gymnastics in Italy even now are not taken so seriously or cultivated with the same intensity as in England and the United States. But few professionals are engaged to give practical instruction in gymnastics in the schools, and only a few gymnastic halls are provided for, and those are located principally in the large cities. An error has also been made in adopting the German method, which is peculiarly military, instead of the Swedish, which is in conformity with emotional and physiological requirements. In the normal schools gymnastics are taught with a view to prepare the coming teachers to instruct their pupils in the same when they enter upon active service; but as the pupils of the normal schools are mostly girls, and the instruction is more theoretical than practical, it may be seen that the future of gymnastics in the elementary schools is not very promising in Italy.

In higher schools the number of instructors of gymnastics are as follows: In the technical schools, 276; in the technical institutes, 65; in naval schools, 28; in licei, 135; in ginnasii, 294.

In universities athletics are not highly considered, and one does not hear of "matches" or games between the students of different universities, which are common in England and the United States. Still there is the gymnasium of Turin, which is considered the best equipped and the handsomest in Europe. The Alpine Gymnastic Club, which is not inferior to any club of the same class, has many members, is very rich, and issues important publications. The boat clubs of Turin, Milan, Piacenza, Venice, Rome, Pavia, and Genoa are well known, but only seldom have they had organized races. Lately cycling clubs have been formed.

In late years, however, the Italians seem to have awakened from their lethargy, and organized conventions for the purpose of discussing the methods of gymnastics best adapted to the young and the best manner of teaching them in the schools.

MANUAL TRAINING.

This class of instruction, except in infant schools cr kindergartens, has not found much favor with teachers, though insisted upon by various ministers of public instruction.

Many deem it absolutely objectionable on account of its tendency to distract the young pupils from their regular course of studies. It is, however, taught with earnestness in the complementary course and normal courses for female teachers. Except for the amusement of very young children, teachers do not think much of cutting paper or pasteboard in geometrical figures, braiding straw, or making mud pies in imitation of some animal, etc., while they take great interest in learning and teaching the rudiments of agriculture, domestic economy, female industries, drawing, etc., as will be shown farther on,

AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS.

The coming into office of Dr. Guido Baccelli as minister of education infused new life into agricultural instruction. It was through his official recommendations that thousands of landed proprietors volunteered to give gratis small parcels of land ("campicelli," so called on account of their small size) for practical instruction in the elements of agriculture. It was through him that this instruction became obligatory in all primary schools, and especially in the normal schools. To fit the public teachers to instruct the pupils in this new study, lecturers versed in the theory and practice of farming and horticulture were sent around by the communes and school boards to instruct the teachers.

These efforts were received with enthusiasm by the people, especially of the rural districts, who now in their turn proceeded to assist to the extent of their ability.

The results of the united efforts of government, school authorities, teachers, and people are shown in the following statistics:

There were 238 lecturers in 1839, who delivered 1,802 lectures, attended by 15,000 teachers, principally of the rural schools.

Among the lecturers were the most noted agronomists, professors of universities and technical institutes, directors of special and practical schools of agriculture, engineers, etc. To these add those teachers who, having been born in the country and raised as farmers, need no instruction, and the new teachers that graduste annually from the normal schools, and it will be seen that the number of teachers competent to teach the rudiments of agriculture has become very large, with the prospect of larger increase.

The curriculum in the elementary schools was limited to the following subjects: 1. Manure and use of chemical fertilizers.

2. Functions of leguminous plants in the rotation of crops.

3. Tilling of the soil; farm tools and machines.

4. Differences occasioned by meteorological conditions.

5. Importance attached to the selection of seeds.

6. Diseases of plants, their treatment and eradication.

The programine of the normal schools in this branch of instruction was more extensive, and was as follows:

1. Arable and nonarable soil; subsoil.

2. Irrigation and drainage.

3. The object of tilling lands; common method and by machine.

4. Construction of stables.

5. Preparation of manure and chemical fertilizers.

6. Instruction on the cultivation of wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, etc.

7. Horticulture and gardening.

8. Raising textile plants (hemp, flax, cotton, etc.); dyeing plants (madder, reseda, saffron); oleiferous plants (sesame, ricinus communis); aromatic plants (anise, hops).

9. Culture of meadows.

10. Cultivation of fruit-bearing plants; their diseases; rules for the preservation of dry and fresh fruits; preserves.

11. Viticulture; selection of soils for planting vineyards; species of vines; propagation of the same; diseases and their remedies.

12. Wine making; wine receptacles, barrels; their defects; vitiations of wine and their remedies, etc.

13. Culture of olive trees; gathering of olives; extraction of the oil and its preservation.

14. Culture of mulberry trees for raising silkworms; varieties preferred, drafting, etc.

15. Raising silkworms; their propagation; diseases they are subject to.

13. Bees and apiaries; production of honey and wax, etc.

17. Animals for work, for butchering; milk and its products; farmyard animals, especially poultry, etc.

18. Elements of rural hygiene; the atmosphere, water, food, clothing; habitations; malaria; domestic toxicology, utensils as a source of poisoning: drinks, condiments, coloring materials, etc.

19. Animals useful and noxious to agriculture.

20. Bookkeeping, etc.

The rural teacher must take his pupils to the small field assigned to the school and there demonstrate practically what he has taught in school. If he is not sat

ED 1902-48

isfied with his success on the small field, he is to take his pupils to some large farm near by known to be advanced in the practice of farming.

