Educational most, hopeful work conducted is the educational activities de signed for intellectual and moral improvement. The bulk of the world's Jewish population in 1860 resided in unprogressive countries and the intellectual status of the majority was neces sarily low. In 1862 a school was founded in Tetuan (Morocco), in 1864 another was opened in Tangiers and in 1865 a third was started in Bagdad. In 1880 there were 34 schools; in 1890, 54 ; in 1899, 94 — 58 of which were for boys and 36 for girls, having an attendance of 24,000 pupils. To-day the Alliance conducts In schools, with an enrolment of more than 40,000 pupils, in Bulgaria, Turkey in Europe, Turkey in Asia, Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria, Mo rocco and Persia. Schools are free to the poorest children who also receive, free of charge, and at the expense of the Alliance, a mid-day meal each day and one or two suits of clothes each year. Whenever possible the scholar must pay a fee, which in the case of the most prosperous is as high as 20 francs a month. The schools are open to children of all denominations, and non-Jews as well as Jews are found among the pupils and in structors. In some localities night-schools for adults are now being conducted. A Rabbinical seminary was founded in Constantinople in 1897. In order to provide instructors for the 132 schools conducted by the Alliance, a normal school was founded in Paris in 1867. As far as possible the teachers are selected from the communities in which they are to teach in later years, and are sent to Paris for tuition. The °Ecole Normale has a magnifi cent building in the French capital in which hundreds of male and female students have re ceived an education to fit them for their pro fession. Theory and practice go hand in hand under the system of the Alliance. Elementary school education is supplemented by manual and agricultural training. On 5 *April 1870 the Mikveh Israel (Hope of Israel) Agricultural School was founded in Jaffa, upon a grant of land of about 600 acres sympathetically granted to the Alliance by an imperial firman' of the Turkish government. Fortunately for the
undertaking M. Charles Netter was ready to devote his energies to the development of the school, whose existence was due to his sug gestion and whose success has been greatly due to his initiative and capable administration. M. Netter died in 1882. The Jaffa Agricultural School has over 220 pupils. Graduates of this school have become the instructors of the col onists who. have settled on the Baron Edmond de Rothschild colonies in Palestine and in the de Hirsch colonies in Argentina. Another agri cultural school was founded in 1895, in Djedei, a few miles from Tunis. A tract of lend of about 3,000 acres was purchased, suitable build ings erected and in a few years there was an enrolment of over 210 pupils. The Alliance also provides means of earning a livelihood through training given in the trade-schools. In 35 different centres of the Near East (lapprea tice-schoole are conducted in which children are taught remunerative trades. The trade ischool in Jerusalem, founded in 1882, has been particularly successful.
Further Activities.— Another branch of ed ucational work undertaken is directed toward the formation of public opinion concerning the Jews. It has spread abroad a knowledge of Jews and Judaism by means of help given tb Jewish scholars by subventions granted to assist them while writing and publishing their works. It is said that no important work referring to Jews and Judaism has appeared during the past 35 years without some assistance being granted by this Society. The Alliance library consists of nearly 25,000 volumes.
The annual, semi-annual and monthly, published usually in French and occasionally in English, German, Dutch, Italian, Judeo-German and Hebrew; 'Publication of the 25th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Alliance Israelite Univer selle,' issued in 1N5, and published in French, English, German and Judeo-Spanish; 'Publi cation,' issued in 1896, containing a review of work done from 1860-96; French pamphlet by M. Nissim Behar, American Agent of the Alliance.