EMPIRE AND FOREIGN NEWS CANADA: PROVINCE OF QUEBEC *HIS volume,* says the author, " marks a new departure This vocational publication. While it seeks to explain the system of education in the Province of Quebec, particularly that of the Protestant section, it also sets forth general principles of education in order that the public may be informed of the ways of life of pupils in modern schools. At the same time it contains a wealth of illustrations showing the steady improvement in the conditions of life in school". In Canada, the Dominion Parliament exercises no control over the Provincial systems of education. In Quebec there is a Council of Education which works through two subcommittees responsible respectively for Catholic and for Protestant education. "Quebec", says the author, "has made up its mind quite firmly concerning the educational system that it wishes to have. This system is to be dual and is to be based upon the religion of its people. Roman Catholics will attend to their wants and needs, and Protestants will determine theirs. Each of the two large elements of the community desires to be left alone to follow its own tastes and wishes. Neither has the inclination to interfere with the rights and privileges of the other." There are a number of school boards which are in much the same position as our own boards of managers. Syllabuses and text-books are prescribed by the education committees, and teachers in these respects have much less freedom than their English colleagues. The parent has to meet the cost of school fees and of text-books, though school boards have power to grant exemption from such charges. " as a public recognition of services rendered to the cause of education. The Order is administered by special boards, one for Catholics and one for Protestants. The boards may confer the Order upon teachers, school inspectors, normal school staffs, and members of the department of education. Quebec has realized that the school is no longer a mere place for teaching subjects, but a medium for instruction in the whole art of living, and that, in order to fulfil this function successfully, there must be greater freedom and fuller opportunities for the development of individual interests. "The great traditions of British fair-play, of British sportsmanship and justice, of standing valiantly for truth and right must be inculcated on the frequent occasions which present themselves in their relations as schoolmates and playmates, if youth is to realize itself fully. The policy of live and let live can best be learned by a nation through its children before they pass out of their teens. Such a spirit, and not bricks, mortar, desks, and other equipment makes a school and moulds the character of men. That life is more than meat is a lesson that the schools of Quebec are endeavouring to teach. Their purpose is to assist in the development of healthy, industrious, social-minded, honest, and patriotic citizens.' " * Life in School: an Explanation of the Protestant School System of the Province of Quebec. By W. P. PERCIVAL, Director of Protestant Education for the Province of Quebec. NEW ZEALAND There is an interesting description of the development of THIS is a valuable piece of work, well deserving the Consolidated Schools which correspond to our Central Schools under the Hadow scheme of reorganization. Children are collected by van, and the municipalities are assisted by building and conveyance grants from the provincial government. As in this country, the new system was at first strenuously objected to owing to the difficulties of conveyance in the winter and the removal of the children from farm life. Experience with the system ", however, "has totally changed the views of former stout opponents who have found their children more ready to attend the consolidated than the elementary school, have observed the effect of the more regular attendance, and have noticed the wider companionship opened to their sons and daughters. . . The isolated farmer soon realized that the consolidated school was the only way by which his children could be given reasonable educational opportunities." There is in Quebec, as in other Provinces, a considerable development of home and school associations corresponding to our parents' associations. Such associations give the parents a better understanding of the aims of the school, and these show their appreciation by frequent gifts of money and equipment. Visual education is rapidly developing, and Mr. Percival suggests that "in the future the advent of the film will be regarded as marking an advance in classroom practice comparable with that made when the printed page displaced the hand-written manuscript ". There have been great improvements in the teaching of English. It is the aim of the course to stimulate an appreciation of the best books in the language, to help pupils to realize the wealth of their literary heritage, to develop their imaginations by contact with the experiences described by great writers, and to interpret their own lives through