to procure the latter to illustrate the practicability of similar work here. These interesting specimens for the present have been returned, as originally promised, to the Cantons that furnished them, but I have arranged to secure either these or others like them, during the present year, for our Normal School. The influence of Industrial Schools in Switzerland, Germany, and other European countries, is as important in dignifying labor as in increasing its efficiency and productive value. Girls as well as boys are there taught, both in the family and school, that to learn to be useful is alike their interest, privilege, and duty. The too common theory with us that labor is a degrading drudgery, and the aspiration for genteel employments, have ruined myriads of our young men and brought financial disaster to the nation. These mischievous notions ought to be refuted in our schools, where our youth should be taught the necessity and dignity of labor, the evils of indolence, and the sin and folly of this wide-spread disdain for manual labor. This sentiment, that labor is servile and degrading, is one of the worst effects of American slavery that survive it. The Swiss schools not only have the metric weights and measures, but require the pupils to weigh objects and work out extemporized problems of cost per kilo of common objects of traffic.

The exhibition of school apparatus made by Canada was a grateful surprise to most Americans. It was the fullest and finest collection of school and college equipments shown at Fairmount Park, embracing every appliance from "the gifts and occupations" of the Kindergarten to the apparatus of the college. In a visit to Toronto a few years since, I was greatly interested in the Grand Educational Depository, which the Government of Ontario had established in that city. On the plan of helping those who help themselves, kindred to that of the Connecticut Library Appropriation, the government appropriates within certain limits, an amount equal to that raised by the local authorities for the purchase of apparatus, prize-books, text-books and books for school libraries. These are furnished from the Toronto Depository at two-thirds the retail price, and by the aid of the government appropriation, may be procured by any educational institution at only one-third the retail price. The grand exhibit made at Philadelphia was sent directly from

this great Depository. So far as my observation has extended, the schools of Canada have as yet but partially accepted this most wise and liberal provision for securing apparatus. Their own statistics confirm my impressions made by visiting Canadian schools. This Department in twenty-one years has sent out 1,461 Geographical maps, 144 Scriptural and Classical maps, 123 globes, 43 sets of apparatus, and 446 single pieces of apparatus. Compared with the number of schools in Ontario, (about five thousand), this showing hardly equals the supply of similar material furnished to schools of Connecticut in the same period. But the distribution of books by this agency has been surprising. There have been sent to 4,310 Public Libraries over 253,000 volumes, and also for awards to scholars over 627,000 prize-books. The stimulus to studiousness by prizes has been carried further in Ontario than in any country within my knowledge.

To encourage the formation of School Cabinets of Minerals, and collections illustrating the practical sciences, specimens in Natural History and in other scientific departments, are furnished for schools on the same terms as are books and apparatus; and the coöperation of teachers and scholars is enlisted in gathering collections from their own neighborhood. This work of the Depositary is worthy of special commendation and imitation in this country.

The School Exhibit of Japan was a new revelation to many, as much as were her beautiful lacquer, bronze and ceramic works. Photographic views of their old school rooms were shown in striking contrast with interior views of the new. In the one the pupils sat on their feet, placed behind them in a posture which an American adult could hardly take, and still less endure for any length of time, and yet the posture which, until recently, has been universal in Japan for all classes, and alike the old and young; the other was a representation of our most improved school room and furniture.

The introduction of chairs is a grand benefaction of civilization to Japan. Some of the finest chairs shown in the Exposition were those made in Japan. The elegant mansion of the Japanese Minister in Washington is furnished in part with beautiful chairs of Japanese make. The old posture of the

Japanese hindered the circulation of the blood in the lower limbs and favored a stooping posture and introversion of the feet. Besides various appliances for teaching gymnastics, the Japanese Exhibit included an excellent set of chemical and philosophical apparatus of Japanese workmanship, cases of shells, molluscs, reptiles, insects, birds, fish and pressed botanical specimens, also charts for reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing, and a most beautiful series of colored charts in natural history and botany. I should deem it most fortunate for Connecticut if every school was supplied with charts so admirable as these for teaching natural history and botany, a set of which, presented to me by Hon. Fujimaro Tanaka, the Minister of Public Instruction, may be seen at the office of the Board of Education. As a slight expression of our appreciation of his courtesy, I have sent him a set of our various appliances for teaching the Metric System.

PEDAGOGIC MUSEUMS.

