OLD Boys and friends of Sedbergh School will deeply regret the death of Mr. H. G. Hart, formerly head master of the school for over twenty years. Mr. Hart received his early education at Rugby and went up to St. John's, Cambridge, as a scholar. He graduated as seventh classic in 1866, and was afterwards elected to a Fellowship of his college. He accepted an appointment on the staff at Haileybury in the same year, and became master of Lawrence House. In 1873 he accepted the invitation of Dr. Butler to take up a mastership at Harrow, where he remained until 1880. His great work, however, was done at Sedbergh, which had begun to recover from the obscurity into which it had fallen during the sixties, and, with the appointment of Mr. Hart as head master, the progress became rapid and secure. Mr. Hart was fortunate in having the support of Mr. F. Powell, who, as chairman of the governing body, encouraged the head master and helped him by his liberality in the endeavour to lay the deep and firm foundation on which modern Sedbergh has grown. Mr. Hart gathered together a band of singularly gifted and loyal masters, and, with their devoted aid, founded the simple, manly, and strenuous tradition which still lives in the school.

TOPICS AND EVENTS.

ONLOOKER.

EDUCATION IN THE ARMY.-The special courses of instruction carried out during the last two years at the Schools of Education at Newmarket and Shorncliffe are now being put on a permanent footing for the Regular Army. The purpose of these schools is to train officers, warrant officers, and N.C.O.s for service in army education. The aims of educational training in the Army are: (1) To develop the training faculties of officers and N.C.O.s; (2) to continue the general education of the soldier with a view of improving him as a subject for military training and as a citizen of the Empire; (3) to enhance the prospects of remunerative employment of the soldier on his return to civil life; and (4) to fulfil the obligation of the State to the children of serving soldiers. Owing, however, to the large number of recruits in the Army at the present moment, and to the backward condition educationally of many of them, the pressing need for the moment is to assist men to get a Second Class Army Certificate of Education as a stepping-stone towards the higher aims. The duration of each course will be ten weeks, and their purpose for the present will be to equip officers, warrant officers, and non-commissioned officers for providing their men, according to the most approved methods, with the instruction necessary for the Second Class Army Certificate of Education. All the students at each school will be required to attend the classes in English, elementary mathematics and Imperial history, geography and citizenship; but otherwise there will be a variety of alternative courses. At Newmarket these courses will include French, handicraft, carpentry, science, elementary commerce, commercial arithmetic and book-keeping; while at Shorncliffe there will be classes in languages (French, German, Russian, Italian, or Spanish), elements of practical agriculture, elements of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, building construction and handicraft, elements of business training, commerce and accountancy, book-keeping, com

mercial arithmetic.

LONDON UNIVERSITY DEGREES IN COMMERCE.-At the recent Educational Congress few speeches were heard with more interest than that of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, Dr. Russell Wells, on "The New Faculty of Commerce," delivered before the Modern Language Association. To have persuaded the hard-headed business men of the City of London to give £314,000 to found the Faculty proves that the Vice-Chancellor is not devoid of diplomacy, and we feel sure that he ought to receive, as do our Ambassadors, an extra allowance for entertaining. A point in his speech that especially pleased his audience was that the degree in Commerce was to prove that a serious effort had been made by those who became graduates. As a proof of this, he stated that of the 134 candidates who presented themselves at the first Intermediate Examination about 50 per cent. were ploughed; in fact, it is to be a degree for the leaders of commerce, and not for the rank and file. Shorthand and typewriting do not figure among the subjects of examination, for there is never any difficulty in obtaining hewers of wood. Another point that was applauded was that one modern language was to be compulsory, and that a second and third could be taken as optional subjects. In the Examination great stress is laid on the oral part, and no amount of excellence in the written part will make up for weakness in the viva-voce. Among commercial men French, it appears, is not regarded as the most important foreign language. That place is held by Spanish; then in succession come German, French, Portuguese, and Italian; while Arabic and Chinese are often needed. The rank held by Spanish and Portuguese shows how large is our trade with South America. London, still the greatest centre of trading on the globe, has waited long for a worthy commercial degree, and we congratulate Dr. Russell Wells on being the means of bringing the Faculty into existence.

