Cost of German public elementary schools.-The cost of public elementary schools of the German Empire is 415,198,000 marks ($98,817,124) per year. Of this sum the States contribute 120,357,000 marks ($28,644,966). The cost of the public elementary schools of the different German States is smallest in the principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, with 213,000 marks ($50,694), the State contributing 34,000 marks ($8,092). In the principality of Waldeck the total cost is 359,000 marks ($85,442), of which the State pays 107,000 marks ($25,466). Bavaria expends 39,800,000 marks ($9,472,400), the share of the State being 14,200,000 marks ($3.379,600); Saxony, 34,300,000 marks ($8,163,400), the State paying of this sum 4,800,000 marks ($1,142,400); Wurttemberg, 12,300,000 marks ($2,927,400), of which the State pays 3,800,000 marks ($904,400); Baden, 11,000,000 marks ($2,618,000), the State's share being 2,400,000 marks ($571,200). In Prussia the State contributed 73,066,000 marks ($17,389,708), the total cost being 269,917,000 marks ($64,240,246). The share of the States of the whole German Empire for the support of the public elementary schools was 28.98 per cent; in the Kingdom of Prussia the State contributed 27.6 per cent; in the eastern provinces of Prussia, between 40 and 50 per cent; in the western provinces, only a little over 20 per cent, and in the capital, Berlin, only 2.39 per cent.-Richard Guenther, Consul-General, Frankfort, Germany, July 22, 1903.

Practical medicine in Germany.—It is reported that the city of Düsseldorf will soon have the first academy for practical medicine in Germany, and it will be in connection with the new hospital to be erected. As director of the academy, the Kultus Ministry has proposed the name of Professor Witzel, of the University of Bonn. Other professors of Bonn are expected to be called to the academy. The Kultus Ministry has also the establishment of more such academies under consideration. The one at Düsseldorf is for the Rhine provinces and Westphalia. Frankfort is to have one for southern Germany, Breslau for eastern Germany, Magdeburg or Halle for middle Germany, and Berlin for northern Germany. While the academy at Düsseldorf has been definitely agreed upon, the others are only under consideration.-Richard Guenther, Consul-General, Frankfort, Germany, July 22, 1903.

Colonial education in Italian Africa.-The Bulletin of the Società Africand d'Italia describes the inauguration ceremonies of a new colonial school recently opened at Asmara, in Italian Africa. The school, while limited to elementary education, is only a beginning. Those interested in the African colonies of Italy cherish the hope that the higher grades of work will soon be added. A new colonial school has been opened at Erythrea.

TRADE SCHOOLS IN GERMANY.

The aim of trade schools for further improvement in Germany is both ideal and practical. Ideal, in offering the young craftsman a moral influence in the building up of his character by continuing the training received in the public schools, which is just what an apprentice needs. Practical, in broadening his ideas as to that which he learned at the public school and in his dealings with the public, and supplementing his shop education, particularly by means of written exercises in bookkeeping, business usages, drawing, etc. When considering that originality, form, and good taste are matters of much importance for the craftsman, especially when in competition with machine work, the benefit of drawing, for instance, is evident.

That the value of these schools is fully appreciated by the State, city, and trades corporations, is readily seen from the fact that during the last year the large cities, and among them Düsseldorf, Crefeld, Elberfeld, and Solingen, have made attendance at these schools obligatory. This is true of 34 schools out of 61. In 45 schools

the number of pupils has considerably increased, and the balance show but a slight decrease; the average weekly attendance is 9.4 hours for each pupil. The nonattendance was only 3 per cent.

A great many schools have adopted the awarding of diplomas and giving of presents, consisting of useful books or instruments, to scholars who showed special diligence and zeal; this has very favorably influenced results obtained in the respective schools. Some schools have also been provided with appropriate libraries, of which the pupils have taken full advantage. Financially, the State and cities have very readily aided the trade schools.

The plan of study is, on the whole, a uniform one. The chief branches are arithmetic, German, and drawing. On the latter much stress is laid, and it is taught in special classes in the larger schools. Apprentices learning the baker's, butcher's, or shoemaker's trade and the like, are, however, under no obligation to take up drawing. Usually a course in bookkeeping is given, in which older persons can also take part. The main object in view is to give such instruction as will mostly benefit the apprentice in later life, as, for example, in addition to the studies already mentioned, the law of and duty toward the school, city, and State. The progress made and results achieved are not only said to be considerable, but pleasing and satisfactory as well.

Respectfully submitted.

SOLINGEN, GERMANY, August 13, 1903.

JOSEPH J. LANGER,

United States Consul.

SCHOOL SAVINGS BANKS.

Rector Hannemann, of Friedenau, close to Berlin, has, with very good results, interested himself with this question. In May, 1898, he established the first school savings banks. Judging by the increasing number of depositors, the idea has met with general favor.

