greater relative importance than in the days of Rome's prosperity, the course of Harrow might be well adapted to train up British youths of the provinces in the learning of the capital. As it is, the exclusion of all, or nearly all, that characterizes modern civilization, brings discredit upon the system, and the worst foes of the legitimate use of classical culture are those who profess to be its best friends. The success which the pupils of Rugby have had in the universities, the standard by which all the public schools in England are tried, proves conclusively that it has lost nothing on the score of classical instruction by introducing some modern improvements into its course. The success, in the same field, of the Edinburgh Academy, which has also adopted, and actually gone further in these improvements, shows that an efficient arrangement may carry out the modern courses, without interrupting the progress of the ancient languages. When we come to consider the gymnasia of Germany, we shall have additional examples of the same kind, embracing a still further extension of modern branches, without injury to the classical departments. This grade of progress in England, and even in Scotland, has yet been too recent to afford the desired experience as to its results."

As a specimen of some of these practical improvements, which American schools might well consider, we quote a paragraph from the description of Mr. Voelcker's establishment, near Liverpool:

"The instruction, in regard to the articles of trade and commerce, is accompanied by a kind of practical exercise in the system of banking, in the different operations of trade, in the mode of keeping books, &c., the members of the class being converted into an imaginary community, carrying on supposed operations of this kind under the direction of the teacher. To conduct these exercises properly, requires considerable skill, as well as knowledge, but I was much pleased to see that sound instruction was actually communicated, and the details of business, with their general theory, were thus impressed in a way not easily to be forgotten."

We make another extract for the same end, from the notice of a school near London:

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"A course of private reading is marked out for the pupils, which they are encouraged to follow. The time required for an attentive perusal of each work is estimated, and a number of marks proportionate to this time may be obtained, provided the pupil passes a satisfactory examina

tion upon its contents. These books are duly arranged in the school library, to which the pupils have access under certain regulations. The course consists of works calculated gradually to impart a strong taste for private reading-to lead boy, by easy steps, from the familiar story-books of children to the standard works of science and literature-to store the mind of the pupil with the historical facts before exposing him to the risk of false impressions from the mixture of history and fiction-to connect the study of biography with that of the corresponding portions of history-and where authorities disagree in their views of important events, to place the works of the different authors as nearly as convenient in juxtaposition.' This arrangement has been attended with the best effects."

And for the sake of comparison with the examinations to which we are accustomed, of candidates for matriculation at college, we copy a passage that details the character and subjects of examination employed in determining the fitness of a pupil of a Prussian gymnasium to be transferred to the university:

"The subjects of the written examination are chosen by the royal commissary present, from a list furnished by the director of the gymnasium. These subjects must be such as have never been treated specially in the class-room, but not beyond the sphere of instruction of the pupils. All the candidates receive the same subjects for composition, which are given out at the beginning of the examination. The candidates are assembled in one of the halls of the gymnasium, and remain there during the period allotted for their exercises under the charge of one or other of the examining teachers, who relieve each other. The only books allowed them are dictionaries and mathematical tables. The written exercises consist, first, in a German prose composition, the object of which is to discern the degree of intellectual developement, and the style of composition of the candidate. Second: of a Latin extempore* and a Latin composition on some subject which has been treated in the course, the special reference in this exercise being to the correctness of the style. Third: a translation from a Greek author, which has not been read in the course, and from Latin into Greek. Fourth: a translation from the German into the French.

* "An exercise in which the master speaks in German to the pupil, who must render the German into Latin, in writing."

Fifth: the solution of two questions in geometry, and of two in analysis, taken from the courses in those subjects. Candidates who desire it, may be examined further than is required for passing.

