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reads historical novels, he also reads newspapers and magazines. And so he ac- quires a general acquaintance with the ancient civilizations, and with Continental History from about 1000 A.D. in so far as its course is reflected in English History. Between about 100 A.D. and 1000 A.D. there is a strange hiatus, and the average English VI-form boy knows more about Wat Tyler and Joan of Arc than of Mohamed, Charlemagne or Justinian. But this gap represents, in the case of the Chinese boy, the whole history of mankind upon the earth, except as regards the inhabitants of the British Kingdom at a time before the British Empire was evolved, when it still might be called "that nook-shotten Isle of Albion."
We imagine it would be quite possible to find boys at the College who could correctly give the dates for all the battles in the Civil War, but who have never heard of Julius Cæsar, Xerxes, or Frederick the Great.
30. The second plea-that English History should alone be studied because it is the history of the dominant race is equally misleading. The History now taught does not give a boy any idea of the English as a dominant race. A boy learns that William Rufus was so called because he was of a ruddy complexion, or that John Bunyan was a Protestant Preacher who wrote while in gaol a book called Pilgrim's Progress, or as it was often described, The Progress of Religion. But our impression is that few boys had a clear idea of the steady development of the nation in intelligence and power.
31. Mathematics.-In the Lower and Preparatory Schools rather more than one-fifth of the school hours are assigned to Arithmetic, the only mathematical subject. Thus, the average boy spends something more than one hour a day on Arithmetic for five years, before he is introduced to the higher branches of Mathe- matics. This is in itself a long course, especially when it is remembered that the average age of boys who begin their education in the lowest Class must be at least twelve or thirteen.
32. The work was good and accurate on the whole.
Much time is spent in dealing with English Weights and Measures, and it is worthy of consideration whether some change might not be well made as regards this.
33. In the Upper School, Class III, Euclid and Algebra are begun. In Classes II and I Mensuration and Book-keeping (classified as a mathematical subject) are begun. The total time given to Mathematics is about one hour a day or rather Of this, 30% is still occupied with Arithmetic and about 21 % with Algebra, and the same with Euclid.
more.
34. The Arithmetic papers shewed the best results. The work submitted by IA and IB and by IIIA was good.
35. Algebra. The work on the whole cannot be called good. The main source of failure was inability to translate words into symbols correctly.
36. Euclid was fairly well done except in Iв and IIB. The exercises set were not well done.
Iв
37. Mensuration was offered in IB and part of IA only. Some of the work was good.
38. Book-keeping is not a strong subject. I was a complete failure. A short and easy example of stock taking was set. All the candidates put stock and cash together when they should have been kept separate to see exactly how things stood at the half-year. Such simple business terms as arrears, endorse, crossed-cheque were frequently misunderstood. The method of teaching this subject requires
revision.
39. Speaking of the Mathematics as a whole we do not think that the work goes far enough in Algebra. After a long course of instruction, including three years teaching of this subject, something beyond the ability to solve quadratic equations might be acquired. We think a course might be arranged, beginning in Class IV and including the binomial theorem.
40. As the rules given in the text-book on Mensuration are learned by heart, their application involving no more than Elementary Arithmetic, we see no reason why the subject should not be taught as Arithmetic, say in Class II. Questions upon Mensuration would then be seen to be what they are-arithmetical exercises.