The English language is taught in them, whereas the common schools are all taught in the Hawaiian language. The necessity of including the study of English was forced upon the government. Nearly twentyfive years ago the people became imbued with the idea that a mine of gold was hidden in the English language. They began to send their children to the ephemeral English schools which sprang up as if by magic all over the kingdom. English speaking foreigners entered into the school business side by side with natives who boasted a smattering of the tongue, chiefly to reap the harvest of dollars which appeared ripe for their sickles. The common schools were in danger of being closed for want of pupils, the fever for the acquirement of the English language pervading every district in the kingdom. But the people entered upon the campaign of mastering the difficulties of a foreign tongue without counting the cost. The popular idea was that the poorest pupil should be turned out a finished linguist in six months, or a year at most. Consequently, when the children returned home month after month with the well worn primer still in their hands, and tongues unlimbered by the English elementary sounds, the patience of the parents was worn out, and," wearying of it," they returned them to the common schools. In the meanwhile the children had forgotten what they had been previously taught in their mother tongue, and had to go over the old course again, pulling up weeds in the poorly cultivated tract. At this juncture the department of education stepped in, and organized the class of select schools, wherein pupils could be taught the elements of an English education, provided their parents would agree to keep them at school for a sufficient period. Gradually these were separated into boarding and day schools.

The government school system culminates in the National College, situated on a hill 600 feet above the sea, on the island of Maui. Here, the young Hawaiian, thirsting for a higher education than that to be obtained in the common or select school, may obtain it. There is a course of four years. Students entering are required to pass a satisfactory examination in all the branches of a common school education. The Hawaiian language is the vehicle of instruction, although English is also taught. A normal course of two years for teachers has recently been added to the college.

The legislature of the Hawaiian Islands has prepared, by special act, a "reformatory and industrial" school for the juvenile offenders of the nation. This institution is also placed under the control of the board of education, and is wholly supported by biennial grants from the legis lature. The juveniles placed there are compelled to labor, chiefly at agriculture, and are also taught in school three hours daily, Saturdays and Sabbaths excepted. Whenever opportunity affords, the board of education binds out pupils, having long terms to serve, to parties who will teach them a useful trade and have them taught the rudiments of an education.

In addition to its own school system, the board of education is required by law to render all the assistance in its power to the various female seminaries which have been established in the islands. The nation realizes more and more the necessity of faithfully educating its future mothers. A more laborious and self-denying class of teachers does not exist than the ladies who have the immediate control of the education of Hawaiian girls in these boarding schools. The method adopted by the board of education to render aid to these seminaries is by granting them fees per capita for all girls entering the schools under ten years of age, and continuing such fees until the age of sixteen. Within these limitations, and provided that an annual fee of not more than $50 is charged for each pupil, to defray expenses of board and tuition, by the trustees of the seminary, the board assists each pupil in proportion to the time spent at school. After six months' attendance at school the school trustees can draw for each pupil the sum of $10, and for every six months' additional and consecutive attendance $5, until the sum of $30 annually is reached, when the amount remains fixed at that figure until the pupil reaches the age of sixteen, when all further aid ceases. In return for this aid on the part of the government the board of education exercises a general oversight, "with the right to visit and to inquire into the general condition and operation" of the seminaries, "and to see that the objects of the public endowment or support are faithfully executed."

Private or independent schools, existing without aid from the public funds, are obliged to hold one hundred and eighty sessions annually, and each session must continue not less than three hours; otherwise, the law does not recognize them as schools, and the children attending them must be sent to a regularly organized school, or be liable to punishment for truancy. This law became necessary in the interests of popular education, to restrain the great number of imcompetent persons, native and foreign, from establishing what it pleased them to call schools, keeping them for any time it pleased them, and disbanding them at pleasure. The law at present requires each one who desires to establish an independent school, unless he be a person well known as a competent educator in the community, or has satisfactory credentials from abroad, to appear before the school agent of the district in which he desires to establish his school, backed by a petition from the patrons of the proposed school. The school agent, upon receiving such application, designates a citizen of the district to act upon a board of examination, the candidate for the school appoints a friend, and these two appointees choose a third, and if the resulting examination before this board is deemed by them satisfactory, the applicant is granted a certificate to that effect, and upon his showing this certificate to the school agent he is authorized to open a school.

The registry of marriages, births, and deaths is by law placed under the control of the department of education, as is also the taking of the

census every sixth year. The preparation of text books in the vernacular demands much time and attention, and devolves upon the inspector general, who is generally authorized by the board to employ the assistance of competent persons in the various details of preparation.

The chairman said that he would now pass across the Pacific and call upon Dr. Murray, who represents the educational interests of Japan. Dr. DAVID MURRAY, foreign superintendent of education for Japan, then came forward. He said the present system of education in Japan is a new departure made necessary by foreign nations (through Commodore Perry and others) forcing their way into that country and mak ing it necessary for Japan to become formally a member of the nations. of the earth. Contact and intercourse with those nations has made necessary a new kind of education. The Japanese had a system of ed ucation before that, which had grown up during many centuries, and which had grown in such a way that it answered the purposes of civilization and culture in that country; but when these European nations made their way there and the Japanese race was compelled to come face to face with that new civilization, with that new culture, with this new knowledge, then it made necessary a change, and, like a nation of sensible men, they made the change. That change consists in introducing, in place of the old Chinese education, which was carried on to so great an extent, (and which corresponds with the education given in the Middle Ages, when the philosophy of Aristotle and Latin and Greek classics composed the entire course of education,) the new education, which attempts to meet these new circumstances, and the system of schools that has been established, which includes all grades from the lowest to the highest, has been arranged upon this idea.

