Lfi 621 ,@SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS$) V5 SPECIAL REPORT | OF THE C^ SUPERINTENDENT OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, i ON w m \Tm luiri n 1 p EDUCATION IK EUROPE. RICHMOND, VA. PRINTED BY RITCHIE, DUXNAVAXT & CO. 1S09. \ r SPECIAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT - OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, ON SCIEffflFlC EDUCATION IN EUROP E. RICHMOND, VA. PRINTED BY RITCHIE, DUNNAVANT & CO. 1859. LETTER OF COL. COCKE. ^ BELMEAD, February 1859. To His Excellency Henry A. Wise, Governor of Virginia. Sir, By order of the board of visitors of the Virginia military institute, I have the honor to communicate herewith a re- port of more than usual interest, from the superintendent. The board of visitors were induced to grant a leave of absence, during the last year, to Col. Smith, the superintendent, to enable him to travel in Europe, for the double purpose of recruiting his health and strength, materially impaired by protracted official labors, and of examining the various institutions of learning as well as the systems of education in Europe, with the view of enabling the board, in co-operation with the enlightened observation and extended experience of the superintendent, to give such direction and develop- ment to the system of education peculiar to the institute, as should best adapt that system to the growing wants and requirements of the times and of the country, and thereby insure, as the results of it, the highest degree of efficiency and of public usefulness. Col. Smith also bore with him to Europe, and in this connection, credentials from your excellency, of his official position and public mission. Col. Smith visited the universities of Oxford and of Cambridge in England, besides many secondary educational institutions in Great Britain. At Paris, he examined the polytechnic school, and through the special influence of our minister to France, he obtained what is but ^ rarely granted to foreigners, access to the great military school at St. Oyr. In Germany and Italy, numerous military, agricultural and other schools were visited, the organizations and systems of which were carefully examined. The experience of the superintendent, as the head of one of the principal institutions of learning in our state, and his recent obser- vations of European systems of education, constitute the foundation and furnish the interesting materials of the present report. The author of the report recognizes the fact of the growing want, both in Europe and in this country, of a system of education diffe- rent from that which grew up under monastic and ecclesiastical in- fluences, upon the revival of learning in Europe, and which, from that time to this, has given form and direction to collegiate and uni- versity education both in England and America. Physical science, with its applications to the arts, has come to change the face of society and the world. The Newtons, the Franklins, the Davys, the Wattses, the Whitneys, the Fultons and the Morses have come to seize and wield the hitherto secret laws and unknown powers of nature, and to become derai-gods of knowledge, of power and of progress. In England, this progress of physical science and of the arts has caused to arise by the side of the landed aristocracy and that of the established church, an aristocracy of commerce and of manufac- tures, whilst in America, the members of what are called the learned professions find themselves surrounded by an ever growing and in- fluential class of agriculturists, of merchants and of manufacturers. In England, the church and the landed aristocracy have built up and supported the universities of Oxford and of Cambridge; and in this country, the influence of the learned professions has modeled our colleges and universities after those two great English proto- types. But neither in this country nor in England has any adequate provision been made for the thorough and special education of the agriculturist, the merchant, the manufacturer, the engineer, or the artist. These classes now loudly demand in both countries the es- tablishment of institutions of learning, in which the mathematics and the physical sciences shall be thoroughly taught, together with their applications to the useful arts — so that whilst the universities shall be left to fill the sphere appropriate to them, the polytechnic schools may educate the future astronomer, the chemist, the soldier, the navigator, the agriculturist, the engineer, the merchant, the manufacturer, and the artist. The course of instruction in the Virginia military institute being mainly mathematical and physico-scientific, may be readily extended and developed so as to comprehend the full course of a great poly- technic school, in which science would find its application to all the useful arts. With our Virginia university occupying as it does the highest position amongst the collegiate institutions of the country, and our military institute developed into a polytechnic school of the highest order, the educational institutions of our state would be rendered pre-eminently comprehensive and controlling. Commending the report, sir, to your favorable consideration, I remain, very respectfully. Your most obedient, PHILIP ST. GEO. COCKE, Pres. Board Visitors, V. M. I. ORDER OF BOARD OF VISITORS. At a meeting of the board of visitors of the military institute of the state of Virginia, held at the capitol in the city of Richmond, on Monday the 8th day of April 1858 : The president called the attention of the board to the fact, that Col. Francis H. Smith, superintendent of the institute, is about to visit Europe, with the full assent and approbation of the board : whereupon, Resolved, that Colonel Smith be and he is hereby authorized and requested to visit the various seminaries of learning and other insti- tutions of education in Europe, with a view to ascertain the opera- tions and success of the various systems of education which exist there, and to enquire into the interests which are covered in the operations of the military institute of the state of Virginia — and that he report to this board, through the president, from time to time, if he shall deem it necessary, such information as he may ob- tain, or fully and finally, upon his return home. And the board cordially tender to Col. Smith the expression of its esteem and confidence, with their best wishes for a prosperous voyage and safe return. Signed on behalf of the board of visitors. JAMES L. KEMPER, Pres. B. of V., V. M. L The above is a true copy from the minutes of the board of visitors. R. H. CATLETT, Sec, B. V. LETTER OF GOV. WISE. It is liereb}^ certified, that Col. Francis H. Smith, the bearer of this credential, is superintendent of the Virginia military institute; that James L. Kemper is president, and R. H. Catlett is secretary of the board of visitors of that institute, and that tiie foregoing ab- stract is duly certified, aird that Col. Smith is duly authorized and requested as the said certificate purports. And the secretary of state of the United States is hereby requested to certify the seal of the state of Virginia, hereto annexed, to all foreign governments and people ; and the ministers, charges, consuls and commercial agents of the United States abroad, and all persons whomsoever, are hereby requested to give full faith and credit to Col. Francis H. Smith, in his character of superintendent and agent hereby attested. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand as governor of the commonwealth of Virginia, and caused the seal of the state to be affixed this 19th day of April A. D. 1S58. Signed HENRY A. WISE. RE PORT. VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, February 1859. Col. Philip St. Geo. Cocke, Pres. B^d VisUors, V. M. Institute. Sir, Availing myself of the kind indulgence of the board of visitors, I transferred the duties of my office to the senior professor, Major J. T. L. Preston, on the 1st of June last, and sailed for Eu- rope in the steamer Africa, on the 9th of the same month. After spending six months abroad, I returned and resumed my duties on the 20th of December last. In obedience to the instructions of the board of visitors, I beg leave to lay before you a special report, founded upon the results of my observations while abroad. Besides the credentials contained in the resolutions of the board, I was honored by a special authentication of my official relations to the interests of the state, from His Excellency Henry A. Wise, go- vernor of Virginia, which I found of great service to me, and for which I am under great obligations to him. These testimonials were most kindly received by the United States ministers and con- suls abroad ; and I would particularly acknowledge my indebted- ness to His Excellency Geo. M. Dallas, U. S. minister at London ; His Excellency John Y. Mason, U. S. minister at Paris; His Excel- lency J. A. Wright, U. S. minister at Berlin, and His Excellency John M. Daniel, U. S. minister at Turin ; and also to Bcverhj Tucker, Esq., U. S. consul at Liverpool, and E. C. Stiles, Esq., U. S. consul at Vienna. From each of these gentlemen I received every attention ; and but for their personal and official kindness, I should have failed in much that I hope to make serviceable to the general interests of this institution. 