The plan is about as follows: Every child is urged to save, and can make deposits as low as 10 pfennigs (about 23 cents); the teacher registers the amount in the child's receipt book and in the class deposit sheet. At the close of each month the amount collected is turned over to the school treasurer, who in turn deposits the money quarterly with the City Savings Bank. As soon as an individual deposit reaches 1 mark ($0.238) the child is given a regular savings-bank book and commences to draw the customary interest. The rules for withdrawal do not permit withdrawing any money except when leaving school or for confirmation purposes. The committee in charge consists of the school principal, the teachers, a member of the school board, and one private citizen, their services being given gratis. The project has had the desired effect upon the children, and it is claimed that three-fourths of the money now being saved can be attributed to this educational scheme. At the close of the first year, 588 receipt books, representing 78 per cent of the scholars enrolled, were given out, and showed a deposit of 4,758 marks ($1,132.40); on December 1, 1901, 769 books were out, and represented 16,555 marks ($3,839.09). For the year 1902, 256 new books were taken out. The total amount deposited during that year amounted to 8,299 marks ($1,975.17). For the first half of 1903 the deposits amounted to 6,300 marks ($1,499.40), a decided increase over the same period of the previous year.

STETTIN, GERMANY, August 10, 1903.

JOHN E. KEHL, Consul.

a School savings banks have been in existence in Germany and in the United States for more than thirty years.-Editor.

INFLUENCE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

The great influence of technical education in developing industries, increasing export trade, and augmenting a country's wealth is shown by a report which the British consul at Stuttgart lately sent in to his Government concerning the polytechnic schools of Germany. There are nine such created and conducted by the Government; two more are now being established. Besides these State institutions, many others under private management, but subject to governmental supervision, exist in Germany, which turn out able engineers and scientifically educated craftsmen.

The British consul points out that Germany, in consequence of its thorough and widespread system of technical education, has surpassed, within the last fifty years, all other nations, and now holds first place in chemical manufactures. He estimates the value of the chemical products annually made in Germany at 1,000,000,000 marks, or $238,000,000. A very large part of these (especially dyes made of coal tar) are exported to the chief manufacturing nations-the United States, England, Belgium, France, etc., as also to China, Japan, India, etc. There is scarcely a country in the world which does not use German chemicals of some sort.

The transformation of Germany from a poor agricultural country to one of the first and richest manufacturing and exporting nations is, to a considerable part, due to German superior technical training.

Some of the German chemical works have branch establishments in foreign countries. The German capital invested in these earns big profits and adds to the national wealth of the country.

FRANKFORT, GERMANY, August 10, 1903.

SIMON W. HANAUER,

Deputy Consul-General.

Foreign students at German universities. Of the 37,813 students who are at present matriculated at the 21 German universities, 35,082 are Germans and 2,731 foreigners, the latter being 7.2 per cent of the total number. Of these foreigners, 2,299 belong to European and 432 to non-European countries. Russia is represented by 860; Austria-Hungary, 536; Switzerland, 253; Great Britain, 149; Bulgaria, 67; Roumania, 63; Greece, 56; Italy, 45; Netherlands and Servia, 45 each; France, 44; Turkey, 36; Sweden and Norway, 32; Luxemburg, 27; Belgium, 14; Spain, 11; Denmark, 10; Portugal, 3; Montenegro, 2; Lichtenstein, 1; America, 276; Asia (mostly from Japan), 133; Africa, 19; and Australia, 5. Of the foreigners, 628 study philosophy, 616 medicine, 588 mathematics and natural sciences, 351 law, 199 forestry, 146 agriculture, 124 Evangelical and 23 Catholic theology, 29 pharmacy, and 27 dentistry; 876 are matriculated at Berlin, 406 at Leipzig, 257 at Munich, 197 at Heidelberg, 146 at Halle, 128 at Freiburg, 99 at Goettingen, 79 at Jena, 75 at Königsberg, 67 at Bonn, 66 at Strassburg, 54 at Würzburg, 53 at Giessen, 51 at Marburg, 41 at Breslau, 37 at Greifswald, 30 at Tuebingen, 25 at Erlangen, 17 at Kiel, 14 at Rostock, and 13 at Münster.-Richard Guenther, consul-general, Frankfort, Germany, July 30, 1903,

SCHOOLS FOR AGRICULTURE IN QUEBEC.

Under date of April 25, 1903, there was incorporated under the laws of this Province a royal school for the purpose of establishing and carrying on an agricultural school, experimental farms, and all works in connection therewith and subjects kindred thereto. This school is to maintain two or more schools and experimental farms in the Province of Quebec, one to be located in the district of Montreal and one in the district of Quebec. Each of the two said schools is to contain accommo

dations for at least 50 pupils, who will be given a full course of three years' tuition, together with board, free of charge.