JOINT MATRICULATION BOARD.—The Joint Matriculation Board of the Northern Universities have introduced an interesting modification of the conditions for exemption from their Matriculation examination in the case of candidates holding school certificates and higher school certificates. The new regulations came into force about two years ago, and the increasing numbers of candidates taking advantage of them show that the freedom allowed is appreciated by schools. Briefly, they are as follows:-(i) If a candidate holds either one or two school certificates issued by the Board showing that the holder has passed with credit in the six subjects required for matriculation, he is entitled to exemption. (ii) A candidate holding a school certificate showing a pass with credit in four matriculation subjects is given exemption on passing the Higher School Certificate Examination either in two full subjects (taken from the same group, including a foreign language if Group II is taken) or in three subsidiary subjects. (iii) A school certificate with less than four passes with credit in matriculation subjects, together with a complete Higher Certificate, will entitle the holder to exemption. It is seen that these regulations allow a much freer choice of subjects, and that actually there is no particular subject or subjects in which a candidate is compelled to pass in order to obtain matriculation exemption.

torians had been largely content with the primitive material of certain accepted records, but there was a mass of unpublished documents which would prove of great value-fragments, e.g., on the Fratres Pacis in France in the dark ages, a group which even bishops joined. There were facts again as to the desolation of France by British conquest in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. French accounts of Crécy should be used. Wars must be side-tracked by emphasis on the interdependence of nations in ideas, trade, health, &c. Publications were needed showing the current condition of Egypt, Persia, or China. History teaching and knowledge of other countries were the two keys to improvement. Mr. F. E. Pollard, Dr. Sophie Bryant, Miss Nickalls, and others took part in the discussion. The question of reviving the School Peace League was considered, and arrangements were made for a committee to carry forward the subjects dealt with by the conference.

"

THE LING ASSOCIATION. The annual Holiday Course was held at St. Paul's Girls' School, Brook Green, from January 3 to 8, and was attended by over 300 gymnastic teachers. The daily gymnastic classes were conducted by Miss Bie and Mr. C. P. Mauritzi, whilst Miss Ruth Clark, Miss Crawhall Wilson, and Miss L. Collett had charge of the dancing classes. There were discussions on "The Chartered Society for Massage and Medical Gymnastics, and its proposals for Examination and Registration '' (opened by Miss M. Stansfeld), "The Burnham Report as it affects Gymnastic Teachers (opened by Miss M. Hankinson); a conference on "Theory of Movements,' "when papers were read on "New Theories in Gymnastics," by Miss C. Read, "The Results of a Gymnastic Lesson," by Miss M. H. Spalding, and Rhythm in Lateral Exercises," by Miss M. Oldland; also a conference on “The Spiritual Side of Physical Education," when papers were read by Dr. Mary Scharlieb and Mrs. Impey. The lecture list was as follows:-"Some Modern Aspects of Physiology as applied to Physical Education," by Colonel Martin Flack; " Hockey, and how to Coach it," by Mr. E. E. White; Some New Aspects in the Assessment of Physical Fitness," by Dr. F. G. Hobson; "Emotional Development," by Dr. H. Crichton Miller; 'Some Fundamental Considerations in Physical Training," by Dr. James Kerr; "Foot Gear and Foot Trouble," by Dr. J. B. Mennell. The Ling Association has recently been affiliated to the Conference of Educational Associations, and on January 7 Miss M. Stansfeld spoke to a crowded meeting, at University College, on "The Disabilities of Gymnastic Teachers." A social evening was arranged on January 3, when the retiring president, Miss Margaret Stansfeld, was presented with a clock and a cheque for twenty-five guineas. Miss Stansfeld had held office ever since the Association was started in 1899; first as a member of the committee, then as vice-president, and for the past eleven years as president. At the annual meeting on January 6 Miss A. Graham was elected president and Miss H. Drummond vice-president. In connexion with the course, a net-ball tournament was arranged between representatives of the old students from the Anstey, Battersea, Bedford, Chelsea, and Dartford Colleges. In the finals Chelsea was victorious, beating Bedford by 13 goals to 4.

