16,087 scholars from 692 senior departments of board schools attended these lectures and 5.235 from 478 senior departments of nonboard schools, a total of 21,322.

IX. History circles.—As a further means of encouraging a systematic teaching of history and geography, an experiment has been tried of grouping schools in the Hackney division to form history and geography circles.

X. Special apparatus.-Certain subjects of instruction require special apparatus, which is provided by the board, and special stimulus is given from time to time by the provision of a new type of apparatus-e. g., for the teaching of geography. The board have this year provided the schools with a special physical globe and an improved atlas. During the year 5 chemical and physical laboratories have been fitted up. With the view of enabling children to perform simple experiments in schools where science is taken, but which have no science rooms, the experiment was tried of providing science table tops formed by resting a table top on two desks, provision being made for securely fixing it. Twentyeight table tops have been supplied to 10 departments. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed to report definitely as to the success of the experiment.

XI. Pianos.-For the purpose of physical exercises pianos have been supplied to 800 departments down to March last. Under a resolution of the board the other departments are being supplied with instruments at the rate of 100 a year.

XII. Botany scheme.-The teaching of botany, both as a systematic study in the upper standards and as object lessons" in the lower standards, is encouraged by a scheme by which schools are supplied with flowers, leaves, seeds, etc., under the superintendence of a skilled gardener. The board are under obligation to the office of works for cordial cooperation in granting facilities for procuring the necessary specimens. The materials so provided are also useful in drawing and other forms of art work.

Higher grade schools.—In March, 1902, the board had seven higher elementary schools maintaining a predominantly scientific curriculum and 37 higher grade schools in which special attention was given to advanced studies. These schools are included in the statistics already given. The board maintained also twelve centers for training pupil teachers, with an enrollment of 3,010 students.

CERTIFICATES, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND PRIZES.

1. MERIT AND HONOR CERTIFICATES.

The board attempt to stimulate the interest of the scholars by a system of merit or honor certificates.

The merit certificate examination is open to all scholars who have worked in a class not lower than Standard VII, and is, except in special cases, restricted to children of 13 years of age and upward. The honor certificate is awarded to scholars who have obtained either the merit certificate at least one year before or who have completed a two years' course higher than Standard VII, and who pass such other examinations as may be from time to time approved by the board.

The number of scholars who took the merit certificate examination was 2,192 [1.599]. Of these, 721 [666] obtained certificates, as compared with 1,471 [933] who failed. The honor certificate was awarded to 123 [138].

It is noticeable that these numbers represent as yet a very small proportion of the children eligible each year to attain certificates.

II. SCHOLARSHIPS,

Various scholarships, open to pupils in the London public elementary scnools, are awarded on the result of an annual examination by the board. At Lady Day there were 76 [58] scholarships available for award on the next board examination. A number of the children from the board's schools sit for the junior and intermediate scholarships awarded by the London county council. During the year they gained 577 [573] junior scholarships and 45 [10] intermediate scholarships.

Finances.-The London board schools are all free, and schoolbooks, apparatus, and stationery are supplied to pupils free of cost.

The income of the school board is derived primarily from the Government grants, together with receipts from a few minor sources (including until 1891 school fees), and the balance is made up by the precept or school-board rate (that is, property tax claimed by the board).

Expenditures.—The ever-growing expenditure of the board has excited much adverse criticism, but appears to have been unavoidable, owing to the constant increase in its operations. The total current expenditure in 1870 was £201,469 (a little more than $1,000,000); of this amount £40,000 ($200,000) were derived from the local tax. In 1880 the total expenditure had reached £1,271,608 ($6,358,010), of which £551,247 ($2,756,235) were derived from local taxes; in 1890 the total was £2,000,824 ($10,001,120), of which £1,158,554 ($5,792,770) were derived from local taxes. For the year ending March 25, 1902, the total expenditure reached the sum of £3,250,486 ($16,252, 130), derived as follows: From Government grant, £778,000 ($3,890,000); from miscellaneous sources, £36,060 ($180,300); from the local tax. £2,436,426 ($12,182,130). The total expenditure for the last year was equivalent to £4 12s. 8d. ($23.16) per capita of average attendance, and the rate of tax levied on assessed valuation was 14.66d. to the pound. The itemized expenditures were as follows:

In addition to the annual expenditure for the maintenance of the schools the board has borrowed £13,548,756 ($67,743,780) on the security of the rates for the purchase of sites and the erection of school buildings. Of this amount £3,117,888 ($15,589,940) have been repaid. Against this indebtedness the people have above 500 valuable sites and buildings. It should be observed that the interest on loans figures in the foregoing table showing itemized expenditures.

