274 
Follcmar—The Duration of School Attendance. 
We cannot enter in this paper into a full discussion of the 
amount of schooling in other places, but it will be interesting 
to note in the foregoing list 1 that the per cent, in the high 
schools is quite uniform throughout all civilized countries. 
The largest per cent, noted is that of Norway, 6.4, which is 
much larger than that of Chicago; while the smallest per cent, 
is found in some of our own southern states. No statistics have 
been found, through a somewhat extended search, that demon¬ 
strate the number dropped out in the lower grades, either at 
home, or abroad; but we may infer from the close correspond¬ 
ence everywhere as to secondary education that similar condi¬ 
tions would be found governing primary education. As is inti¬ 
mated further on, these conditions are fixed by economic and 
social influences which hold good in all countries. 
Superintendent Smart's Conclusions .— It remains only to no¬ 
tice the few and imperfect calculations which have been made 
by others on the subject of this paper. In most cases there is 
no attempt at demonstration. I find, for instance, conclusions 
similar to those in this paper made by Ex-State-Supt. Charles T. 
Smart, of Ohio, 2 as follows: “ The high schools, into which but 
about three per cent, of the pupils enrolled in the public schools 
ever enter, and from which less than one per cent, are gradu¬ 
ated. ... 50 per cent, of the youth enrolled in the public 
schools of the state do not attend school more than four years, 
and, under their existing circumstances, cannot attend more 
than five or six years; 75 per cent, stop attending school be¬ 
fore entering the eighth year or grade, and 97 per cent, do not 
attend beyond the eighth year.” (Pp. 472 and 473.) He ad¬ 
duces the same reason as suggested above: “A majority of 
the patrons of the public schools cannot do without the labor of 
their children, and therefore cannot give them time to attend 
school longer than five or six of the years devoted to primary 
instruction.” (P. 473.) 
London Estimates. — Similar testimony comes from the London 
School Board, England, as follows: 3 “ This leaves only 26.8 
1 Report of United States Bureau of Education 1890-91, pp. 40,369-372. 
2 Arena, Vol. 10, p. 462 (September, 1894). 
3 From a paper read at a meeting of the London School Board by Sir 
