Agricultural schools in Spain.-United States Vice-Consul Adolphe Danziger, writing from Madrid under date of October 12, 1903, says that the Government of Spain is to open 14 agricultural schools in various parts of the peninsula. They are to be practical means of educating farmers, not only in regard to the crops raised, but in the use of agricultural machinery and implements. While they will be governmental institutions, the contracts to equip them will be let to private parties, and bids are soon to be asked for.

ADMISSION OF WOMEN TO A GERMAN UNIVERSITY.

The University of Munich has, with the beginning of this semester, opened its doors to women students. This is a very decided step forward in the educational history of Germany, particularly in the provisions made for the education of women. Hitherto no women were permitted to matriculate in the German universities. In several of them women have been permitted to attend lectures, and have been allowed to take their degrees upon examination by and with the consent of the faculties concerned, but it has always been a question even in the University of Heidelberg, which is one of the most liberal of the German universities, whether women should be admitted to a regular university course as matriculated students and enter into competition in university work with men students.

The most noted of German women who have been successful in their struggle for higher education have hitherto been obliged to go to Switzerland for their university work, and it is therefore a very decided departure on the part of the Government of Bavaria to concede this right to women, notwithstanding the fact that as yet there is no gymnasium under the ægis of Munich. Prominent educators of progressive tendencies have started a private foundation, and it is to be hoped that this private gymnasium for women will ultimately be accepted by the authorities as a regularly instituted gymnasium in the Kingdom. In other portions of Germany gymnasia for women have already been started and are said to be successful, and the students, it is reported, are taking high rank.

For the present the University of Munich limits its admission of women by regular matriculation to such as possess the abituria of a German gymnasium, and they are admitted to these noted German high schools only upon the same conditions as male students. Lady students of foreign birth, graduates of colleges, but who do not possess the German gymnasial abituria, are only admitted as hearers, and they may, with the consent of the faculty, pursue a course of study and finally come up for a degree, but they have not yet been conceded the same rights that are accorded to German female students having the gymnasial abituria.

The present rector of the University of Munich, Professor Doctor Kuhn, expresses himself as desirous of exercising all possible liberality toward American lady students, graduates of reputable colleges. He has, therefore, promised to second the petition of the United States consul-general to the Bavarian ministry of Cultus that American lady students possessing diplomas from reputable American colleges shall be conceded the same advantages that have been so generously conceded always by German universities to the graduates of reputable American colleges and universities. Under the concessions temporarily made, a number of American young ladies, graduates of Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith, also other colleges, have this term entered upon serious work in the University of Munich.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,

MUNICH, GERMANY, October 22, 1903.

JAMES H. WORMAN,

Consul-General.

America and Germany as teachers.-Deutsche Export-Revue, a leading German industrial journal, in its issue of October 15, 1903, says:

An important work on the United States, by Wilhelm v. Polenz, "Das Land der Zukunft," has just appeared, and in view of the exposition which the United States is to hold nothing could have been more timely. He says:

"The most noteworthy surprise of the New World is that everyone with the power of discovery that goes thither is able to discover it anew, but no one is competent to write concerning the United States except those whose critical sense has been saturated by the powerful impressions of that wonderland. I have found that we are never so proud as when making a journey, but I have also noticed that our survey of the weakness of German life can never be so well impressed upon us as when we compare ourselves with another strong nation.

"It has become the fashion to wonder at American institutions and to consider them worthy of imitation; but it would be most unwise for us thoughtlessly to incorporate the American nature into our own life. That this young nation across the ocean should give birth to freer customs and more up-to-date accommodations than Europe in its narrowed sphere is natural, but it is as impossible to Americanize Europe as it would be to bring the United States to look at things from the standpoint of Europe. It is one thing to become absorbed into a strange people without resistance, as the German often does, to his harm, and another to endeavor to be just in regard to them. Boundless wonder should not seize us in regarding the United States, and in opposition to the unbounded possibilities' should be placed the saying of the Germans, 'Care will be taken that the trees do not grow to the heavens.'

"No extra-European nation has made such progress in all lines as has the United States. With no country have we had such traffic as with the United States. There are no two other nations which could learn more from each other, nor do any two nations so thoroughly fail to understand each other. Gigantic is the only word with which to measure the traffic between the shores of the two countries. The two peoples may touch each other outwardly in a hundred ways, but their souls do not meet. The roles have been changed. Whereas formerly, at least for a very long period of time, European influence was the dominant one in civilization, Europeanizing all people that it touched, to-day it is the United States that is Americanizing everything, even Europe. With no nation on earth has the Empire had closer relations than with the United States, particularly since 1870.”

MEDICAL SUPERVISION OF SCHOOLS IN BERLIN AND PARIS.

