The primary and grammar schools are most frequently mixed schools—that is, they admit boys and girls; in tile teaching, however, the sexes are kept apart. The teachers in primary and grammar schools, even in the towns. are usually women; hut in Boston the principal of a grammar-school is always of the other sex. The schools are in town always graded—divided, that is. into classes composed of those who are at the same stage; each grade forms a separate department of the school, and is taught by a separate master. The usual number of pupils allotted to a teacher is in the primary schools about 50; in the granimar-sehools about 35. This system of grading is t. :;heap system. because it enables a teacher to take charge of a large Dumber of pupils; bus it is said to lead to a want of thoroughness in the instruction, the teaching being addressed to the class rather than to the individual members of it. "Want of thoroughness seems, lacked, the besetting sin of American teaching, which aims too much at communicating knowl edge, not sufficiently at. deveioping capacities. In the primary and grammar schools, the education Costs from 25s. to 30.s. per bead; in the high-schools, from £6 to £10 per head.
• StatMics of Education,.
The proportion of children attending school—i. e., enrolled in school-registers—to the whole population of th^ countries under-mentioned may be approximately soaced as fol lows: England, 1 in 7.7; Scotland, 1 in 6.5; Prussia, 1 in 6.27; France, 1 in 9: Hol land, 1 in 8.11; Belfroim. 1 in 11; northern states of the American onion. 1 in 4.5; Switzerland, 1 in 7,.; the minor_ Protestant states of Germany. 1 in 6.7 These lisfures, however, must not. be taken as indiealng the rotnparative diffusion' of education in the countries named: nor are they to be relied on as indicating, with anything like exactness, the comparative proportions of children actually attending ford Lie proportion of the children enrolled which on the average is in actual attendance, varies intlifferent countries. It should also be borne in mind that averages conceal ;he condition of the worst parts of a country—in Scotlundg for instance, where the school at tinulanee varies from 1 in 4 of the population in the best districts to 1 in 15, 1 in 20, and even 1 in 30 in no worst.
See the reports of the assistant-commissicners appointed to inquire into the stale of popular education in England, vol. iv., being vol. xxi. part iv. sess. 1861; the second report of the Scottish educational commissioners, 1367; the statistical society's quarterly journal for March, 1867; Horace Mann on education in European countries; Eraser's report on American (U. S. and Canada) schools; Cousin on Gelman and Dutch educa
tion; M. Block's abstract of public documents relating to education in France; ha td.ruction do People, par Pierre Tim/leis (Brussels, 1865); ,8Adi8Gehe Narleridden idkr das Eltmento,r an official refurn, which gives a complete survey cf elementary education in Prussia to the end of 1864; Coarge4 internoti'onut de Rienfai: wire de Lorin., &..mion, de 1862; and Rappirt et I) ;Se sir i'IneyitetioP Oblifiatoire.
[Sinee'the preceding account was written, the claims of national education bare been More fully recognized, and, with less opposition then might have been a na tional system has been established in England and Scollaud. The elementary education act for England, 1870, enacts that every district in which the existing schools are found deficient shall have a popularly elected school-board, to manage its rate-supported schools, levy school rates, appoint teachers, etc. Elementary stbools are to be sup ported, and the expenses of school boards paid, out of funds called school-funds. Ile local rate forms the nucleus of each school-fund; hut every school under the act is like wise entitled to an annual grant from parliament not exceeding the income of the school from other sources, and varying in amount according to the number of pupils and their proticeney as tested by different standards of examination. Schools are to be open a; all times to government inspection. Religious instruction, if given at all—and this is left to each board to cl•ecide—is to he given at fixed times other than the ordinary school hou•s, when no child is compelled to attend_ It is further left to the discreticn of school-boards to make education compulsory—The Scotch education act. 1872. differs materially from the English aeL on three points only; first, by providing dint a sel ool hoard, Wider the Scotch education department, is to be elected in nem parish and burgh; secondly-, by making it illegal for parents to omit educating their children between 5 and 13 in reading, writing, and arithmetic; and thirdly, by cemprt bending higher-class schools. Otherwise the acts are much alike. Every school is to be open to criikiren of all denominations, and religious instruction is only to be given before or after ordinary sehool-hou•s. Provided they conform to the "conscience clause," schocl-imards may make any provision they please for religions instruction. School-boards are enjoined to relieve the teachers of higher-class schools, so far us may be. from elementary t‘ oak.]