12 Judge Mason was unwilling to put my credentials upon tlie foot- ing of mere formal letters of recommendation in my application for admission into the' military schools oL France. lie insisted upon taking me in person to the minister of war; and by his kind inter- position, I received at once, from Alarshal Vaillanl, letters of autho- rity to visit the polytechnic school at Paris, the general military school at St. Cyr, and the artillery and engineer school of applica- tion at ]\[etz. It vv'as not possible for me, in the brief time allotted to my trip, to make more than a cursory survey of those interests, which are embraced within the operations of this institution. Extending as my tour did througli England, Scotland and Ireland, France, Bel- gium, the German states, including Prussia, Austria, Bavaria and Wurtemburg, as well as Switzerland and Italy, I was necessarily limited to an examination of some only of the chief establishments of Europe; and even with regard to these, must refer, for much of my details, to the official reports and other documents which I have been able to obtain with reference to them. In England, I visited Oxford university (then in recess), Cam- bridge university and the njilitary school at Addiscombe ; in France, the polytechnic school, the military school at St. Cyr, and the con- xcn/itohe Jcs a/Is et metiers ; in Prussia, the military stables at Berlin; in Wurtemburg, the celebrated agricultural school at Hohenheim ; and in Sardinia, the military school at Turin. In each of these es- tablishments I was received with the most marked courtesy, every facility having been afforded me for a careful examination of every thing that would be of interest to me in my enquiries. I would desire specially to acknowledge my indebtedness to Major General Sir Frederick Abbott, K. C. B., commandant of the military school at Addiscombe; General Eble, commandant, and Colonel Rlffault, di- rector of studies of the polytechnic school ; General Count dc Mojinet, commandant of the military school at St. Cyr; Prince Radziivill of the Prussian artillery at Berlin, and General Fettincngo, commandant of the military school at Turin. I reserve for a subsequent part of this report a reference to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, desiring to direct special at- tention to a movement now in progress, in the modification of the 13 educational system of Great Britain, in which these renowned insti- tutions are bearing a leading part. As these modifications have a most intimate connection with the past operations and. future de- velopment of this institution, I shall deem it proper to dwell with some particularity upon the causes and results of this movement, believing that a correct view of them will be of immense value to those who may be charged with the direction of this institution. The militarij school at Addiscombe belonged until recently to the East India company, and was designed to supply officers for the military service of that company in India. Under its existing or- ganization, it is rendering to her majesty's government in India the service formerly discharged for the East India company. It num- bers about 150 cadets, who are admitted without competition, upon nomination, and who serve two years. Those designed for the en- gineer service are transferred, on the completion of their course at Addiscombe, to the royal engineer establishment at Chatham, for practical instruction in engineering, where they remain 18 months. Those who enter the artillery or infantry services, pass at once into the public service in India, with a rank as lieutenants, corresponding with their respective class grades. I was very much struck with the sand models connected with the course of engineering in this school. Models in engineering as well as in all practical sciences, are of great value to the right conception of the application of the principles taught, and their general use has been much restricted by the great expense of those usually made in wood or plaster. The pro- fessor of engineering at Addiscombe uses common sand, with great advantage, for all models required in his department, and by its ad- hesive property when slightly moistened with water, all the neces- sary models can be readily made from designs prepared by the pro- fessor. I saw, in the model room, models of three different plans of forts used in India, which were as perfect as if made with the best cement, and which had been formed by a common soldier in a few days' labor. Forty loads of sand had served for these uses for a period of 15 years, without perceptible diminution from wastage. The English military schools are also devoting much attention to the art of iihoiographtj. The engineering drawings required for the military and civil services of so extensive an empire, involve great labor and expense, and it has been found that the photographic art 14 may be most readily applied in most of those drawings which re- quire so much repetition, and thus copies to an indefinite extent, of plans of forts, buildings, &c. may be multiplied, at comparatively small expense of time or labor. The cadets at the military school at Addiscombe are taught this useful art. The 2'olijtcchnic school at Paris {VEcolc imperiale polytechjiiqiie), known at first under the name of Central school of imUlc ivorks {Ecole centrale ties travaux publies), was established in 1794. By a decree of the French convention of 11th March 1794, a commission was appointed for the purpose of establishing a central school of public works. The decree specified 22 of the principal cities of France as centres of examination, at which candidates for admission were to report themselves, and furnish proofs of their qualifications, by examination in arithmetic, algebra and geometry; and tlie school was opened on the 21st of December 1794. Under this organization, the course of studies was divided into two princi- pal branches, viz : Maihcmatlcs and yhijslcal sciences, the first division embracing analysis, with its applications to geometry and mechanics, and descriptive geometry, including architecture, fortification and drawing — while under the head o^ physics, were embraced general physics and chemistry. Thus organized, the school was conducted until the 1st September 1795, when, by a new decree, its name was changed to that of Ecole poly technique. This new organization dif- fered but little from the first, and simply determined the mode of admission of its eleves into the public services. By a law of 22d October 1795 schools of application were estab- lished, the course of study in the polytechnic school was limited to two years, and its relations to the special schools of application de- fined. To accommodate the school to these new relations, a re- organization was made IGth December 1799, by which important changes were made in the classification of studies, and a board of improvement {conseil de perfcction7icment) established; and finally, by a decree of IGth July 1804, the military organization of the school was fully effected. " The origin of the polytechnic school [I quote from the report of the commissioners appointed by the British government to con- 15 sider the best mode of training officers for scientific corps] dates from a period of disorder and distress in the history of France, which seem alien to all intellectual pursuits, if we did not remem- ber that the general stimulus of a revolutionary period often acts powerfully upon thought and education. * * * * Jt was in- tended at first to give a complete education for some of the public services, but it was soon changed into a preparatory school, to be succeeded by special schools of application. " When the school was first started, there was scarcely another of any description in the country. * * * ^i[ schools from the university downwards, were destroyed ; the large exhibitions or bourses, numbering nearly 40,000, were confiscated or plundered by individuals, and even the military schools and those for public works (which were absolutely necessary for the very roads and the defence of the country), were suppressed or disorganized. The school of engineers at Meziores (an excellent one, where Monge had been a professor), and that of the artillery at La Fere, were both broken up, whilst the murder of Lavoisier, and the well known saying with respect to it, that the republic had no need of chemists, gave currency to a belief, which Fourcroy expressed in proposing the polytechnic, that the late conspirators had formed a deliberate plan to destroy the arts and sciences, and to establish their tyranny on the ruins of human reason. " Thus it was on the ruin of all the old teaching, that the new in- stitution was erected — a truly revolutionary school, as its founders delighted to call it, using the term as it was commonly used, as a synonym for all that