The school may provide educational facilities for other pupils for full or partial courses and may charge fees for such tuition.

The course of tuition is to include all branches of agriculture, horticulture, and arboriculture, dairying in all its branches, slaughtering and curing of meats, and carpentering, blacksmithing, and such other trades as may be useful to agriculturists. The school will establish experimental farms and farms for tuition purposes and will clear and improve land and dispose of the same to graduates of the schools and others, and will make advances to settlers to enable them to take up lands. The school can, for the purposes above mentioned, lease, buy, sell, exchange, and deal in lands and all products of the lands, and may manufacture any and all of said products and dispose of the same.

STANBRIDGE, QUEBEC, August 18, 1903.

FELIX S. S. JOHNSON,
Commercial Agent.

Foreigners in German polytechnic schools.-According to latest reports, the technical colleges of Germany are attend by 12,384 German and 2,242 foreign students, 43 per cent of the latter being Russians. Some of the German papers are again protesting against the admission of foreigners to German technical seats of learning, fearing it will injure the manufacturing and export interests of Germany. It is especially the fear of competition from the United States which causes this cry for exclusion.-Simon W. Hanauer, deputy consul-general, Frankfort, Germany, September 10, 1903.

EDUCATION AND THE ELIMINATION OF CRIME.

[The following is a résumé of an article in Die Woche (The Week), a German magazine, of August 22, 1903.]

Since the Prussian schoolmaster is said to have won Sadowa, education in Europe has been taken as the measure of culture. Knowledge of the elementary parts of the sciences is now regarded as essential to progress. Everywhere in the Western World the school doors are being flung wide open, particularly for the people who have to labor. Taking the year 1840, the year in which the modern movements may be said to have got fully under way, and compare it with the year 1896, the year for which one can find statistics for most European states, we find that the percentage of those who could write in those years was as follows:

While the percentage of increase in the population between 1840 and 1888 was only 30 per cent, the educational increase was 145 per cent. The percentage in the United States is depressed by the hundreds of thousands of ignorant immigrants. As long as the tide of immigration took its supply from lands in which education was advanced and compulsory, the United States stood farther up the list. In 1889, 92 out of every 100 grown persons could read and write. Since that time the immigration from

western Europe has fallen off and that of eastern Europe increased. Russia, Hungary, Austria, and the Danubian lands have been sending their children to the New World, and the percentage for the United States went down; this, too, notwithstanding the fact that the Commissioner of Immigration is supposed to keep out all those who can not write their own names. Some of the foregoing figures are based upon estimates, hence are to be carefully considered. Figures taken from the different recruiting offices are a better basis upon which to build. In these, Germany leads again, with only 1 in 1,000 unable to read and write:

The number of men in Great Britain who could sign the marriage register was 67 per cent in 1841 and 88 per cent in 1888; of the brides, 51 per cent could write in 1841 and 84 per cent in 1888. In France 55 per cent of the women and 71 per cent of the men could write in the marriage register in 1861, and 78 per cent of the women and 86 per cent of the men in 1883. In Italy the conditions, though bad, are encouraging. In 1871, only 23 per cent of the women were able to write in the marriage register; in 1883, 33 per cent. It all indicates the marvelous progress of modern times in the matter of education. France in particular is a shining example. She now leads, and Germany steps back from first place. The amounts paid by France for education increased more than fivefold from 1860 to 1892. Between 1880 and 1892 they more than doubled. In other words, they went from 28,000,000 marks ($6,664,000) in 1860 to 66,000,000 marks ($15,708,000) in 1880 and 148,000,000 marks ($35,224,000) in 1892, although the population was practically at a standstill. The schoolmaster of Sadowa and Sedan has taught France well. Mulhall was of the opinion that there was a direct connection between ignorance and crime. As proof of this, he furnished the following figures showing the illiteracy and crime in Great . Britain:

The number of youthful criminals fell from 45.8 per 100,000 of population to 21.5, and this brilliant result was attributed by Mr. Mulhall directly to the improvement in education. Now, we are the last in the world to depreciate the value of education as an aid to good morals and civic virtue, but it seems to us to be going too far when we give the school all the credit for this great change for the better. For, alas! in other lands, equally well provided with schools and educational facilities, the number of youthful criminals is increasing. In Germany 741 per 100,000 of population in 1886 and 873 in 1895 were condemned for crimes; but the number of youthful criminals went up from 31,510 to 44,380, or from 89 per 1,000 to 98 per 1,000 of those sentenced. There was an increase in youthful crimes of 40 per cent, while the population increased but 10 per cent. This shows that the connection between crimes of young people and education is not so close as Mr. Mulhall would have had us believe. ED 1993-41