FOREIGN AND DOMINION NOTES.

Columbia University.

UNITED STATES.

44

Literature. It is expected that the first of the eight volumes in which Milton's works are to be comprised will appear in 1922. Such an enterprise happily exhibits scholarship as a bond of union among nations.

Apart from its value as a description of the present state and activities of a great university, President Its President on (i) Liberalism; Butler's report, penetrating contemporary education in many directions, is a singularly impressive document. We quote first (with some abridgment) what he says of education as maker of liberal men and women :Perhaps no word in the English language has suffered more from ill-treatment than the fine word 'liberal.' The historic and familiar significance of this term is that which is worthy of a free man, of one who is open-minded and candid, of one who is open to the reception of new ideas. In this sense, the thought which lies behind the word 'liberal' has dominated every really progressive theory of education from the time of Plato to the present day. Just now, however, the word 'liberal' is widely used as though it were synonymous with 'queer,' 'odd,' 'unconventional,' 'otherwise-minded,' 'in perpetual opposition.' Many would include among liberals those who favour all sorts of social, industrial, and governmental tyranny, which are by their very nature incompatible with liberty. An enemy of the family and an experimenter with what is called trial marriage is now called a liberal. person who would destroy government and substitute for the political state of free men a close-working combination of industrial autocracies is called a liberal. One who sneers at the religious faith or the political convictions of others, and takes care that his attitude is publicly advertised, is called a liberal. Under such circumstances, it is plainly necessary to look to one's definitions. The truly liberal man or woman will be self-disciplined, and will aim to make knowledge the foundation of wisdom, to base conduct upon fixed character, and to maintain an even temper at difficult times. Considering the conditions of the time in which they lived, the ancient Stoics give us some admirable examples of what is truly meant by a liberal. We cannot afford to let this word be lost or to have it stolen before our eyes. Its application should be denied to those individuals and those traits for which it is wrongly claimed, and its true definition and use should be insisted upon everywhere and at all times; otherwise we shall have to find some other definition of the aim of education than that of making liberal men and women."

Among academies there may be emulation, but not jealousies. President Butler's Report for the year ended June 30, 1920, on Columbia University will be read with pleasure in university circles. It shows the intellectual democracy of which he is the chief official to be in a more satisfactory condition than ever before in its history. Floating debt has been discharged. The several corporations included in the university hold and administer property valued at 72,000,000 dollars. The salaries of teachers and administrative officers have been notably increased. The immense student-body, representative of the whole country, is earnest and of high quality; for the housing and feeding of it thoughtful measures are being taken, as also for the care of its health. Research and postgraduate work is to be developed. If some of the details in the report are of an interest principally local, one concerns the whole English-speaking world. An arrangement has been made for the publication, through the Columbia University Press, of a definitive edition of the complete works of John Milton, under the editorship of members of the Department of English and Comparative