The provision and maintenance of day schools by no means exhausts the responsibility committed to the London school board. Auxiliary to this charge, but inseparable from it, is a vast amount of extra work-educational or sociological-which has taxed to the utmost the able minds that have devoted their energies to the service of the board. The nature and extent of this extra work may be illustrated by the following particulars respecting two lines of effort in which the example of London has been particularly stimulating to other cities.

Evening schools.-Almost immediately after its election the first London school board entered upon the work of establishing evening schools, but after a series of unsatisfactory efforts in this respect the work was abandoned. In 1882 the effort was revived on a sounder basis, and the number of schools and the attendance upon them rapidly multiplied. The decision of the courts in 1901 prohibiting the board from applying local taxes to the maintenance of classes in science and arts and to the instruction of persons above 15 years of age struck a fatal blow to the evening classes, which would have been closed at once but for an order of the

education department providing for their temporary continuance. The following statistics and statements from the latest official report on the subject show the growth and character of this important branch of the work carried on by the board.

Statistics of evening schools, 1882-83 to 1901–2.

Length of session.-The session which extended from the 23d of September, 1901, to the 26th of July, 1902, was divided into the following periods or terms:

Winter period: First term of session-September 23, 1901, to December 21, 1901; thirteen weeks. Second term of session-January 6, 1902, to March 27, 1902; twelve weeks.

Spring period: Third term of session—April 7, 1902, to May 17, 1902; six weeks. Summer period: Fourth term of session-May 20, 1902, to July 26, 1902; ten weeks.

The number of schools in 1901-2, counting each department as a school, was 398, but the actual number of separate schools was 386. There were 11 separate schools for senior students only and 12 separate departments for senior students only; 1 separate school for junior students only and 12 separate departments for junior students only, and the following 32 schools were of a special character, viz: (a) Fourteen schools for special instruction in commercial subjects, with a total enrollment for the year of 9,830.

(b) Three schools for special instruction in commercial and science and art subjects, with an enrollment of 4,355.

(c) Six schools for special instruction in science and art subjects, with an enrollment of 5,315.

(d) Nine schools for the deaf, with an enrollment of 403.

The total number of pupils admitted during the session are classified as follows: Ordinary schools, 100,302; schools and departments for senior students, 10,430; schools and departments for junior students, 2,556; commercial schools, 9,830; commercial and science and art schools, 4,355; science and art schools, 5,315; schools for the deaf, 403. Total, 133,191 (37,624 male pupils, 30,639 female pupils, and 64,928 pupils attending mixed schools). Of this number, 32,859 were over 21 years of age (as against 34,487 in the preceding session), 1.151 under 14 (as against 7,454 in the preceding session), and 41.516 under 16 (as against 54.990 in the preceding session). The whole number, compared with that for the preceding session, shows a decrease of 13,780.

The falling off in the number of students was due to (1) the uncertainty that prevailed as to whether the schools would be continued after the decision the

case of Rex v. Cockerton; (2) disparaging statements-the accuracy of which was disputed by the board-made in Parliament by the vice-president of the committee of council on education concerning the work done in the evening schools, and (3) a new regulation of the board of education (South Kensington) discontinuing the recognition of the attendance of day school scholars in evening schools.

The following table brings the attendance for 1901-2 into comparison with that for the preceding year and that for the winter period in comparison with that for the spring and summer sessions:

The programme of studies for the evening schools, including both ordinary and special schools, comprised 68 subjects. An analysis of the detailed reports showsthat the subjects or group of subjects in which the largest number of fourteen or more hours' instruction was received were: Reading, writing, arithmetic, composition, algebra, and recitation, 19,665; shorthand, 14,610; physical exercises (swimming and life-saving gymnastics, drill, etc.), 11.935; needlework (including dressmaking and millinery), 9,956; book-keeping, 7,730, and vocal music, 5,696.

The following comments by the committee on certain of these subjects afford an interesting view of the scope and spirit of the work:

Dramatic literature.-This subject was, as in the past three sessions, taught in some schools, but can not be classified in the table under any specific head, as it was taken under various titles. The chairman of the committee offered a prize to the best class. Pupils from 13 schools competed for the prize at the offices of the board on the 24th and 25th of March, 1902. Mr. Ben Greet acted as judge. Act IV, scene 3 (as far as the words "Come, your hand; and, Daughter, yours"), of A Winter's Tale, was taken. The class from Fossdene Road, Charlton (Greenwich), was adjudged to be the best; but as the class had obtained the prize in the two previous years, a further prize was given to the next best school-St. George's Row, Westminster. The board on the 8th of May, 1902, agreed to thank Mr. Ben Greet for his services.