was excellent. And then for the first time avowing the principle of public competition, its founders, Mongc and Fourcroy, began their work with an energy and enthusiasm which they seem to have left as a traditional inheritance to their school. It is curious to see the difficulties which the bankruptcy of the country threw in their way, and the vigor with which, assisted by the summary powers of the republican government, they overcame them. They begged the old Palais Bourbon for their building — were supplied with pictures from the Louvre — the fortunate capture of an English ship gave them some uncut diamonds for their first experiments — presents of military instruments were sent from the arsenals of Havre — and even the hospitals contributed some chemi- 16 cal substances. In fine, having set tlieir school in motion, the go- vernment and its professors worked at it with such zeal and effect, that within five months after tlieir project was announced, they had held their first entrance examination, open to the competition of all France, and started with 379 pupils." The polytechnic school thus came into being a "revolutionary school." Its subsequent career was unprecedented. Its hii^h repu- tation was built up by the unwearied labors of men, whose names are as household words wherever science has a votary. ' La Grange, Lacroix and Poisson laid the basis of its course of analytical mathe- matics ; La Place, Labeij, Proncy, Francceur and Ampere, that of analytical mechanics and astronomy. Descriptive geometry and its applications had for their first teachers the illustrious founder of the science, Gaspard Monge, and his pupils, Hachelte and Arago. Chemistry and mineralogy were taught by the great masters, Ber- thollet, Fovrcroy, Gaij-Lussac and Thenard ; while fortification, archi- tecture and public works were entrusted to Guy-Vcrno7i, Durand and Sgnvzin. To these great masters was added a corps of rcpctitairs (repeaters of lectures, or assistant professors), chosen from the most distin- guished of its pupils, among whom we find the distinguished name of M. Biol. It was my high privilege to have several interviews with this nestor of science, in his rooms at the College dc Frniice; and it was with sadness he referred to the great changes which the revolutionary struggles of his country had brought upon the cha- racter of the institution ; adding, " the polytechnic school is not now what it once ivas." True, its great masters had passed away. It had no longer the ardent enthusiasm of a Monge and Fourcroy, of Ber- thollet and La Place and La Grange, but the traditional lustre of their great names still shed light over the school which their genius and labors had built up. True, disputes had arisen between the exclusive study of abstract science on the one hand, and their early application on the otiicr, which legislative authority had attempted to solve by an accommodation to the spirit of Young France ; but the traditional teaching of the school will be too strong for legisla tive interference; and " early and deep scientific study" will carry off the victory against early practical applications," so that the opi- nion of the English commission is distinctly given in pronouncing 17 the polytechnic school at this time, ^^ perhaps without exaggeration, the greatest mathematical school in the worlds With such illustrious men to conduct the educational development of the polytechnic school, sustained as they were by the genius, wisdom and authority of Napoleon I, it was to be expected that it would exercise a commanding influence in the progress of scientific education throughout Europe, and in the organization of those spe- cial schools which have added so much to the power of the French nation. And such has been the result. No intelligent traveler can visit Europe, without seeing the impress of the polytechnic school upon the progress of education, in all the forms of its development. And when the American contrasts the character of education in his own country, at the beginning of the war of 1812, with that at present, he will not fail to recognize the important agency of the U. S. mililarij acadcimj at West Point, itself a germ from the poly- technic school, with one of the polytechnic eleves (Claude Crozet) as one of its earliest professors, not only in the specific work of preparing officers for the military defences of the country, but in elevating the character and grade of its scientific education. Nay more — may we not trace in the history of tiie Virginia militarrj in- stitute, itself an offshoot from the West Point academy, a still further development of a system of education, originating in the troubles of a revolution, which, in its weariness of every thing then existing, threw off the restraints of the scholastic teaching, and gave birth to the polytechnic school ? Still, it would be absurd to trace such astonishing results to the influence of any one institution, however renowned the men charged with its teachings, or mighty the authority brought to their aid in its operations. There must have been a ivant existing, whether felt or not, for the class of education which the polytechnic school first met and supplied. How could the education which was originally designed for the ecclesiastic, and which was made by the system of the schools the education of all, meet the wants of a great nation in the development of its resources, the application of its material, the adaptation of machinery, the success of its manufactures, the pro- gress of the arts, or the success of its trade? The education which had been provided was actually worthless to most of those who held the wealth and directed the destinies of the nation. And thus, 3 18 just in proportion to the adaptation of the system of education to meet the demands of the age, must be the influence which it will exert in the promotion of sound learning in the world. That this requirement was fulfilled in the establishment of the polytechnic and other special schools connected with it, there can be no rational doubt. This has long since been admitted throughout the continent of Europe. It is about to have a remarkable confirmation in the judgment of the great educational establishments of England, as I will more fully show in the sequel of this report'; and I call atten- tion to this point here, because it illustrates and confirms an impor- tant principle which has marked the history and seems to fix the destiny of the Virginia military institute. The immediate and pressing wants which led to the establish- ment of the polytechnic school, controlled also its plan. It was partly military and partly civil, for military as well as civil educa- tion had been destroyed by the revolutionists. At first it only in- cluded those who were designed for the engineer service, but the artillery service was added within a year. The preparation which it gave for the military service, was in its thorough scientific ra- ther than. its practical training; and those of its eleves who are destined for the army, are transferred to the practical school for engineers and artillery at Metz. For many years past, it has been more a civil than a military school, its best pupils selecting the civil in preference to the military services, because they open wider fields for distinction and advancement. To such an extent have the civil departments monopolized the best talent of the school, that the directors of tlK3 school at Metz have complained that the material sent to that institution, constituted as it is of the lowest members of the classes of the polytechnic, is not qualified, by talent or preparation, for those arms of the service provided for at Metz. These remonstrances have not operated to remove from the poly- technic students the free choice which they continue to give for the civil services. It will thus be seen, that the polytechnic is a preparatory and general scientific school, in which the studies are not exclusively adapted for any one of the departments to which, at the close of its course, its scholars will find themselves assigned. Before entering upon the actual discharge of their specific duties, they pass through 19 a further term of instruction in some one of the schools of appli- cation specially devoted to particular professions. The public services for which it thus gives a general preparation, are the following, in the order of their selection by the preference of the eleves : The department of roads and bridges (ponts et chaussees). The department of mines (mines). The department of powder and saltpetre (poudres et salpetre). Naval architects (genie maritime). Engineers (genie militaire). The artillery (artillerie de terre). Staff corps (etat major). The hydrographical corps (ingenieurs hydrographiques). The department of tobacco (administration des tabacs). The department of telegraph (lignes telegraphiques). Navy (marine). Marine artillery (artillerie de mer). And finally, to all other departments vv^hich involve a knowledge of mathematics, physics or chemistry. The course of study at the polytechnic embraces two years, and the institution