the recorded experiences of others." Instead of laborious dissection of a few set books, children now enjoy a wide variety of reading. In most of the Protestant schools of Quebec, English is the medium of instruction, though French is also compulsory from the third to the eleventh grade. In 1928 an Order of Scholastic Merit was established. There are three degrees of the Order, and awards are made praise bestowed by Prof. Sir Thomas Hunter. Its value is chiefly, of course, for New Zealand itself, but it has features of interest for a much wider public. The pioneers of education in the overseas dominions naturally started from their experience in Britain, but more than one instance could be quoted in which they proceeded to rival, if not to outdo, the old country in point of conservatism. It is rather remarkable that in a new country such as New Zealand the secondary schools should have retained a strictly academic outlook which left no place for technical or vocational pursuits. The general effects of this policy have been unfortunate, but one good result stands out clearly. The conservatism of the secondary schools was responsible in large measure for the development of that almost unique type of institution, the New Zealand technical high school". So writes Sir Thomas Hunter in his foreword, and the whole story, from isolated beginnings down to the present day, is well set forth by Mr. Nicol. He concludes with interesting chapters on unsolved problems. *The Technical Schools of New Zealand: an Historical Survey. By J. NICOL. (New Zealand Council for Educational Research. Educational Research Series No. 12.) (9s. net. Oxford University Press.) U.S.A. A STUDY recently taken of 1,000 American school boys in Connecticut indicated some of the underlying causes of maladjustment to school. It was found that many of them lacked the ability which warranted their continuance at school to be followed by higher academic work, and that there was a general tendency to be' hand-minded', that is, a preference was shown for work with the hands rather than for academic studies. Many boys who had the necessary ability to carry on at school for higher studies admitted that they preferred to leave and take up work with their hands. The purpose of the inquiry was to discover how necessary vocational education is in the school curriculum. (Continued on page 140) C Plant Ecology By HILDA DRABBLE. With 24 photographs. 7s. 6d. net Part I presents the essentials regarding soils, plant processes and technical terms; Part II considers in order the several types of environment. The illustrations are both handsome and instructive. Practical Botany A First Year Intermediate Science Course. By S. WILLIAMS, D.Sc., and G. BOND, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow. 10 in. by 8 in., 96 pages, flexible covers, loose-leaf binding. 5s. 6d. net Based on the work-sheets issued to the authors' pupils; the book allows for the interleaving of drawings. The second edition of ALAN PEACOCK'S ELEMENTARY MICROTECHNIQUE, that indispensable handbook, contains a great deal of new material and is even more easily arranged for quick reference. 342 pages, 21 diagrams. 9s. net. EDWARD ARNOLD & CO. LONDON: 41 & 43 MADDOX STREET, W. I Recently the Teachers' College Record carried a very interesting article written by Paul V. McNutt on the question of Federal Aid in Stimulating Education for Work. Other contributors to the paper also dealt with the same problem in their own specialized spheres. " In a foreword, Drs. Lee, Kitson, and Forkner wrote that any realistic program of education for work must be based on a continuing analysis of the social and economic needs and trends of the total area served by schools ". The authors, however, are not narrow in their concept of work and agree that work may be simple in both the duties to be performed and the knowledge and skill required, or it may be extraordinarily complex and requiring judgment of a high order. Mr. McNutt, who is Administrator of the Federal Security Agency, stresses the importance of teaching economic efficiency. He writes: "Young people, wherever they are, must learn economic efficiency-how to earn a livelihood and to manage their affairs with ordinary prudence; they must master human relationships-how to get along with other people, including their families; they must learn civic responsibilities-how to carry their load in the common affairs of the common life; and they must achieve general culture-how to take part in and appreciate the great and beautiful things that men have said, and thought, and made." He believes that new methods must be devised for relating education to all of life—especially in the areas of civic and occupation competence. He wants to see more Federal aid given to school districts and if necessary to individual students who need special vocational education opportunities. In this way only will it be possible to "reduce idleness among youth ". Prof. Donald P. Cottrell agrees with Mr. McNutt and stresses the view that much effort in vocational