The

English schoolmen are frightened-we ask not who has scared them of religion as a topic. President Butler (ii) Religion and is not. He declares that Columbia University Religious is Christian as well as American. Germany Education. seems to be drifting away from Christianity. As a counterpart to our recent note on the German movement, we give (again with necessary, not discourteous, shortening) this American judgment of his on religion:-" There is no man, there is no people, without a God. There can be no cure for the world's ills and no abatement of the world's discontents until faith and the rule of everlasting principle are again restored and made supreme in the life of men and of nations. The millions of man-made gods, the myriads of personal idols, must be broken up and destroyed, and the heart and mind of man brought back to a comprehension of the real meaning of faith and its place in life. This cannot be done by exhortation or by preaching alone. It must be done also by teaching-careful, systematic, rational teaching, that will show in a simple language which the uninstructed can understand what are the essentials of a permanent and lofty morality, of a stable and just social order, and of a secure and sublime religious faith." This declaration in favour of religious education by one capable of interpreting and guiding his age has peculiar significance at the present hour. Our part in such a matter is to observe closely and to report faithfully what is said and done. In the United States, apart from a certain tendency of opinion towards religious education, two movements in 1920 are conspicuously worthy of record. Physical education was carefully studied and pursued. Thus, during May the New York State Department of Education promoted a champion competition among the public schools of the State, "physical ability tests being applied to some 300,000 children. Pray remember in this connexion the ban on alcohol. In the domain of mind a loud plea was raised for modern languages. Both the Modern Language Association of America and the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers passed strong resolutions on the subject. Diplomacy, commerce, and science, it is urged, all require that a much larger number of Americans than hitherto should be brought to the effective possession of some modern language. The teachers recommend that the modern languages offered in secondary schools should be French, German, and Spanish, the choice of the first language taken up to be

Two Directions of Movement.

practicability of becoming qualified to teach in secondary schools. The prospect of attaining a salary of £550 rather than one of £425 is one which would appeal especially to men. As a factor in the further elimination of men teachers from primary schools, the Burnham scales promise to exert an unexpected influence. To some extent there may be a similar tendency for the more capable and ambitious women teachers to train for service in secondary schools. A significant feature of many recent appointments to the headships of primary schools has been the small number of applicants, especially in girls' and infants' departments. The relatively small difference in the maximum salaries of assistants and head teachers is no doubt the cause, and in any case the position of a head teacher during a period of grave shortage in the teaching supply and the increased responsibilities imposed by the new Education Act, is not enviable. The resignation of head teachers to take up posts as assistants may be anticipated, especially in the case of women. The loss of a few shillings weekly is a small price to pay for relief from incessant and heavy responsibility. For those who do not enjoy robust health, and who wish to enjoy the superannuation allowance, such a course would probably appear to be a wise investment. At least one case can be quoted where it has been followed.

The Employment of Children.

THE withdrawal of Section 8, Sub-sections i and ii, of the Education Act, 1918, and the operation, as from January 1, 1921, of the Women, Young Persons, and Children Employment Act have involved the industrial areas considerably, in relation to the ¡questions of school attendance and exemption. While it is impossible to employ children either as half- or whole-timers in industrial processes, there is no obligation on parents to send their children to school up to the age of fourteen in districts where the schoolleaving age is thirteen years. Consequently these scholars are free to complete their education on the streets. Nor is there anything to prevent a child of twelve years being engaged as a half-time worker in domestic, clerical, or shop occupations. Running errands, selling newspapers, milk vending, farm work, and other blind-alley pursuits may all be indulged in, provided that they can be described as beneficial employment"; and anyone with the slightest knowledge of the practice of some of the smaller education committees will realize the elasticity of this term. The flooding of the market with cheap child labour at a period when there is so much adult unemployment is unfortunate on economic grounds. From the point of view of education it is disastrous, for at the age of fourteen years many children will enter the vital industries ill-prepared and forgetful of their school courses, undisciplined, and uninspiring. The existing position is fostering a contempt for education which will be very difficult to overcome at a later stage. The statesmanlike solution of the difficulty is the immediate introduction of Section 8 of the new Education Act. The parents were quite prepared for it on January 1, 1921, and its withdrawal was in every way an educational calamity.

CORRESPONDENCE.

WOMEN'S COLLEGES IN OXFORD. To the Editors of The Journal of Education and School World. SIRS,-The admission of women to degrees in the University of Oxford, and the generous welcome they have received, afford a special occasion for bringing before the public the grave financial difficulties which confront the Oxford societies of women students and the urgent need for their permanent endowment.