is open to all Frenchmen by competition. It usually numbers about 400 students, about one-third of whom pass out each year to the various schools of application. Besides a full corps of professors, the lectures given by these are carefully drilled into the pupils by the reyeUteurs, who pass through the halls of study (salles d' etude), ask questions, repeat the lectures when necessary, and give such additional instruction as may be required ; so that the fullest scope is given to the genius and diligence of the pupil on the one hand, and facility for necessary aid from the instructors, on the other. This care in instruction involves the expense of a large corps of professors and assistant professors, but the advantages re- sulting from it fully compensate for the expense attending it. And if the distinguished career of its eleves be a fair test of the value . of its system of instruction, few institutions in the world can pre- 2* sent a fairer record in the same space of time than the polytechnic school. Among those who have been most distinguished, I note the fol- lowing: Arago, savan, professor at the school. Bachasson de Montalivet, minister of interior. De Barante, ambassador. Bernard, minister of war. Biot, savan, professor College de France. Binet, professor at College de France. Bourdon, inspector general of university. Cauchy, professor at the school. Cavaignac, minister of war. Chasles, professor at the school. Chevalier, professor at College de France. Comte, repetiteur at the school. Delauny, professor at the school. Doalat de Pontecoulant. Ducos de la Hette, minister of foreign affairs. Dulong, professor at the school. Duhamel, professor at the school. Dupin, professor at the school, and minister of mariDe. Francoeur, professor in faculty of sciences. Gay-Lussac, professor at the school. Le Chevalier, professor at the school. Le Verrier, member of the institute. Lionville, professor at the school. Malus, member of the institute. Mathieu, professor at the school. Poinsot, professor at the school. Poesson, professor at the school. Poncelet, commandant of the school. Regnault, professor at the school. Vaillant, minister of war and marshal of France. 21 I close my notice of the polytechnic school, by quoting the con- clusions of the intelligent commission of the British government, before referred to : "Regarded simply as a great mathematical and scientific school, its results, in producing eminent men of science, have been extraor- dinary. It has been the great (and a truly great) mathematical uni- versity of France. "Regarded again as a preparatory school for the public works, it has given a very high scientific education to civil engineers, whose scientific education in other countries (and amongst ourselves) is be- lieved to be much slighter and more accidental. " Regarded as a school for the scientific corps of the army, its pe- culiar mode of uniting in one course of competition for civil and military services, has probably raised scientific thought to a higher point in the French than in any other army. " Regarded as a system of teaching, the method it pursues in de- veloping the talents of its pupils, appears to us the best we have ever studied. "It is, in its studies and some of its main principles, that the ex- ample of the polytechnic school may be of most value. In forming or improving any military school, we cannot shut our eyes to the successful working at the polytechnic of the principle, which it was the first of all schools to initiate, the making great public prizes the revt'ard and stimulus of the pupil's exertions. We may observe how the state has here encouraged talent, by bestowing so largely assis- tance upon all successful but poor pupils, during their school career. We may derive some lessons from its method of teaching, though the attempt to imitate it might be unwise. Meanwhile, without emulating the long established scientific prestige of the polytechnic, we have probably amongst ourselves abundant materials for a mili- tary scientific education, at least as sound as that given at this great school." The special military school at St. Cijr is the same that was origi-" nally established at Fontainebleau in 1803, and was transferred to 22 St. Cyr in 1808. The buildings occupied by the school are those formerly used by Madame de Mainl.aion, and the school which she superintended, near the village of St. Cyr. To enter the infantry, cavalry or marine services, a young man may cither rise from the ranks, or successfully pass through the course of study prescribed at the military school at St. Cyr. It is possible, in time of war, that a private may rise to be an officer of engineers or artillery, but the number thus promoted is limited ; and as a general thing, they are afterwards required to take a modified course at the special school for engineers and artillery at Metz. Besides furnishing officers for the infantry, cavalry and marine, about 2-5 of the most distinguished of each class are, at the close of their term at St. Cyr, brought into competition for admission into the staff school (Etat Major) at Paris, the superior advantages of this department thus affording a strong stimulus to exertion. The course of study at St. Cyr is 2 years, and the institution usu- ally numbers about 5 or GOO cadets, who are admitted by competi- tive examination. The buildings from several courts or quadrangles, named after the battles of Napoleon, as the court of Rivoli, the court of Austerlitz, &c. The ground floor forming the courts of Marengo, Austerlitz and Wagram, appeared to be occupied by two refectories, by lecture and other public rooms. On the 1st floor are the salles d'etude, and the public rooms containing models, &c. Oa the second floor are the dormitories. The salles d'' etude accommodate about 200 pupils, arranged oq parallel seats, with a narrow passage between, and are used as gene- ral studij rooms, in which the pupils prosecute their studies, in the presence of one or more officers of the institution. The refectories were arranged with two rows of small tables, each table accommodating 12 cadets, and a long narrow passage separating the parallel rows of tables. The dormitories, containing about 100 each, named after the Cri- mean battles, Alma, Inlcermann, &c., were occupied by rows of small iron bedsteads each with a shelf over it and a box by its side. The cadets make up their own beds, clean their own shoes, and attend to the police of their dormitories. 23 I did not see the infantry drills, as they take place shortly after sunrise, but I witnessed, on two occasions, the exercises for the cavalry service. The stables contain about 350 horses, attended to by 200 cavalry soldiers. The cadets for the cavalry service ride 3 hours a day, and the exhibition which they made was very creditable to the school. I was much interested in the models connected with the endneer- ing and mathematical departments of the school, and was induced, from the great value of some of them, as aids in our own course of study, to order a few of the most important for this institution. I am sure that nothing could contribute more to an improvement of these departments at the institute, than a full collection of these models ; and I hope that the means to purchase them may be given at no distant day. The competiiive examinations upon which cadets are admitted into the military schools of France, besides elevating the character of the material introduced into the public services, exercise a most powerful influence upon the civil common schools of the country'. Upon this point, I quote again from the English commissioners' report : " This is one jiicce of advice [said a distinguished French general, well known as a man of science, in conversation with usi. Fix your jjrogrammc fur admission at a high point ; keep rigidlij and nncom- promisinghj to it ; reject all luho do not reach it ; and raise it gradually ; preparation will be made accordingly ; the pupils ivill say to their masters, ' This is required — teach its this ;'' and you will gradually raise the stan- dards (f all the preparatory schools in the country. So at least it has been in France.