education loses the confidence of educational leaders because it fails to incorporate satisfactory cultural and civic materials and activities. It is estimated that there are about 5,000,000 out-ofschool and unemployed youth in the United States. This unsatisfactory condition is severely critized, particularly on the political side. Children who have no cultural background generally have few interests and become prey for agitators who may well rope them into political movements aimed at destroying Democracy. Some of the authors, while agreeing that the problem is of nation-wide interest, insist that in the main it remains for local government to put it right. For example, at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, courses of training for types of work that are not to be had in the town are ruled out as a waste of the taxpayers' money and the students' time. Only that type of work which can be obtained in the district is taught a short-sighted view. Other writers have asked educational authorities not to overlook the mental agility of students just because they may appear slow, or even because they show a preference for hand-work. As one writer put it: National Defence emphasizes the need for workers; but it would seem highly desirable that the schools should keep in mind both the high intelligence quota and the hand-mindedness' of its students and try to do something for both. S. H. KAHN. THE HE January News-Bulletin of the Institute of International Education, New York, contains an article by Edgar J. Fisher, Assistant Director of the Institute, on International Education and Intellectual Security ". Insecurity, he points out, is fatal to peace in the world of thought as well as in economics and politics. Intellectual insecurity follows in the train of economic and nationalist fears. The more extended this intellectual insecurity becomes, the more poverty stricken is the world's immediate future bound to be. Totalitarian education embraces the regimentation of the intellect and demands obedience to political control. Admission to higher educational institutions depends not upon intellectual ability but upon political record. The most disastrous effects are shown in the fields of the humanities and social sciences, because their disciplines must be completely subordinated to the political ideology of the particular totalitarianism, regardless of what research and experience may show in other lands. Although the disturbance to intellectual life is not so complete in the mathematical and physical sciences, the academic black-out in these fields is almost as serious, because political, racial, and religious persecution has driven the ablest scholars of the totalitarian lands into exile abroad or into unfruitful quiescence at home. The totalitarian attitude is summed up in the statement issued by an official, "We do not know of nor recognize truth for truth's sake nor science for science's sake ". Obvious results are that entire universities have been destroyed and their faculties thrown into concentration camps, executed or exiled; others have been closed; some have been transplanted to new locations, with remaining members scattered. Unless the world can attain and protect intellectual security, we shall not recapture even the degree of economic and political security that we had before 1914, to say nothing about making it more widespread. We must protect ourselves against the regimented belittling of the individual and the complete disregard of the worth of personality which are characteristic of any totalitarian ideology. The totalitarian states produce an intellectual black-out because they not only justify but glorify force and violence. Security will come only when education can again reflect an atmosphere of freedom. That is why the strengthening and preservation of the democratic processes are of such deep significance to culture. It is imperative that every possible channel of cultural interchange should be maintained in times of war as well as of peace. The December issue of The Phi Delta Kappan is mainly concerned with Rural Education Trends, and the classroom problems to be faced daily by the 130,000 teachers of one-room schools, who need to understand the ends that an educational programme should serve in rural areas under present-day social and economic conditions, and the problems that the children in those areas have to face. S. B. L. THE contains the report of the President of the The HE Johns Hopkins University Circular for November, University for 1939-40. Full lists of publications are included for all departments. Degrees were granted to 474 persons (52 women). These include 68 doctors of medicine (7 women) and 45 doctors of philosophy (3 women). teaching faculty numbers 765. There is an important College for Teachers with an enrolment of 1,581 of whom 59 graduated Bachelor of Science. The subjects of dissertations for the Ph.D. degree include “ The effects of praise and blame as incentives to learning", The Marxian theory of education ", and "The influence