"Those who intend to study theology or philology translate a portion of one of the historical books of the Old Testament, or a psalm, into Latin, adding a grammatical analysis. The time allowed for the several written exercises is as follows: for the German, five hours; Latin composition, five hours; Latin extempore, one hour; Greek translation, three hours; translation from Latin into Greek, two hours; French composition, four hours; mathematical exercises, five hours; Hebrew exercises, when required, two hours. Four days are allowed for the examination in these subjects, and they must not immediately follow each other. The viva voce examination is conducted by the masters who have given instruction in the first class on the subjects of examination, unless the royal commissary directs otherwise. The subjects are, first, the general grammar and prosody of the German language, the chief epochs of national history and literature, and the national classics. Second: the translation and analysis of extracts from Cicero, Sallust, Livy, Virgil, and Horace; the ability of the candidates to render the author with judgment and taste being put to the test, as well as their grammatical and archaeological acquirements; parts of the examination are conducted in the Latin language. Third: the translation and analysis of Greek prose and of portions of Homer, with questions upon Greek grammar, Grecian history, arts, and mythology. Fourth: translations from the French classics, during which an opportunity is given to the pupil to show how far he can speak the language. Fifth: questions upon the Christian doctrines, dogmas and morals, the principal epochs in the history of the Christian church, and the Bible. Sixth: arithmetic, the elements of algebra and geometry, the binomial theorem, simple and quadratic equations, logarithms and plane trigonometry. Seventh: in history and geography, on ancient history, especially that of Greece and Rome, and modern history, especially that of the country, on physical, mathematical, and political geography. Eighth: in natural history, on the general classification of its subjects. Ninth: in such portions of physics as can be treated by elementary mathematics, and on the laws of heat, light, magnetism, and electricity. Tenth: on the elements of moral philosophy, psy

chology, and logic.

The future theological student must, besides, translate and analyse a portion of one of the historical books of the Old Testament."

In his chapter on the Prussian gymnasia, Dr. Bache quotes, with entire coincidence of opinion, the following expressions from the book of Cousin:

"There is no class in the Prussian gymnasium which has not a course of religious instruction, as it has of classical or of mathematical instruction. I have before said, and now repeat, that worship, with its ceremonies, can never be sufficient for young men who reflect, and who are imbued with the spirit of the times. A true religious instruction is indispensable, and no subject is better adapted to a regular, full, and varied instruction than Christianity, with a history which goes back to the beginning of the world, and is connected with all the great events in that of the human race, with its dogmas, which breathe a sublime metaphysics, its morality, which combines severity with indulgence, with its general literary monuments, from Genesis to the universal history."*

In this respect, all the institutions of France are in painful contrast. In the programmes of many, the Bible or religious books of any kind, have no place, and where religious instruction is at all provided for, the range of inquiry, and the time allotted for it are exceedingly meager. Other points of comparison between the British, French and German institutions of the secondary period of education, are presented in a very valuable series of remarks, in the twelfth chapter of the second part of the Report, but we can only give space to a few paragraphs:

"In regard to the methods of the British and Prussian schools in general, the recitation upon a lesson which has been studied from the text-book out of the school, used in the former, tends to foster habits of self-reliance, while that of mingling much oral instruction with the recitations used in the latter, renders the instruction more interesting to the pupils. When the latter method is employed, much less artificial stimulus from hope of reward or fear of punishment is necessary, and, if I may be permitted to judge from the examples which came under my notice in both countries, there is, on the average, more exertion on the part of a class in Prussia than in Great Britain. The prizes held out at

Consin. Memoire sur l'instruction secondaire dans le royaume de Prusse. Paris, 1837, p. 143.

the English grammar schools, in the way of scholarships at the universities, to those who distinguish themselves especially, insure a great amount of exertion on the part of young men of talent, whose subsequent success is appealed to as an evidence of the soundness of the system of instruction, with which it has little or nothing to do. The students find a similar stimulus at the university; a scholarship may, if the time be duly improved, lead to a fellowship, and thus to an honourable provision for life. With such strong motives to great individual exertion, a youth of talent might succeed in educating himself even without aid, or were the school system ever so bad.

"The manner in which the same materials of instruction are combined in the programme of a French college and of a German gymnasium is so different, that it appears like attempting to compare things not homogeneous with each other, to bring them together for such a purpose. A glance at the arrangements of any one class in the two cases will show better what I mean than any description of this peculiarity. The German programme appears to have been carefully studied, the proportion of its parts to have been carefully elaborated, the arrangements as to the order of study and time of study to have been carefully considered, and the whole presents a better matured and more finished system than that of the French college. It does not appear in the recent annals of this kind of instruction in Prussia, to have been doubtful whether letters and science shall be taught simultaneously or successively, or whether natural history shall be taught in the beginning, middle, or end of the course. The entire arrangement appears to me to be more compact and better ordered.

"The government of the French colleges differs essentially from that of the boarding-gymnasia of Prussia. The question, whether it is advantageous to establish a boarding system in the midst of the residences of the parents of pupils, as in France, or to establish day-schools, as the Prussian gymnasia, is one that depends much upon national manners. My own convictions are, in the general, in favour of the Prussian system in this respect, and of encouraging the means of strengthening domestic ties, by leaving youth under parental control. The chief officer of the Prussian gymnasia, boarding as well as others, the director, or rector, is a teacher as well as a governor, while the provisor of the French college does not teach. The former arrangement