^ ^ And the commissioners add, " So certainly it does seem to have been. The standard in certain studies has been steadily elevated, while the importance of others has been gradually reduced ; and in fact, a complete revolution in the whole system has been effected." These remarks are fully confirmed by the observation made to me by Sir Frederick Abbott, of the military school at Addiscombe, who recommended an open and competitive examination for Addiscombe, not only from the advantages likely to accrue to the institution 24 itself, but as inevitably tending to elevate the grade of all those schools which would be looked to as preparatory to the military schools of England. I have dwelt so much at large upon the»character and operations of the military schools of France, that it may not be necessary to go into the same detail with regard to the other establishments of the kind which I was permitted to examine in Europe. I was very much pleased with a visit made to the Royal military academy of Sardinia. The establishment of a more liberal govcrn- raent in Sardinia since the revolution of 1S49, has infused new energy into the operations of the government, and no interest has more sensibly felt this than that connected with military education. The buildings used for the purposes of the Royal military academy are contiguous to the royal palace, and are in many respects admi- rably arranged for the purposes of a military school. The governor of the academy, General Pctt.inengo, accompanied by members of his staff, very kindly took me through every ^art of the establish- ment — the refectories, the dormitories, lecture rooms, and examina- tion halls, hospital, &c. — all of which seemed to be admirably suited for the uses to which they were applied. I was particularly interested in the drawing department, to which I found great attention paid in this school. As tests of the qualifi- cations of the cadets, examinations in drawing were required at the close of each term, at which the merits of the pupils were deter- mined by the quality and dispatch exhibited in the drawings exe- cuted in an allotted time. The military academy at Turin also attaches great value to the preparation of original memoirs, which are required of all the senior cadets. Musket and ride target practice receives also much atten- tion. there. In a word, I was very much pleased with all that I saw in this institution, and left it with the impression that it must exert a commanding influence upon the cause of general as well as military education in Sardinia. In all the military schools of Europe, great attention is paid to gymnastic exercises. These are not only practiced for the purpose 25 of developing the manly vigor of the pupils, but as essential ele- ments in the discipline and instruction of troops for light service. They are generally conducted under the direction of an officer vi'ho acts as instructor, and are regarded as a part of the regular system of instruction. At Vincennes, St. Cyr, as well as at Turin, the arrangements for these exercises were very perfect, and the system is well worthy of the consideration of this school. The great, agriculturol school of Germany is at Hohenheinif in Wur- temburg, six miles south of Stuttgard. Hohenheim {High-Home) was originally a ducal palace, which was transferred, on the corona- tion of the present king of Wurtemburg, to the uses of an agricul- tural school. The extensive ranges of court rooms, servants' rooms, halls, stables, &c. which constituted the arrangements of the royal residence, came in most admirably for the new uses to which they were applied. The public halls answered very well for the exhibi- tion and instrumental rooms; the stables, for the cattle and sheep — while dormitories for 130 students were easily provided in the long ranges of the second 'floor. The school was unfortunately in vaca- tion when I visited it, but I found one of the sub-officers there, who spoke French, and he, together with an intelligent student from Belgium, show^ed me every attention, and sberaed pleased to afford me all the information at their command. This school is a great scientific and practical school of agriculture. It is not a manual labor school, although any student is at liberty to labor if he choose. The basis of the school is careful instruction in scientific agriculture, embracing chemistry, geology, mineralogy, mechanics, physiology, animal as well as vegetable, and every thing belonging to the diseases of animals and stock. The principles thus taught in the class room are made the basis of the experimental in- struction on the farm, for 1,000 acres of good arable land are at- tached to the school. Does science show that the application of a particular manure will be judicious — the experiment is made, and the results carefully noted, and this not slightly, but with patient and laborious care. When the result is fully established, it is pro- claimed, and becomes the established rule for the farmer every where. Is the manufacture of cheese the subject before the class — the professor will deliver his lecture, explain the rationale of the process, and also the manipulations necessary ; and while the lec- 4 20 ture is in progress, the milk will have passed from its liquid state to that of pressed clicese. So that theoretic and applied science is so joined in the instruction here, that Hohcnheim is regarded through- out Germany as the authority on agricultural matters, which deter- mines all questions of policy in this branch of industry; and a knowledge of this fact makes the professors slow to express an opi- nion on any point, until conclusive evidence satisfies them which is the true answer. Thus, an enquiry was presented as to the relative economy in feeding 100 weight of hay to cattle or sheep, and the result was favorable to the latter in the proportion of some 20 per cent. All new implements of agriculture are sent to Hohenheim for testing. The professor will explain to his class, before they are tried, the mechanical principles involved, their effect upon the draught of the animal, as founded upon his physiological structure ; and then the test is made. In Germany, oxen pull by the horns, the band passing in front of the head just below the roots of the horns. This is not an acci- dental arrangement, but reasons are given for it, founded upon the form and strength and (durability of the animal. The model rooms contained every variety of agricultural imple- ments, among which I noticed with pride the reaper of our own countryman^ McCormick. The implements which were not on hand for use in the field, were exhibited by most carefully constructed models. In the sced-xoom, every variety of seed and root was taste- fully arranged ; and these specimens are not exhibited merely to be looked at. Their peculiar properties are carefully unfolded by the lecturer, as he presents them to his class. My eye rested upon a fine specimen of a common potato. I took it up, and finding it much ligliter in weight than a potato of its size should be, I enquired how it had been so carefully preserved. My guide laughed heartily at my question, and replied, that the specimen I held was a model in wood. And models in wood were shown, in like manner, of apples, cherries, &c. all of which would have equally deceived me, had not ray attention been drawn to the model potato. In the same room were specimens of wool of every variety, carefully arranged by classification. 27 I was particularly interested in the hall o^ forestry. Here every variety of luood was seen in choice specimens, and classified, each class embracing those timbers which possessed distinct peculiarities : thus, timbers which would bore without splitting; then those that might be turned ; and also those that could be reduced to thin la- minae — all of which was very suggestive to me as presenting one important defect in our American education. With every variety of the noblest forest trees upon earth, so little attention is paid to their study, that our young men scarcely know the names of the trees as they pass them in the woods, much less their qualities and properties; and yet is there any part of agriculture so well de- serving of attention as the culture, preservation and properties of our forest timber. The cattle stables contained some 70 or 80 very fine cows of the Swiss breed, the calves from which were raised and sold for labor. They are never removed from their stalls except to water, twice each day; and their food is regulated by carefully tested experiments. Some nventy-Jioe mechanics are employed constantly at the school in making implements and models, which are sold. The school is composed of the academy proper, and institute, or school of application. The charges of the first are about 30,000 florins (say $ 12,000) annually, and these are met by the tuition fees of the students. The expenses of the institute amount to 40,000 florins ($16,000), and the sales of stock, produce from the fiirm, and models, about equal the expenditure — so that, as nearly as I could ascertain, the school is self-sustaining. The expenses to each student amount to about $300 a year, and this sum may be reduced by the student availing himself of the fa- cilities for cheap boarding in the neighborhood. I found the school deficient in public documents. They had nothing except in German; and I was only able to get a couple of pamphlets in this language, giving a programme of the course of studies and discipline. It is well known to you, sir, that peculiar circumstances have directed the policy, and seem still to fix the destiny of this institu- tion. Called into being as a substitute for what was considered an evil in the established guard then attached to the Lexington 28 arsenal, without any distinct or definite sphere of operations before it as an educational establishment, in the minds of its original founders, it has been developed, from year to year, partly under the influence of controlling causes within the institution itself, and partly from what has seemed to be an imperative