of school size on academic achievement." The total registration of students was 5,144. This includes 3,229 in afternoon and evening courses and 946 in the Summer School. The Report of the Carnegie Corporation of New York for the year ended September 30, 1940, states that 3,450 individuals are receiving pensions from the Foundation, originally established in 1905 for providing pensions for retired professors in the United States, Canada, and Newfoundland. In 1936, $350,000 was granted to Harvard Dental School to assist dental research and training, and this has been supplemented by $650,000. Total grants in 1939-40 for general and higher education amount to $953,765. This includes $22,500 to the Institute of Education of the University of London in support of the Department of Overseas Students. Total appropriations (Continued on page 142) 40 pages, with 10 illustrations from photographs, 9d. (For second year, or bright first year.) A delightful story of a small French girl's adventures with her brother at home and on the way to school. LA VIE DE CHAQUE JOUR EN FRANCE by RENÉ MABEL 52 pages, with 14 illustrations from photographs, 10d. (For third year.) An entertaining record of French life, at home, at school, and on holiday. PARIS ET LES PARISIENS by P. RIETHER and E. PICARD 76 pages, with 25 illustrations from photographs, and 2 maps, 1s. (For fourth year.) A lively and amusing account of a holiday spent in Paris, with profit and pleasure. LE FRANCAIS ET LA TERRE DE FRANCE by GEORGES THIERRY 80 pages, with 25 illustrations from photographs, and 4 maps, IS. (For fourth year.) A most interesting account of a long holiday tour through many districts of France. **Write now for specimen copies to A. & C. BLACK, LTD. 4, 5 & 6 SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. 1 CONTINENTS NEW AND OLD 5s. 6d. Also in Two Volumes, 3s. 6d. each. And in Five Parts-I, II, IV and V, 2s. each; Part III, 1s. 9d. IV. EUROPE, THE BRITISH ISLES AND THE WORLD 4s. Also in Two Volumes, 2s. 6d. each. THE MEDITERRANEAN LANDS By M. I. NEWBIGIN An Introductory Study in Human and Historical Geography of particular interest at the present time. 5s. 6d. Revised Edition NEW REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY By M. I. NEWBIGIN In the present uncertainty of frontiers, a complete revision would have been impracticable, but it has been brought sufficiently up to date to make it easy for teachers to fill in any gaps. 5s. 6d. With New Introduction THE BRITISH EMPIRE By D. C. SOMERVELL An ideal introduction to the study of Imperial History now an integral part of everyday affairs. 5s. BASIC FRENCH TEXTS By H. N. ADAIR and A. DEGREVE Les Aventures de M. Hippolyte Poret 1. L'AFFAIRE DES PARFUMS 2. LES VOLEURS D'AUTOS 3. LA DISPARITION DE LOUISE MARCHAIN 4. UN MYSTERE DE L'AIR 5. LE TRESOR DES DE BRACIEUX Cloth, 1s.; Paper, 10d. each 22 Berners St., London, W.1 in the same year, amounting to $4,692,682, include library interests, adult education, the arts, research, studies and publication; and general. $411,500 of the total comes from the British Dominions and Colonies Fund. In the Report of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for 1939-40, Dr. Walter A. Jessup contrasts American, German, French, and English higher education. He notes the recent fall in the number of university students in Germany from 130,000 to 84,000 and the strong political influences in French education. Diversity, he suggests, is the keynote of British education. In the United States, student loans have multiplied rapidly. Self-help students are doing fully as well as others. The British discouragement of students "working their way through college is regarded with surprise; but there are signs of reaction against the system in the United States. The amount expended by the Foundation in 1939-40 was $2,188,231, mainly in retiring allowances and educational inquiries. T. LL. H. NEW MEDIA MODERN FILMS ON MATTERS OF MOMENT MANY teachers, like myself, must have used with enjoyment and profit the excellent films distributed gratis to schools, approved societies, and institutions by the British Commercial Gas Association, Gas Industry House, I Grosvenor Place, London, S.W. I. The films listed in the free catalogue may be divided into three categories. The first section contains' Sociological' films; the second Technical', and the third' Advertising' films. The first two divisions are the most useful from an educational point of view, and of these those in the first group have given opportunities for some of Britain's finest film-makers to demonstrate John Grierson's theory that here, in the reporting and interpretation of fact, is a new instrument of public influence, which might increase experience and bring the new world of our citizenship into the imagination". These films are: Enough to Eat?", "Children at School", The Smoke Menace "Housing Problems", "Kensal House", and "The Londoners". These films are undoubtedly useful for all types of audience from the class-room audience to heterogeneous cinema audiences. The specific usefulness of each depends upon the teacher or lecturer, the type of audience, and its requirements. There cannot be made any hard and fast rules for methods of use or types of persons for which each is specifically suitable, but all those who have to do with education in any of its ramifications should make acquaintance as soon as possible with these fine productions. Enough to Eat?"