English literature.-Special lecturers continued to give oral descriptions of the works of the poets, dramatists, novelists, and other prose writers, with a view to creating and fostering an appreciation of standard literature. The lectures were given in connection with 58 schools, and the number of students who received fourteen or more hours' instruction was 838. The subject of literature was also taken by ordinary teachers in 33 schools, where 444 pupils received fourteen or more hours' instruction.

First aid and home nursing.—The number of schools where first aid was taught increased from 196 to 202, and the number of pupils who received fourteen or more hours' instruction during the session was 2,914, as compared with 3,342 who received twelve or more hours' instruction during the preceding session (19001901). The number of schools in which home nursing was taught increased from 127 to 134, and the number of pupils who received fourteen or more hours' instruc

tion was 1,802, as compared with 2,135 who received twelve or more hours' instruction in the preceding session. Included in these numbers are a few classes that were specially opened to prepare teachers to assist the doctors in the instruction of the classes. In almost all cases first aid was taught by duly qualified medical practitioners, assisted by members of the ordinary staff, while home nursing was taught either by medical practitioners, assisted by members of the staff, or by trained nurses.

History of London.-In some of the schools the students were made acquainted with the history of the city in which they live. The Rev. Arthur Jephson, M. A., offered to give copies of The Queen's London to the writers of the best essays on the subject. The examination for the books took place at the Hugh Myddelton and Childeric Road board schools on Wednesday, May 14, 1902. The questions were set and papers marked by the evening continuation schools inspectors, and it was decided to award one book to a pupil of the Boughley Road (Marylebone) School and three books to pupils of the Lyndhurst Grove (Lambeth, east) School. Physical exercises.—Under this head particulars of the drill, gymnastic, and swimming and life-saving classes are given.

In regard to swimming and life-saving no students were permitted to attend the baths unless they had made at least twelve hours' attendances in each of two subjects, or at least twenty-four hours in one subject during the period from September, 1901, to May 1, 1902. Students who were proficient in swimming and lifesaving were also refused admission to the baths unless they assisted in the instruction of the nonswimmers. The number of students who received instruction decreased from 12,555 in the previous session (1900-1901) to 9.830 in the session now under review (1901-2). In regard to the comparatively small number of students (945) who received fourteen or more hours' instruction, it must be borne in mind that the registered time for a lesson in swimming is thirty minutes, that the classes were held mainly in the summer, covering a period of about thirteen weeks only; that the lessons were of necessity somewhat few in number, and that therefore the number of scholars who attended for fourteen hours or more could not be large. The committee take this opportunity of stating that the board is indebted to the life-saving society for opening classes to train teachers and for other assistance in promoting the success of this useful subject.

COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.

One of the most delicate problems with which the board has had to deal is that of compulsory school attendance. Public sentiment in England has been particularly unfavorable to this policy. Even that earnest advocate of popular education, Lord Brougham, declared "there ought to be in no time and in no country, whatever might be the constitution of the country and the state of society, any positive and direct compulsion as to the education of the people." Those who advocated such a course, he said, “forgot that there was a line over which the lawgiver ought not to pass, and beyond which he forfeited all claim to support, by the violation of some of the most sacred principles-a violation of individual liberty-a system intolerable for the citizens of a free state; * only fit for

a country where, liberty being little known, slavery was the more bearable." It was due in the main to the urgent and reiterated utterances of Matthew Arnold that a compulsory clause was included in the education act of 1870. The clause simply authorized the local school board to frame compulsory by-laws. The education law of 1876 went further and made the duty mandatory. This law further forbade the full-time employment of any child under the age of 10 years, or who, being of the age of 10 years and upward, "had not obtained a certificate of proficiency in reading, writing, and elementary arithmetic in any standard not lower than the fourth, or, in the alternative, had made not less than 250 school attendances after five years, whether consecutive or not." The law of 1876 also forbade the half-time employment of any child who, being upward of 10 years of age, had not passed the half-time standard or was not attending school half time in accordance with the educational clauses of the factory acts. These provisions were made applicable to children Letween the ages of 5 and 14. The age for total

a For provisions of the factory acts, see pp. 267–271.