Many of the European Governments have liberally donated their Centennial Exhibits to the United States Government. For their reception, a new building on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution has already been planned, in which one large wing is set apart for a Pedagogic Museum. The educational appliances embraced in these foreign gifts are nearly enough to fill this large wing. Once organized, it will be a nucleus around which will be gathered the material for an ample Educational Museum. Such an institution is greatly needed in this country. The importance and usefulness of such a museum were happily illustrated by the grand display made at Philadelphia by the Pedagogic Museum of St. Petersburg. The Educational Exhibit of Russia evinces the thoroughness and success with which industrial and technical education has been recently organized in that country. The great Pedagogic Museum at St. Petersburg has contributed much to this result. The statements here given on this subject are condensed from the Russian Reports. This Museum is designed to collect and diffuse information in regard to the best school apparatus made in Russia or abroad, and to exhibit

the fullest possible collection of the same, so as to facilitate selection and purchase to suit individual requirements. Experts are employed rigidly to test these various appliances and determine their comparative merits, and in case of need, introduce improvements required, and to reduce the cost of their production and sale to the lowest practicable figures. Through the Russian Ministers and other agents in foreign countries, this museum is continually collecting information in regard to school apparatus and appliances in other lands. Russian agents carefully studied our Exposition, as they have all others where pedagogic apparatus has been shown, collecting catalogues and price lists, and procuring specimens of school apparatus for the St. Petersburg museum. The following partial list of illustrative objects, given in round numbers, suggests the extent of the museum: For use in religious instruction, 70 charts, etc.; in Mathematics, 120; Natural Philosophy, 400; Natural History, 600; Cosmography, 100; Geography, 300; Political History, 200; Drawing, 100; Calligraphy and Stenography, 50; Course of Elementary Schools, 50; Home and School Kindergarten, 250; Gymnastics, 40; Music, 80; Hygiene, 200; Specimens of school and class furniture, 2,700; Slides for the magic lantern, 4,000; teachers' library, 12,000, and pedagògic periodicals, 50. Drawing from so ample a museum, it is not strange that Russia made a most interesting and instructive exhibit, including charts, maps, models and apparatus for teaching Religion, Reading, Writing, Geometric Forms, Drawing, Geography, Calligraphy, Music, Molluscs, Insects, Fishes, Reptiles, Birds, Minerals, and indeed nearly every department of Natural History, Botany, Mineralogy, Crystallography, Ethnography, Political History, and Physics.

The success of the St. Petersburg museum is the more striking in view of its recent origin. That an institution organized only a dozen years ago has already assumed so large proportions is but one of many indications of the rapid progress made by Russia during the last decade.

To encourage the invention of improved school apparatus in all parts of the country, the Museum has proffered to the producers of such articles, free use of models and drawings of the best school appliances that could any where be found, and

given to every inventor the privilege of exhibiting his specimens in the Museum, with the assurance that they should be fairly tested and examined, and if found meritorious, duly "certificated," and advertised in the Pedagogical Journal, and shown in local or provincial exhibitions, and if worthy of such honor, displayed in International Expositions at the expense of the Museum, while the inventors should retain all their rights and profits as exhibitors. Numerous provincial exhibitions under the direction of the Museum, and with its material, not unlike our Teachers' Institutes, served to show teachers and school officers the most improved methods and appliances. The Museum provides for free lectures and discussions on various educational questions and scientific topics, and distributes widely catalogues of all its collections, and books which are opened freely to all.

The Pedagogic Museum of Vienna contains a large collection of "Means of Instruction." It was represented at Philadelphia only by a series of photographs which, admirable as they were, did no justice to this interesting and valuable collection. The Pedagogical department of the South Kensington Museum of London and the Industrial Museum at Zurich were but partially represented. In other respects, and in its more appropriate field, the South Kensington Museum was unrivalled in the beauty and variety of its exhibit.

GEOMETRIC FORMS.

For many years I have advocated the teaching of form among the very first exercises in the Primary school, even before the alphabet, and as the best preparation for learning the letters.

The Swiss Exhibit contained three sets of geometric forms, made respectively of wire, wood and paper. Similar appliances were shown in the other foreign exhibits. I found these appliances very common in the best schools of Europe. In Switzer land and Germany, as ought to be the case in America, the children are early taught the common forms in plain and solid geometry. As the letters are made of straight lines or circles, or a combination of the two, this greatly facilitates the mastery