call of duty from without. As it has progressed, its destiny has seemed to mark it out more and more distinctively to be to Virginia and the South, what the polytechnic school and the special schools connected with it, have been to Paris and to France — a general scientific school. Its military character as a part of the public guard of the state; its distinctive organization upon the basis of the United States railU, tary academy at West Point; its normal character as a school from which the state might be supplied with a corps of competent native teachers; the demand for its graduates in the important interest of civil engineering — and in general, the y^/^ nccessliy for a school of physical sciences, where, to use your own language, " our young men will study nature in all her infinite and immutable laws, and whence they will come out, learned in science, skillful in practice, with powers to wield all the laws of nature in behalf of the physi- cal, intellectual and moral progress of their country" — these are the circumstances which have shaped the destiny of the institution, and which have brought the board of visitors to the conviction that it is their duty to make it a great school of physical sciences for the south. The gradual steps in this development have not been taken with- out careful consideration on the part of its friends, and without awakening some apprehension lest in the tendency to what might be called a practical education, the directors of the school might lose sight of the true object of education as designed rather to de- velop the mental and moral faculties, than to qualify the student for the active duties of life — lest the too exclusive prosecution of scientific studies might lead to a narrow, contracted, one-sided and sometimes skeptical state of the mind — and finally, lest the influence of the example founded upon the experience of the great educational establishments of this and our mother country, England, might be lost sight of in the swelling tide of progress which marks the cha- racter of the age. These suggestions have been met by the facts, that it was still an unsettled point what class of studies was best adapted to de- 29 velop the powers of the human mind, inasmuch as the results, founded upon experience, were too much influenced by natural or contingent causes, to be made the basis of any dogmatic conclu- sions on the subject — that education, to be worth any thing, must have respect to the duties of life, and that the education which was useful to some, was not necessarily useful to all — that truth. Divine truth alone could put straight the perverted and perverting condition and tendency of the human mind, and was equally appli- cable under one as under another system of mental training — and finally, that the established institutions which had come down to us from the past, would either have to adapt themselves to the gene- ration upon which they were to act, and to the felt necessities of the w^orld, under the existing circumstances of society, or they would be useless for the purposes for which they were established. I had little expected that my observations abroad would furnish me with such conclusive demonstration of the correctness of these views. I had expected to find on the continent of Europe much that was in sympathy with the general tendency of the operations of this school; but I had not imagined, for no sufficient data had previously existed to enable me to see, to what an extent the mind of the British nation had been awakened on these various ques- tions, and how fully the response had been in harmony with the views here expressed, and with the developments which have marked the progress of this institution. Let it not be supposed that this awakening has involved any de- preciation of the value or importance of the old systems of educa- tion, as they had come down from the past, for the peculiar objects and purposes for which they were in many respects admirably suited, or that the views now extensively gaining ground, are intended to supersede these old teachings; but that the public mind is becom- ing more and more satisfied that the education which was useful to some, was not necessarily useful to all — that there is now a more de- cided acknowledgment of the fact that the wants of the larsrest and most influential part of society, embracing the middle ranks, with some mixture from the upper and lower classes, and comprising the agriculturist, the merchant, the manufacturer, the artist, the civil engineer, the artisan, and to some extent, the professions of law and medicine, are not provided for by the existing systems of the schools; 30 and that measures are now in progress to supply these wants, to which the universities of England are prominently lending their in- fluence, and by which provision will be made to give an education at least as liberal as that supplied by the " schools." When I reached England, I found the public papers much inte- rested in what was termed ^^ the middle class examinations'^' of Oxford and Cambridge. At first I had supposed that these examinations had reference to the candidates of these universities for honors, or certificates of distinction ; on discovering my error in this conjec- ture and seeing that the examinations referred to were of the pupils of schools not connected with the universities, I had supposed that the term ^'■middle class" defined the class of boys who were the sub- jects of these examinations, as coming from the middle walks of life. I was equally in error here. The term ^^ middle class" is understood to apply not so much to the individual educated, as to the education itself, as one lying between the high culture attainable at a univer- sity and the humble rudiments required at a parish school. And it was in reference to this class of education that these examinations were then in progress. On the 18th of June 1857 the university of Oxford passed a sta- tute establishing two examinations for those not members of the uni- versity — one for youths under IS, another for boys under 15. By this statute a commission was organized, with legislative and execu- tive powers for the several purposes defined by the statute, these powers to expire in three years. This commission was authorized to frame a scheme of examina- tion, appoint examiners, to fix a scale of fees, and arrange all the details of the examinations. The examinations were to be held at various centres, chiefl}'' the large towns, selected as the commission should deem most expedient. The "middle class" examinations thus appointed, were to be free to all persons of whatever social rank or religious denomination, age, and non-matriculation being the oidij limit. All candidates must satisfy the examiners that they have mastered 31 the elements of a plain English education, after which they are al- lowed a wide latitude in the selection of subjects of study. Boys under 15, who succeed in the lower examination, obtain a certificate. Youths under IS, who pass the higher, receive the title of associate of arts. The university of Cambridge has followed the example of the university of Oxford, and passed a similar statute for middle class examinations. The details of this statute differ in some of its ele- ments from those of Oxford, the chief difference being in reference to the title of associate of arts to the successful seniors. The motives which have led these renowned universities to inau- gurate so important a system as is embraced in these middle class examinations, are fully set forth in the memorials which have been presented to them from the various interests connected with them ; in communications from masters of schools who have recommended them ; and in an elaborate? argument of one of the Oxford examiners, T. D. Acland, Esq., himself late a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford^ in an account of the " Origin and Objects of the New Oxford Examina- tions,'''' published in 18-58. The memorial of the med'ical profession of London states, "We be- lieve that the adoption of such a S3'^stem (middle class examination) may be most beneficial, by supplying a means primarily for testing, and secondarily for increasing and guiding the preliminary know- ledge of many who are destined for the study and practice of medi- cine, thus meeting a want which has been long and deeply felt." The architects of London join in the memorial, because they " think that if some knowledge of the history and principles of the arts, and of the physical sciences connected with them, were encouraged as a part of the general education of the middle ranks, much na- tional benefit would result from the more just appreciation of the works of professional men." At a meeting of the committee of the metropolitan and provin- cial law association, held on the 19th January 1858, it was " Re- solved, that this committee has seen with great satisfaction the regu- 32 lations wliich the university of Oxford has made to encourage a higher standard of education among that part of the youth of the kingdom hitherto unconnected with tlie universities." The