental principle was utility and its purpose to train scribes, 

 priests, physicians, and officers for the state service, not to form 

 scholars. It is significant in this connection that no mention is 

 made of the education of girls. In the times of the new empire 

 (1530 b. c. and after) we meet with workingmen who are able to 

 read and write, and no doubt the merchants, mechanics, and 

 farmers that composed the wealthy middle class were educated. 

 It may be supposed that the government taught its master work- 

 men to read and write, two accomplishments they needed to prop- 

 erly fulfill their functions; but where and how the merchants, 

 mechanics, and farmers, if they were educated, got their educa- 

 tion, we can not even conjecture. The state certainly did not 

 educate them, since it could in its estimate derive no benefit from 

 them, and the idea of popular education never occurred to the 

 state. 



THE BRONZE AGE IN SWEDEN. 



By W. H. LABRABEE. 



BY the Bronze age, Dr. Oscar Montelius * understands that 

 period in the earliest civilization of the Northern races 

 when they made their weapons, tools, etc., of bronze. Besides 

 that composition, they knew only of one metal, gold. The word 

 bronze includes all combinations of copper with tin or zinc, but 

 the usual composition of the articles of this age was ninety parts 

 of copper to ten of tin. 



It would be a mistake, however, to refer all antiquities of 

 bronze to the Bronze age. Vessels, rings, buckles, needles, and 

 the like, were still made of bronze after the end of this period, 

 just as they are even in our own day, but generally of a somewhat 



* " The Civilization of Sweden in Heathen Times,'' by Oscar Montelius, Ph. D., with 

 maps and 205 illustrations (New York and London r Macmillan & Co.), whence the mate- 

 rials for this article are derived. 