They need endowments to supply adequate salaries and pensions for the staff, to provide for the promotion of advanced studies and research, for the maintenance and development of libraries, and for the enlargement and upkeep of the buildings. For all these purposes the men's colleges have endowments available, and, if the women's colleges are to carry on similar work, they must be placed in a similar position.

The five societies-Lady Margaret Hall, Somerville College, St. Hugh's College, St. Hilda's Hall, and the Society of Oxford Home Students-were all founded by voluntary effort, and, apart from a very few special foundations for scholarships and one Research Fellowship, are without any permanent endowment. Before the war, by careful management and with the help of much voluntary service, it was just possible to maintain the societies on a self-supporting basis. The students' fees have now been consider

ably raised, but are still insufficient to meet even the most pressing needs, and cannot be increased without making the cost of an Oxford education for women prohibitive to all but the richer classes. We believe it will be widely felt to be disastrous that the opportunity of an Oxford training for those women best fitted to receive it should be so narrowly limited.

An "Oxford Women's Colleges' Fund" has been opened. The Viscountess Rhondda has kindly consented to be Treasurer of the fund, and all subscriptions should be sent to her at 92 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, S.W.1. Contributors may either send donations to the General Fund, which will be apportioned: equally between the five societies, or, if they so desire, may assign their donations specifically to one of them. Cheques should be crossed "Oxford Women's Colleges' Fund, National Provincial and Union Bank of England."

We feel sure that there must be many who would desire to further the cause of women's education at Oxford, and we hope that our appeal, made at this critical moment, will meet with a generous response.-We are, Sir, your obedient servants,

THE BRITISH COMMITTEE FOR AIDING MEN OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE IN RUSSIA.

To the Editors of The Journal of Education and School World.. SIRS,-We have recently been able to get some direct communication from men of science and men of letters in North Russia. Their condition is one of great privation and limitation. They share in the consequences of the almost complete economic exhaustion of Russia. Like most people in that country, they are ill-clad, underfed, and short of such physical necessities as make life tolerable.

Nevertheless, a certain amount of scientific research and some literary work still goes on. The Bolsheviks were at first regardless, and even in some cases hostile, to these intellectual workers, but the Bolshevik Government has apparently come to realize something of the importance of scientific and literary work to the community, and the remnant-for deaths among them have been very numerous of these people, the flower of the mental life of Russia, has now been gathered together into two special rationing organizations, which ensure at least the bare necessities of life for them.

These organizations have their headquarters in two buildings, known as the House of Science and the House of Literature and Art. Under the former we note such great names as Pavlov the physiologist and Nobel Prizeman, Karpinsky the geologist, Borodin the botanist, Belopolsky the astronomer, Tagantzev the criminologist, Oldenburg the Orientalist and Permanent Secretary of the Petrograd Academy of Science, Koni, Bechterev, Latishev, Morozov, and many others familiar to the whole scientific world. Several of these scientific men have been interviewed and affairs discussed with them, particularly as to whether anything could be done to help them. There were many matters in which it would be possible to assist them, but upon one in particular they laid stress. Their thought and work are greatly impeded by the fact that they have seen practically no European books or publications since the Revolution. This is an inconvenience amounting to real intellectual distress. In the hope that this condition may be relieved by an appeal to British scientific workers, Prof. Oldenburg formed a small committee and made a comprehensive list of books and publications needed by the intellectual community in Russia if it is to keep alive and abreast of the rest of the world.

It is, of course, necessary to be assured that any aid of this kind provided for literary and scientific men in Russia would reach its destination. The Bolshevik Government in Moscow, the Russian trade delegations in Reval and London, and our own authorities, have therefore been consulted, and it would appear that there will be no obstacles to the transmission of this needed material to the House of Science and the House of Literature and Art. It can be got through by special facilities, even under present conditions.. (Continued on page 86.)