In England the first evening school proper for instructing boys and girls who had to work all day for a livelihood was founded in 1806 at Bris tol by the Benevolent Evening Schools Society. The first school established exclusively for adults was in Bala, Merionethshire. in 1811, by the Rev. T. Charles. Similar schools were founded in Bristol in 1812, and in London in 1816. in a few years they existed in thirty towns. The Government began to grant for their support cer tain allowances out of the public fund for edu cation. These were, however, very until 1861, when a revision of the code permitted day school teachers to teach in the evening schools. Aid to teachers was withdrawn, but capitation grants wore made on the average attendance, and for successful examinations. The result was a great. increase in the sums obtained for such schools as were devoted to review' work, etc., and as also had paid certifieated misters instead of voluntary ones. At the same time the schools devoted to illiterate adults were left largely to the care of private beneficence. This type of school, however, is becoming constantly less and less necessary, while the evening eontinuation school is developing into a more and more elab orate institution. Until 1890 it S curriculum was confined to elementary subjects. and no aid was granted to pupils over twenty-one. At that time, however, and especially by the code of 1893, the course was enlarged, the attendance of persons over twenty-one recognized, and the method of granting money changed so as to recognize the work of the school as a whole, rather than the attainments of the individual pupil. The schools have, as a result, become largely secondary, and their attendance has steadily increased. In 1898 the attendance in England and Wales was 435, 600 in 5535 schools. The subjects of study in clude elementary science and art, shorthand, bookkeeping, history, geography, and wood-earv iug, and, for girls, cookery and dressmaking. There are special science and art evening schools, giving instruction in advanced ,science with laboratory work and extensive practical work in art; also -advanced commercial evening schools and evening institutes for women and girls, offer ing courses in cookery, needlework, nursing, etc. The University Extension movement has also be come quite prominent, and evening classes are often provided. The evening continuation schools of Scotland have had about the same history as those in England. In Ireland the number of evening schools and the attendance thereat stead ily declined between 1880 and 1897, and measures removing restrictions on attendance and enlarging the curriculum are necessary to their develop ment.
In the United States evening schools were established at first largely to provide for children in the great cities who were occupied during the day. Attendance at them has been confined prin
cipally to older children and adults. They were tried in New York City in 1834, but failed for want of teachers. Fourteen years later the Pub lic School Society successfully reestablished them. Within two years they had 15 schools and 8000 pupils. The Boston evening schools were legally recognized in 1857. In 1898 there were even ing schools in 138 cities having 8000 inhabitants or more. They were situated in 25 States, al though 39 were in Massachusetts. The attend ance was made up largely of pupils who did not attend day classes. In most cities the schools were kept open only a few months, and the work was inferior and inadequate. As a result the attendance did not increase rapidly, or even de clined. The establishment of evening high schools, some of which emphasize commercial work, has come to remedy this situation, and the United States finds, as other countries have found, that secondary evening instruction is more in demand and more effective than that of the primary grade. In 1884 five large cities had evening high schools, and since then their number has steadily increased. In addition a variety of means has come into existence by which liberal and vocational instruction is given to people whose time is occupied during the day. Among the most notable are Maryland Institute, Balti more, and Cooper Union, New York. The latter institution was incorporated in 1857. It fur nishes advanced instruction in mathematics and the natural sciences. with applications to the various trades. There is a school of art also, in which attention is paid to the more mechanical of the fine arts, such as engraving, etc. The Young Men's Christian Associations also have established in some cities extensive lines of in struction. carried on mostly in the evening. Much of the University Settlement and Univer sity Extension work also occupies evening hours, and with them the account of the principal lines of evening instruction in the United States may be concluded.
The evening school exists also in European countries other than those already mentioned, as in Ilolland, Italy, and Switzerland. These nations have been called upon to deal with the same problems which have characterized the development of this school everywhere, and in solving which it has turned more and inure toward vocational instruction and lib eral studies in advance of the primary grade. Consult: Balfour, The Educational Systems of Great Britain and Ireland (London, 1900) ; Tee ii, Technical and Education, in Prance (London, 1892) ; Reports of United States Commissioner of Education, passim. See NA TIONAL EDUCATION, SYSTEMS OF.