German papers report that a congress for hygiene and physiological pedagogy was recently held at Paris. As a result Progrès Medical has drawn a comparison between the work of the school physicians in the German and the French capital, which is substantially in favor of the German method. The expert writing the article cautions especially against the inclination in France to overdo such efforts, which may lead to giving the physician a too far-reaching influence, and the possibility of meddling with the manner of school instruction and in more intimate relations.

He first reviews the rules for medical supervision over the public schools of Berlin. Every school physician has supervision over four schools, and his duties are to examine twice a year all the pupils who enter the school with reference to the senses, the spinal column, the development of the limbs, etc.; to make examination of those pupils who would be subject to receive instruction on account of stuttering or some other additional instruction; to make a quarterly inspection of the school rooms with reference to their sanitary condition; also of the health of the pupils and the presence of contagious diseases.

These examinations may take place oftener if requested by the school board.

In addition the State district physician has to inspect the local schools at least once every five years with reference to their architecture; he has also to prescribe the necessary measures in case of a threatened epidemic.

The principal of the school is held to send those pupils to the school physician whose state of health during the intervals of the official visits creates suspicion. It is especially pointed out that the school physician, according to the German rules, is

not to give the sick pupil orders or prescribe for him or her, but the parents are simply notified of the facts and receive written advice.

It is furthermore particularly important that the school physicians meet together in certain intervals, three or four times during a year. These measures are held by the French physician to be models for a reform of conditions in Paris. It appears to him indispensable, and it certainly does seem proper to have the pupils entering school examined separately by the school physician, as thereby it is possible to call the attention of the teachers from the beginning to the physical condition of the school children. The Paris rules go further, inasmuch as the school physicians are obliged to inspect their schools at least twice a month instead of only twice every half year.

The careful execution of the medical examination of the hygienic conditions of the school is the most important part of the duties of the school physicians.

Aside from this the medical treatment of the pupils must, as far as possible, be left to the home physicians, who usually have known the children for a longer time than the school physician, and therefore are better judges of the condition of their health.

In doubtful cases the advice of a specialist shall be sought rather than to demand of the school physician a far-reaching special knowledge, which might result in making a medical experimental station of the school.

In addition, the French physician proposes that the school physician should be entitled to view the condition of the dwellings of sick school children, and also to give advice concerning the architecture of schools and the division of the school hours.

FRANKFORT, GERMANY, December 4, 1903.

RICHARD GUENTHER,
Consul-General.

Public schools in Russia.—According to the latest statistics there are 84,544 public schools in the Empire of Russia, out of which number 40,131 are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Education, 42,588 under the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod, and the remainder under other departments. Of the pupils 73,167 were adults, 3,291,694 boys, and 1,203,902 girls. The teachers number 172,000. The maintenance of all these schools costs more than $25,000,000. The average school tax for city schools is $9.50 and for village schools $5 per pupil.-Samuel Smith, Consul, Moscow, Russia, January 2, 1904.

New system of measuring criminals.-The police of London have introduced experimentally a new measuring system for recognizing criminals. As it has been successful, it will soon be adopted by a number of other police departments both in England and abroad. In this system only the impressions of the fingers are taken. Compared with the "Bertillon" system, it has, above all, the advantage of simplicity, as it can be applied without any contrivances, and is therefore much less expensive. Whether it can completely take the place of the Bertillon system remains to be seen. The Berlin police have for the present also inaugurated a card collection of impressions of the fingers for recognition purposes. The new system is called "Daktyloscopy."-Richard Guenther, consul-general, Frankfort, Germany, December 15, 1903.

Commercial university for Berlin.--The Frankfurter Zeitung of December 20, 1903, states that the Prussian Government has approved the establishment of a commercial university for Berlin, which is to be called into existence by the corporation of the seniors of the Berlin merchants.-Richard Guenther, consul-general, Frankfort, Germany, December 22, 1903.

SCHOOLS IN RUSSIA.

[From United States Commercial Agent Greener, Vladivostok, Siberia.]

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

Within the jurisdiction of the ministry of education there are 37,000 elementary schools, whose maintenance costs $15,601,666. Of this amount only $2,008,500 are appropriated by this ministry—that is, a little over one-eighth of the annual cost. The remainder is supplied by the local communities by a charge for admittance to school and by private donations. The amount which denotes the share the ministry takes in the support of elementary schools must also be curtailed a little, for it includes the appropriation for the department of inspection, which bears an administrative but not an educational character; so that the direct support by the ministry to the elementary schools constitutes only one-eighth of the amount they actually cost. Notwithstanding the large number of schools there are 7,250,000 children of school age who remain without any education.

The small share the ministry takes in the establishment and support of elementary schools depends on a principle prevalent in this ministry from the times of Count D. A. Tolstoy, that the Government's business consisted only in controlling the schools, and that the money for their support should be provided by the local communities. The change of opinion evidently taking place in the ministry at present is therefore welcome.