We have, therefore, a common school system of education which attempts to give an education to every boy and girl in the empire. This is a new departure, a new idea. It is an idea that originated in Europe. It is not long since that these western countries have learned to think that universal education is necessary for a nation. This idea of education, so far as government provision is concerned, pertained to the gentry of the country, to the nobility. But when it was found that this nation had to meet with nations who were universally educated, the idea of universal education also became necessary; so, throughout the whole empire we have scattered schools which are intended to give the elementary education necessary for boys and girls.

Commissioner Eaton desired Dr. Murray to state something of the specific courses of study in Japan.

Dr. Murray went on to say that the course of study is an adaptation of the courses of study that have been found beneficial and serviceable in other countries to the circumstances and language of that country. The written language of Japan is largely in the Chinese alphabet, written in Chinese characters; and hence the early part of the education of these boys and girls is taken up with learning the meaning of these

Chinese characters.

The number of Chinese characters intended to be taught in the common schools would, he supposed, be about 3,000; that is, every boy and girl is expected to learn to make with facility, and with some degree of skill, these 3,000 characters, and to be able to know any one of them at sight, just as boys and girls in this country learn to read new words on the printed page at sight. This question of the language is much more difficult there than in any other country that he knows of. Then follow, in their order, the studies that naturally come. The pupils are taught the geography of their own country, and the geography of foreign countries. These about compose the studies of the elementary course. Following this we have secondary schools, intended to fill the place between the higher education and elementary education. The course of study there is a continuation of the study of the language, which in Japan is a constant study and must be followed up from early youth until manhood in order that it may be mastered, and that pupils may become thorough Japanese scholars.

The chairman here announced that Dr. Murray's time had expired.

Mr. JOHN HANCOCK said that there was one point in the report read by Dr. Harris to which he would like to call attention, and that is in regard to the teaching of science in the public schools. He wished to know what has been the experience of those present. Dr. Harris provides a curriculum of study that goes round and round, and the pupil in the elementary school is expected to touch every point in that circle, to have something of mathematics, something of language, and something of natural science. This is a question which has been discussed in this country very largely. As Dr. Meyerberg has said, there is a cry on one hand that we are overburdening the children with a great number of studies; and on the other hand comes up this cry, that the natural sciences are coming into great prominence, and they ought to be taught; that no one ought to go out of the elementary schools without having some knowledge of the elementary sciences. And there is a practical difficulty of so shaping the course of study for elementary schools as that that course shall bring before the pupils of those schools these elements without crowding the study of something else that is equally or more important. He said that was a point he would like to have delegates from foreign countries touch.

The chairman said the subject was still open for discussion, and there was reason to expect that some of the representatives of the different States of our own country might be heard from. He would call upon President E. E. White.

Hon. E. E. WHITE, president of Purdue University, Indiana, addressed the conference. He said he was very much interested in the paper read by Dr. Harris, and he hoped that at some future day there would be a thorough discussion of its central recommendation. The paper states that it is possible to have one course of general instruction as a prepara

tion for all special courses. If that is true, it solves a very difficult prob. lem in American education. A continuous, uniform, general course for all grades of pupils and for all pursuits would greatly simplify the problem. He did not understand Dr. Harris to hold that special courses, as in law, or medicine, or technology, should come out of this general course at the same point, but that the general preparation for all these courses should be the same, though not to the same extent, the different courses coming out at different points.

If this be true, the public school course will be a proper preparation for the college, and also for the scientific school, the technical school, and the professional school, and we shall not need separate courses of study as a preparation for these different higher courses. This position of Dr. Harris should be thoroughly canvassed. He was inclined to accept it, (for he had great confidence in the ability of his friend,) but he was not prepared to say that he accepted it without qualification. He believed that a general course of preparation for all special courses of higher education should include all the great representative branches of study. Using Dr. Hill's celebrated illustration, a true course of study is a spiral stairway surrounding the great pillars of knowledge and cutting off a section of each at each round of ascent. He believed that this is true; but should a general course of education leading to the several special courses have these representative branches in the same proportion at each round of ascent? Natural and physical science, languages, mathematics, the science of man, etc., should enter into every general course; but is it true that at every step of these courses these several representative studies should enter in the same proportion? In a general course of study leading to technological studies should the languages be taught to the same extent as in a general course leading to professional studies? He was not quite clear on this point. He could see that these great branches of learning should be included in all courses of general education; but he did not see that they should enter into all in the same proportion.

The chairman announced the subject for discussion at the evening meeting, and invited all present to attend, and to extend the invitation to others.

He then declared the conference adjourned, to meet at 8 o'clock p. m.

SECOND SESSION.

JUDGES' PAVILION, CENTENNIAL GROUNDS,

Philadelphia, Pa., July 17, 1876—8 p. m.

The conference was called to order at 8 o'clock p. m. by Vice-President Phelps, who announced that the topic for the evening's discussion was: "The teacher in different countries: his preparation, status,