Female pupils are admitted to this practical instruction the same as the males, and the Government especially recommends female teachers to teach their girl pupils to become useful colaborers of the farmer, particularly in all that pertains to housekeeping, the preservation of home goods and wares, the industries of the field, the custody of cattle, the garden, and the orchard.

Fields for practical instruction.-The small parcels of land donated by the people for the purpose of enabling teachers of the primary courses to give their pupils some practical idens of agriculture in 1899 numbered 4,029, of which 2,475 were well equipped and in full operation. No less than 251,488 pupils (200,662 males and about 50,000 females) attended these instructive exercises in the field. The first four months of 1900 the donations of lots were so numerous that it was estimated that the number of "campicelli" would reach 5,000 during the year. The value of these parcels of land is estimated at 1,000,000 lire. This success, due to the suggestion of Minister Baccelli and to the good will of the people, did not involve the Government in one dollar of expense.

Comparing the above statistics with those given by Professor Oldrini in the article referred to above, it can not but be realized that the diffusion of agricultural instruction in Italy in the course of three years has been unprecedented.

Besides the above general elementary instruction in agriculture there are specific agricultural schools, which are classified into “special” and “practical.” Under special are the following:

Under this term, as used in Italy and other European countries, are included schools for instruction in certain trades, industries, and occupations.

These schools are under the charge of the minister of agriculture and commerce, and are supported by the united contributions of the State, the provinces, the communes, chamber of commerce, and association of mechanics.

There are schools of arts and trades in 58 cities. In these are taught the elements of science and technics applied to the trades of masons, blacksmiths, car- · penters, builders, gilders, wood carvers, shoemakers, printers, hatters, stonecntters, jewelers, etc. Viniculturists, pomologists, horticulturists, etc., have already been referred to.

Lower commercial schools, 12 in number, are for the purpose of preparing pupils to become commercial clerks, small traders, and for subordinate positions in the railway and telegraph services. In some of these schools foreign languages are taught and pupils prepared to enter the superior schools of commerce.

Schools of art applied to industry, of which there are 103, furnish practical instruction in the trades of blacksmithing, carpentering, stonecutting, wood carving, furniture making, lace making, building (masons), painting on ceramics, etc.

Besides the above there are 15 "professional" and commercial schools distributed in various cities. In these girls are instructed in dressmaking, embroidering, sewing, and in millinery, artificial-flower making, washing and ironing, lace making, mending, etc., also to become clerks, accountants, teachers in designs for embroidering, in ceramic decoration, and in miniature painting, etc.

There were 32,000 pupils in these schools in 1899.

TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.

Professor Saverio de Dominicis, in his Annata Pedagogica (1900), has classified agricultural schools, "professional" schools, and technical schools proper as "technical schools," and has therefore reported 280 such schools in the Kingdom, with an attendance of 37,733 pupils. Adding to these the communal and the private schools of that class the total number of technical schools, according to Dominicis, would be 483, with an attendance of 49,306 pupils, a gain of 96 such schools since 1995-93.

I have, however, kept the technical schools proper separate in this report for better illustration.

Adding to these 1,600 pupils in private technical institutes, the grand total of all pupils in technical institutes is 11,892, a gain of 2 schools and 2,485 pupils over the year 1895-96.

1893-97 1839-1900

NAUTICAL INSTITUTES.

Number of admissions to the various sections of nautical institutes.

A gain of 301 alumni in three years.

Number of pupils in Loth Government and private nautical institutes.

Making a grand total of 37,900. There was an increase of 1,844 male and 323 female pupils over the attendance in 1898-99.

Apart from their physico-mathematical features the technical institutes are really "professional" schools, excepting those of a manual character. In the special sections of field surveying, agriculture, commerce and accounts, and industry, the technical institutes confer diplomas according to the course pursued. The nautical institutes confer diplomas of captain for the high seas, seacoast captain, naval constructor, and machinist.

SECONDARY CLASSICAL SCHOOLS (GINNASHI AND LICEI).

The " ginnasio" is not a hall for gymnastic instruction and practice, but a school corresponding to a "college" in England and the United States. The ginnasio has a five years' course, divided in two sections. The first, or "inferior," covers three years, the curriculum of studies including the Italian language and literature, Latin, history, geography, arithmetic, and gymnastics. The second, or "superior" section, occupies two years; the curriculum continues the above studies and adds Greek, French, and mathematics. Then follows the "liceo" with a two years' course, having a curriculum which completes the gymnasial instruction, and adds German or French, philosophy, physics, and natural history.

This is the routine of studies to be pursued in order to prepare for admission to the university; in the aggregate it embraces a five years' elementary course, a five years' gymnasium course, and a two years' lyceum course-in all twelve years of continued study before a pupil becomes qualified to enter a university; this for every student in the whole Kingdom.

In 1900-1901 there were 269 "ginnasii governativi," so called, with an attendance of 31,668 males and 1,178 females, a total of 32,846. In the same year there were 150 "licei governativi," so called, with an attendance of 12,983 males and 287 females, a total of 13,270.

The above statistics of gymnasiums and lyceums for 1900-1901 are incomplete. The latest figures which give the whole attendance are those of 1895-96, and are as follows:

Total gymnasiums in the Kingdom, 708 in 1895–96, divided into governativi 183, and nongovernativi 525, with an attendance of 59,778 students, 25,444 belonging to the first class and 34,334 to the second.

Total lyceums in the same year 332, governativi 116, nongovernativi 216, with