Rev. Harvey Goodwin, late Ilulsean lecturer, Cambridge, re- cently appointed dean of Ely, writes, "For my own part, I have long reflected upon the condition of middle school education in England, and the necessity of bringing it to a higher standard. * * * * * * I apprehend that what is called middle education might be benefited by a system of university examination. In so saying I would especially guard myself against being supposed to imply that by such means it would be possible to communicate to the middle classes the peculiar advantages of Oxford or Cambridge. No ex- aminations can be a substitute for resideiice; and those features of university life, which chiefly make Oxford and Cambridge what they are, and to which you and I probably look back as amongst the most blessed influences ever brought to bear upon us, must still be reserved for those who are able and v^'illing to give seve- ral years to unbroken university study. But because we cannot give all, we need not hesitate to give what we can; and while residence must be confined to comparatively few, the benefits of examination may be conferred upon a multitude. # * » But what will the universities themselves say? or ratlier what will Cambridge say ? for that is the question to which you expect me to give an answer, and to ask which you took the trouble of paying our university a visit the other day. # # * Judging from the general spirit of the place, I believe that the proposition for carrying out some such plan as that which you have brought before us, would meet with great favor. # * # -yy-g want something which shall endear us to the middle classes ; we want something that shall make Oxford and Cambridge more than mere names in the minds of those classes, and prevent them from being regarded as merely clerical seminaries ; we want a wider field of action, in order to make even the work that we are doing at present more eficctive and influential." Rev. Alfred Barry, M. A., late fellow of Trinity college, Cam- bridge, and now head master of Leeds grammar school, thus writes to Mr. Acland : " It is with the greatest pleasure that I see the attempt to estab- lish a system of examinations for middle schools, under the sanc- tion of the universities. We have drawn up a petition from Leeds, stating our viev^^s on the subject. It has been signed by many inte- rested in middle class education, and the number of signatures might very easily have been increased. I have not tlie slightest doubt that such a movement w^ould be welcomed all over the country by all grammar schools, commercial schools, &c. as one of the greatest boons they could receive. * * * Por the class attending these schools is most important, drawn as it is from the middle ranks of society, with a slight admixture of the classes above and below ; and the schools themselves play a most prominent part in that fusion of classes v/hich is the stability of English society. * * * Now the universities at present guide us very little. I have 200 boys, and yet do not send on an average more than three every year to the universities; nor do I think it likely this number will increase to more than six or seven, at the outside. The mass of boys go else- where, to what is called ' business' chiefly ; and we have no means of showing whether they are well taught or not. Nothing could possibly help us more than the power of referring to ' honors' gained in examination." Mr. Templeton, M. A. of the university of Aberdeen, and princi- pal of a classical and commercial school in Exeter, writes : "If the universities would sanction the scheme, and grant some honorary title to those who fairly come up to a fixed standard, a lasting benefit would be conferred on that class of the country which forms the backbone of English society, and on which the well being of the state mainly depends; from which the higher classes are often recruited, and on which the laboring population chiefly depend for their subsistence." I have quoted freely from the account of the " Origin and Objects of the Nev/ Oxford Examinations," given by Mr. Acland, to show that the systems of education existing in England did not meet the wants of the large and influential class of its population which holds its wealth, and in a great measure controls the destinies of the nation. Of 200 boys in Mr. Adams' grammar school in Leeds, onhj three on ayi average go every year to the universities. The others go from the grammar school at once to " business^ Now, can it be 34 supposed that if the universities supplied the education that was wanted, this state of things could exist? No adequate provision had been made by the universities for the necessities of this large class of society, and hence they did not go there. No institutions existed of a character suited to their wants, and hence those consti- tuting the " backbone" of English society pass from the grammar school to business — and therefore these head masters pray that be- fore they enter upon the practical business of life, the universities may take care, by examinations under their appointment, and ac- companied by their honors to successful candidates, that they go to their work with the education suited for it. If the boys will not go up to the universities, let the universities come down to the boys, and thus provide and regulate the education which is demanded for them. But I quote the pertinent language of the Oxford examiner, Mr. Acland, on this point: " Time was when Oxford and Cambridge possessed a virtual mono-poly of the higher branches of education., and commanded the entrance to the chief posts, not oyily iii the church, bnt also at the bar and in medicine. This is no longer the case. To the causes of the change, whether within or without the universities, I need not refer in detail ; one, however, is ger- mane to the matter in hand — the growth of physical science in manufac- tures and locomotion. " This has told both on the universities and on the nation. "The first consequence has been, that the comfortable mainte- nance, inaccessible within the universities, has been often supplied to scientific men by boards of directors and trading companies. '• The second, that a new form of social influences has sprung up in the metropolis and elsewhere. Science has supplied the common ground on which the noble, the divine, the philosopher and the engineer have been glad to meet, whether at the soirees of the aristocracy, at scientific societies, or in social clubs. " Concurrently with the spread of new intellectual and social influences, the world has been gradually finding out one deficiency, 35 which not only prevails in the ranks of practical men, but even affects some grades of the professions. I refer to the want of a good general education as a preparation for scientific and commercial pursuits. " In proportion as Oxford and Cambridge have seen the necessity of giving a more prominent place to natural science in the complete education of an English gentleman, practical men have been learning the value of classics and mathematics. The world knocks at the door of the schools and of the senate-house, and asks for help to guide its children in general education. * * * * *' The recognition of this actual state of facts is a great part of what is asked for at the hands of the universities. I contend that Oxford has acted wisely in granting tiie request with a good grace, and in 'putting itself in harmony with the generation on which it is bouiid to act; and that it may reasonably hope to strengthen thereby its power of doing good." The tendency of this great movement, and the character of the existing educational want, may be still more fully seen in the wide range given to the subjects of the middle class examinations, and in the arrangements presented for the great prominence assigned to art as an important branch of liberal education. Examination of Senior Candidates, {For the Title of Associate of Arts.) I. All candidates will be required to satisfy the examiners in 1. Analysis of English sentences and parsing, and correction of faulty sentences. 2. A short English composition. 3. Arithmetic. 4. Geography. Every candidate will be required to draw from memory an outline map of some country in Europe, to be named by 36 the examiners, showini? the boundary lines, the chief ranges of mountains, the chief rivers, and the chief towns. 5. The outlines of English history — that is, the succession of sovereigns, the cliief events, and the characters of the leading men in each reign. II. The examination in rudiments of faith and religion is not re- quired of any candidate whose parents or guardians shall have de- clined it on his behalf. III. Every candidate will also be required to satisfy the exam- iners in two at least of the sections marked A, B, C, D ; or in one of those four, and in one of those marked E and F. Section A — English. This will include questions in 1. English history, from the battle of Bosworth field to the res- toration ; and the outlines of the history of English literature during the same period. 2. Shakspeare's King Lear and Bacon's Essays. 