with Nature. Nature Study should be emphasized in the rural school, and when it is related to agriculture in an intelligent manner the subject of agriculture in the rural school has been carried far enough. Greater production the care and handling of live stock, and purely farm topics such as these, are vocational in the extreme; they have no place in the public school curriculum, and teachers, as a rule, are not qualified to handle them. It is unfortunate that the term "Elementary Agriculture" was ever chosen as a subject for the school curriculum. It would have been better to use the term "Rural Science," as adopted in other countries, and direct the study along nature study lines. The time is drawing near when the nature of the course should be definitely decided on in Ontario, so the ordinary training of teachers will equip them to handle the subject. Then it can be made compulsory, bonuses to teachers and inspectors can be done away with, or included in their salaries, and this teaching of agriculture, so-called will not be such a hit-and-miss affair. It should be noted above that this greatest farmers' paper not only in Ontario but in Canada, prefers the Nova Scotia title Rural Science to the Ontario's title Elementary Agriculture; ́ and the reasons are well stated. The Dominion Bureau of Statistics on page 32 of its report published in time to be presented to the Imperial Conference on Education in August last refers to the Nova Scotian statistics of pupils advancing to the high school as follows: "In Nova Scotia (see page 61) it will be seen that about 12 per cent of the enrolment of girls are in secondary grades. This would mean that roughly 43 per cent of the possible number of girls in Nova Scotia go on to high school. These figures are illustrative rather than accurate. To arrive at the exact proportion is one of the very things we want and it would be absurd to assume our desideratum at the very beginning. This, however, is a rough estimate which should be of assistance in studying a table of distribution by grades. This proportion in Nova Scotia indicates clearly that secondary education is fast becoming the property of the average person. It will be seen more clearly if we study the historical tables on pages 48 to 64 and observe the growth of the proportion in secondary grades. Another point of interest in studying the statistics of secondary education is the fact that it is the education of adolescents who are no longer under compulsory regulations and whose attendance is voluntary and prompted rather by the eagerness of individuals to take advantage of opportunities than by the will of the State." Also on page 39 the following: "Defects in the Grading System.-The ordinary observer will say that the reason a pupil will not pass a grade in a year is that it is too difficult, or that one grade requires more than one year's work and another less. Now these are points that are very difficult to settle. A consistent piling up in one particular grade from year to year and a drop on either side of it ought to be a sign that that grade is more difficult than the others. The tables of grades may be studied for such symptoms, with this caution; indefiniteness in grading as already explained and other factors may contribute to this piling up. The best way to settle the point is to see whether there is any county or part of any province where the distribution of the pupils comes near to the ideal that is, where the pupils manifestly pass regularly thru the grade from year to year without interruption. If such can be found for whole counties it will be a certain sign that the pupils are not a selection mentally; that is, it will be clear that the pupils of a whole county are not all geniuses while the pupils of another county are all dunces. If the pupils of one county pass from grade to grade regularly, it is a certain indication that there can be very little wrong with the grading system of the province, even tho the distribution in the whole province may be far from ideal. We are fortunate in being able to find such in the counties of Colchester, Hants, Kings and Pictou in Nova Scotia. The distribution in 1919 of the girls in these four counties in actual numbers and also in percentages of the total of grades I-VIII are given side by side in percentages of the total of grades I-VIII are given side by side with the distribution, in the same grades and under identically the same system of the boys in Richmond, the county in Nova Scotia which shows the poorest distribution. Grades IX-XII have not been included because in these grades there are many pupils from other counties attending the county academies. This would be especially true of Pictou Academy." "This distribution of the girls in the four best counties of Nova Scotia is really remarkable. The regularity should be noted and also the small differences between the percentage proportions in Grade VIII and II. Now grade VIII of 1919 contain the survivors of the 1,115 girls in grade II of 1913. As the school enrolment has increased since 1913, and as grade VIII of 1919 would naturally be decreased by a mortality of about 0.5 per cent per year, it is clear that grade VIII of 1919 has about 84 p.c. of the possible number of girls, which is as nearly perfect as human traits admit when spread over the period of seven years. This is certain proof that the grading in Nova Scotia is not too difficult. To compare with the distribution of the girls in the four best counties we have given the figures of the worst county distribution of boys in the province. No one will think of contending that there is any selection of mentality in either distribution. True, the distribution of the girls is usually better than that of the boys. There are many reasons for this, and one may be that girls develop earlier than boys; that is, a girl of 10 is probably older mentally than a boy of 10. When both come to the age of 14, however, the boys are more likely to drop out than the girls, so that the girls have the double advantage of earlier development and a longer period at school. At the same time this has nothing to do with native mentality nor is it any argument in favor of the contention that some grades are too difficult." Oral Hygiene -How to Keep Well is the title of a valuable lecture to teachers, published in the last March number of the Educational Review (Moncton, N. B.) by Stephen G. Ritchie, B. A., D. M. D., Dental Surgeon to the Public Schools of the City of Halifax. He sums up briefly the effects of the poisons absorbed from decaying teeth upon the general health of the individual, and describes in exact detail how the teeth should be periodically cleansed with the reason in simple language. All teachers should have their own paper next to their having a copy of the School Law. And every teacher should have clear evidence that every pupil understands what he or she can do to preserve the health of the teeth which is one most important altho one of the simplest problems of keeping in good health. The Teachers' World is a weekly paper published in London, England, by Robert Evans, (Montague House, Russell Square, London, W. C.1, England) containing 30 to 40 pages 9 x 13 inches, with short articles written by the most noted educationists in the world, illustrated cheaply but amply as can be done only in a country crowded with artists of the most practical type, Geography in its most practical kept up to date long before the text books appear, Nature Lessons, Music, and everything of interest in an up-to-date, primary and general school of all grades. Price, 17/4. La France is the title of a French paper for English speaking teachers teaching French and students learning French, by the same publisher, weekly at 13/- per annum. A few samples have been received at the Education Office which will be mailed free to inquirers. Samples-Free. Single copies of the following papers, pamphlets or leaflets will be mailed with pleasure to any teacher sending an address— until the supply is exhausted. N. B. Educational Review, for the Atlantic Provinces, Moncton, Tides at the Head of the Bay of Fundy, by Dr. W. Bell Dawson, F. R. S. C. Addresses of Special Educational Officials. For Educational Officials in General, see pages 3, 4, 5, and 6, Physical Training Courses and Certificates: Inspector of Cadet Services, Militia Headquarters, Halifax. City of Halifax Schools: G. K. Butler, M. A., Supervisor. Canadian Literature Stimulation. Children's Book Week (Nov. 12-19) and Canadian Authors' Book Week (Nov. 19-26) will be passed before the Journal can reach the schools. We are therefore now able only to ask our teachers to make use of the general Press comments appearing and so come to the help of our own writers in every fair manner possible. |