The chief secretary of the ministry published an article in which are found these momentous words:

After having satisfied many cases of utmost need it appears that the ministry has full reason to give more scope to its own initiative and introduce gradually a new system of action that is not so closely dependent on private and local initiative as at present, which will lead the way gradually to guarantee to all children of school age the possibility of obtaining an elementary education.

The secretary says that for this object it would be necessary to open 150,000 new schools. The appropriation for them would amount to $55,875,500. Of course such a reform can be introduced only by degrees. In the province of Moscow alone 15,323 new schools are required, to cost $6,180,000.

He proposes that this number of schools should be gradually opened each decade. But, says the newspaper Novosti, at such a rate it would require a century to plant all the necessary elementary schools in Russia. This paper rejoices, however, in the good symptom that the ministry is at present acknowledging its own duty to take the initiative of extending elementary education in the Empire and of appropriating the necessary funds by the Government. In doing such a thing the ministry is rendering the country an inestimable service.

According to the published returns of the Russian ministry of finance the 34 provinces that enjoy local self-government have expended $6,180,000 for public education during the year 1902. The population in these provinces amounts to 66,500,000. The average expenditure has, consequently, been at a rate of about 9 cents a year per head.

The ministry of the interior publishes that there are at present in the 34 provinces where local provincial self-government is instituted 16,760 schools and 23,421 teachers, of whom 14,957 are religious teachers.

As is well known, the teachers and pupils in the normal schools are all exempt from corporal punishment, even though they be of the peasant class.

At present the ministry of education considers it just and right to abolish whipping, even of peasant children, in all of its lower and middle schools throughout the Empire.

The Russian minister of war has informed the minister of education that there are no obstacles to the appropriation of the necessary funds for the support of a real

grammar school for girls beginning January 14, 1904, at Port Arthur. It is consequently expected that such schools will be opened in the fall of the current year. The professor of the Korean language at the Oriental Institute in Vladivostok, G. V. Podstavin, has translated the common prayers and the creed of the Russian Orthodox Church into Korean.

The Russian Church mission in Seoul will have them printed for distribution in Korea and among the Koreans in the maritime province.

COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.

The ministry of finance reports that 149 commercial schools were opened in Russia between 1896 and 1903. Of these, 147 are in existence at present. The majority of these schools were established without any subsidy on the part of the Government. At the beginning of 1903 there were in these 147 commercial schools 2,180 teachers and 32,251 pupils.

The schools are spread all over Russia, in an unequal manner. For all Siberia and the central Asiatic provinces there is only 1, at Tomsk; whereas St. Petersburg and the adjoining region have 58. The Government has, however, appropriated a sufficient amount for the erection of a separate building for the Deep Sea Navigation School at Vladivostok. The city authorities have allotted a spacious piece of ground opposite the Naval Club for this purpose, have granted $5,150, and promise $1,545 yearly, taxing merchant licenses 10 per cent additional to make up this sum. They expect to begin building in the spring of 1904.

The teaching of the Chinese language will be introduced in the newly opened Deep Sea Navigation School. An official of the navy department, Mr. Mihailofsky, will be the teacher.

The ministry of finance has had charge of all commercial and some technical schools. There was a plan to transfer all these to the ministry of education. Now they are to be placed under the control of the new board of commerce and navigation.

The report of the Habarofsk Technical Railroad School for 1901-2 is published. The school was established seven years ago. At the end of the present school year the number of scholars was 49. Progress made by the young men was not very satisfactory, because their previous education had been defective. The course of studies commenced on August 14 with seven hours of work per day. The second class studied the work of locksmiths and the third class that of blacksmiths. During the summer months the young men are occupied with carpenter work, surveying, and with erection of buildings. The graduates are obliged to stay in the employ of the local railroads for practical work from July 15 to September 10. The total number of graduates for the seven years was only 58, and only 13 of them still remain in the employ of the railroad; so that the chief aim of the school to provide efficient and experienced agents for technical work on the railroads is evidently not yet realized. A part of the graduates enter into the employ of the navy department, where they get better pay than on the railroad.

The Russian Government is working on a project to organize a course of lectures for the training up of agents for the railroad trains. The special subjects of study will be the technical parts of trains in motion, commercial exploitation, the telegraph, bookkeeping at the stations, keeping of records, and the administrative duties. The supplementary studies will comprise drawing, statutes on transportation, knowledge of merchandise, essential principles of railroad tariffs, and elementary knowledge of electricity in its application to railroads. In order to raise the level of general education among the employees on the Government railroads, special evening schools are established at the stations.

Forty-three applications from different parts of Russia ask for the opening of commercial schools. Of this number 13 come from the Warsaw district alone.