3. The outlines of political economy and English law. The ex- amination will extend beyond the subjects treated of in the first book of Smith's Wealth of Nations, and the first volume of Black- stone's Commentaries. 4. Physical, political and commercial geography. A fair know- ledge of one of these four classes of subjects will enable a candi- date to pass in this section. Section B — Lansruasces. 1. Latin. 2. Greek. 3. French. 4. German. A fair knowledge of one of these languages will enable the can- didate to pass in this section. 37 Section C — Mathematics, 1. Pure mathematics. 2. Practical mechanics (including mechanism) and hydrostatics^ mathematically treated, surveying and navigation. Algebra to the end of quadratic equations and four books of Euclid, will enable a candidate to pass in this section. * Section D — Physics. 1. Natural philosophy. Great importance will be attached to good mechanical drawing. 2. Chemistry. Questions will be set on the facts and general principles of chemical science. There will be a practical examina- tion in the elements of analysis. 3. Vegetable and animal physiology. Questions will be set on vegetable physiology in general, and on the functions of vertebrata in animal physiology. Parts of plants and bones of vertebrata will be given for description. Great importance wtll be attached to good botanical and anatomical drawing. A fair knowledge of one of these classes of subjects will enable a candidate to pass in this section ; but in all cases, a practical ac- quaintance with the subject matter will be indispensable. Section E — Drawing. 1. Drawing from the flat, from models, from memory, and in per- spective, and drawing of plans, sections and elevations. 2. Design in pen and ink, and in colors. 3. The history and principles of the arts of design. A fair degree of skill in free hand drawing will be required, in order that a candidate may pass in this section. 38 Section F — Music. 1. The grammar of music. 2. The history and principles of musical composition. Tlie elements of thorougli bass will be required in order that a candidate may pass in this section. In the above programme, it will be seen that much prominence is assigned to the position of art. The views of Mr. Acland are so im- portant in this connection, that I am sure no apology is necessary for presenting them in full. " In every country which has reached an advanced state of civili- zation, the right mode of cultivating the arts, and of educating the designer and the workman, must sooner or later engage attention. "We appear to be arrived in England at a crisis on this subject, from wdiich we must 2:0 forward or backward. O" " I understand by the term art, not merely the Jine arts, but what are commonly called useful and ornamental arts, especially those which are in any way connected with beauty, form, color or sound. If we set aside those arts which relate to the provision of food,- how large a proportion of the middle classes are concerned in making, buying or selling what may minister to the sense of beauty or the reverse? House building, with all that it involves in the way of decoration, exterior or interior, and furniture, and the supply of clothing, must ever occupy a large portion of our population, to say nothing of the minor arts which minister to personal ornament, or to the multiplication of the works of the artist. On merely utilita- rian grounds, it is of the utmost importance to the commercial posi- tion of England, that she should not be outdone by foreigners in matters of such general demand. But in order to this end, art must find its place in national education, by the side of literature and, science. If the artist is to design and the workmen is to execute, there must be a discerning public to appreciate the good and discourage the bad." # * * # # 39 Mr. Acland then proposes : " First — To recognize art as one branch of a liberal education, by the side of literature and science. " Secondly — To give the artist facilities and encouragement for the general cultivation of his ov^/n mind. # * * * " The practical difficulty seems to be of two kinds : 1st — that the principles of art are so vague that they are difficult to state, and still more difficult to learn except by practice; and, 2dly — that few have time both for art and for general education. "These difficulties are not to be lightly disregarded ; neverthe- less, it may still be true — 1st, that a system of education which ignores the principles of art, is incomplete; 2dly, that an artist, who is a mere self-taught worker, would in all ordinary cases be the better for a knowledge of what others have done before him, and for instruction in the facts with which he has to deal — in other words, that he needs literature and science for the full development of the gift which nature has implanted in him. . "As to the first point — It may be taken as now generally admit- ted, that literature, especially poetry, is of the first importance in the early stages of a liberal education — that it awakens power, gives vitality, and freedom and versatility to the mind, for the ab- sence of which, especially in those who are to act on the minds of other human beings, nothing can compensate. Secondly — That an exclusive cultivation of a literary taste, with a neglect of science, tends to a narrow fastidiousness, and robs a man of innumerable opportunities of interest in the laws of the world in which he lives, and in the work of his fellow-creatures. The value of science, both mathematical and physical, as a means of giving strength to the reasoning powers, accuracy and concentration of thought, and scru- pulousness in the examination of evidence, will not be denied at the present day by any one who, with a desire to hand down unim- paired the work of our forefathers to future generations, has taken an interest in the expansion of the educational system of England. But while literature fosters vitality, and science, accuracy — the one, submission to great laws, the other, a freedom which rises above 40 slavery to system — it would seem that art occupies a position be- tween the two, and preserves, like poetry, the vital union of the imagination and reason; and as art manifests' itself not in books, nor in systems of thought, but in works, the study of the works which great men have produced must bring a valuable contribution to a complete education. In one sense, art finds its expression in the constructive tendencies of children and in the games of boys; and so nature calls into play invention, judgment, experience, and puts knowledge into practice ; and some youths thus gain education from what they do as sailors or soldiers, or even from the activity or faihiros of the cricket-field or the hunting-field, which they never gain from books or lectures. It may be a question whether any system of education which does not provide for spontaneous activity, except as an excrescence or irregularity, can be rigiit. Whether and in what way the practical arts can be made to bear their part in a liberal education, is another question ; but clearly they must be taken into account in some form in dealing with middle class examination, and therefore must not be neglected by those who un- dertake the responsibility of guiding it." These views are enforced by arguments from Rev. F. Temple, late fellow of Balliol college, Oxford, and one of the inspectors of public schools, Dr. Acland, reader in anatomy in Oxford, and from John Ruskin, Esq. and other artists of England, in communications which Mr. T. D. Acland has introduced into his "Account of the Origin and Objects of the New Oxford Examinations." They are in a high degree suggestive, as showing the tendency of the public mind in England as to what constitutes a liberal education. The middle class examinations, thus established by the two lead- ing universities of England, were commenced for the first time just as I reached England. To judge of the manner in which this im- portant movement was received by the public, I copy from the London Times extracts from the proceedings of the public authori- ties at two of the principal centres of examinations. The city of Bath was selected as one of the places for conduct- ing the exammations under the Oxford statute. A large meeting was held in Guildhall in that city, under the presidency of the mayor, to receive the examiners for that district. The mayor having stated the object of the meeting, and expressed the satisfaction he 41 felt at the nnmber of candidates who had presented themselves from the schools of Bath, one of the magistrates of the county moved a resolution tendering "most cordial and respectful greeting to Mr. T. D. Acland,T). C. L., and Rev. S. G. Ward, on their visit to Bath as representatives of the University of Oxford, on this occa- sion of the first New Oxford examinations in that city." Before put- ting the resolution, the m'ayor said, that "the term middle class examination had been used very extensively in reference to the pro- posed examinations, and had been very prejudicial to the movement. The examinations were not intended for any partio