-Commentator, Prof. Julian Huxley. This deals with the all-important question of diet. The incidence of poverty is shown to be the primary cause of malnutrition. The effects of this are shown and actual dwellers in the slums, in interviews, pathetically outline it. Steps that are being taken to combat the menace are shown, clarified by diagrams. The problem is outlined and a means of solution shown in twenty minutes of vivid film. "Children at School", like the previous film, contains no propaganda for the Gas Industry. Instead it attempts, what is really impossible within the scope of one film, to show the problems of modern education, and how they have been solved in some places. It is a brilliant essay in the pictorial presentation of a question which is all-important for a democracy. The commentary is adequately spoken by a distinguished journalist, H. Wilson Harris, Editor of The Spectator. Housing Problems", Smoke Menace ", and " Kensal House " have a more definite advertising content, but that does not make them any the less interesting or valuable. Indeed the necessity for modern means of heating and lighting is an integral part of the films' message. After all, the answer is either "Gas " or " Electricity". In one film it is admitted that for lighting electricity is preferable! "Housing Problems treats the question of slum clearance by comparing the old conditions of existence with the new ones of living in modern flats. The pictorial images " " "Kensal House are supplemented by vivid descriptions from people themselves who have experienced the metamorphosis, and, if this film has any weakness, it is that the new dwellings shown are flats and not the cottage type of slum clearance house. The film would certainly have gained from the juxtaposition of the two. shows a community newly settled in their new homes-the flats, their disposition for the maximum light, their equipment, the nursery school, the club, the recreation ground, &c. This experiment in living together' would be a praiseworthy effort on the part of an enlightened municipality, but it becomes really inspiring when it is realized that the whole place is built and run by the gas company on the site of an old gas-works. "The Smoke Menace" puts into vivid pictorial terms the evils which result from the unscientific use of coal-the effects upon health, upon buildings, upon peoples' pockets individually and collectively. Its message is clear and given in an interesting manner. Paul Rotha's film, New Worlds for Old ", with a commentary by that fine film critic Alistair Cooke, is an ambitious three-reel effort to put on to the screen that most difficult of all teaching subjects-History. The Gas Company is also responsible for "The Londoners". This film puts, as adequately as one film can reasonably be expected to, the multitudinous activities of the greatest municipality in the world. As a means of conveying the importance of democratic achievements, this film goes very far for the teacher of civics it is invaluable. " The second group of films has particular interest in the present circumstances, for most of them deal with cooking, the emphasis being on economical cooking. One" Plan for Living " has been reissued in a special war-time version; two others, "Green Foods for Health" and "Cheese have been made since the war began to help housewives in the selection of dishes, and should prove most useful to women's organizations. Another, The Obedient Flame ", is a new film which stresses the scientific reasons for the economy of the gas cooker. Other films in this section are 'Party Dish", "Scratch Meal", How to Cook (all containing M. Boulestin, the famous restaurateur), “ Daisy Bell Comes to Town", "Warming Up "," Pots and Plans". All stress the advantage of cooking by gas. The names of the directors are sufficient to guarantee their excellence— Arthur Elton, John B. Holmes, and Frank Sainsbury. These films are specifically a woman's dish from the senior school onwards. Still in the technical group are films of a more general appeal—“ Dinner Hour", "Men Behind the Meters", Romance of a Lump of Coal", "The Manufacture of Gas", and "The Man who Knew too Little ". This last is a humorous and most effective treatment of gas and its by-products. It proves most successful as an addition to any programme in school or out, the laughs it raises drive in more effectively than much talk could the multitudinous by-products of gas production. "Happy in the Morning", "Getting into Hot Water ", and Two Frightened Ladies are three advertising films which are excellent additions to any programme whether of club or of school. (Continued on page 145) |