to William B. Read, a Scholar in the Fifth Standard, for Punctual and Regular Attendance during the School Quarter ended Sept. 1883. William J. Ball, Head Teacher.“ When two reward-cards have been obtained, the child is entitled to a prize, which is testified to by the Head Teacher. At the back of the above-mentioned card you will read:„Cancelled for prize. 20. 12. 83,“ which, I presume, means that when the prize was awarded, the card had lost its value and was consequently cancelled.

During my Midsummer-Holidays in 1884, I had visited that school in London. The Head Teacher of it showed me the greatest civility and took me round the six different classes. The number of the boys on the register was about 450, but, on this particular day, there were only 396 boys present, because many parents had gone away with their children for their holidays, although the proper school holidays did not begin until the first Monday in August— lasting 3 weeks. In passing, Imay here mention that the other holidays of the vear are a fortnight each at Christmas and Easter, and one week at Whitsuntide. To this Boys' School belonged also a Girls' School with about 450 pupils, as well as an Infants School, where nearly a hundred children, of from 4 to 7 years of age, were instructed. I visited only the Boys' School.

The premises were spacious, the rooms high, light, and airy; tables and forms were of the newest construction. The entrances and staircases were, however, too narrow. I was pleased to find in the corridors lavatories for washing the hands. Great cleanliness reigned everywhere.

The days and hours of attendance are Monday till Friday, in the morning, from 9 to 12 and, in the afternoon, from 2.15 to 4.35. Saturday is a holiday. In France, Thursday is a holiday. I think these two institutions have a bad influence upon the continuity of instruction, and I prefer our two half-holidays on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. The French institution is probably the worst of the two, owing to the double interruption in the week. In England, the interruption is too long, and children are thoughtless and in- attentive on Monday. Mr. Byrne, inspector, in referring to this subject, says in his Re-

ort:„The disadvantages of the whole holiday are so clearly understood, that the substitution of two half holidays in the week for the whole one is beginning to be more and more a matter of general practice. The waste which one day a week, taken as a holiday, causes, must be obvious to any one who knows anything of teaching.“¹ The single point in favour of a whole day on Saturday, is that it enables children to spend a good day in the country at cricket and other sports.

In Oldfield Road School, the subjects of instruction were chiefly: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic; English Grammar and Composition; History, Geography; Singing and Drawing. In the New Code of 1890/1891, you will find as Obligatory’ Subjects- Reading, Writing, Arith- metic, called generally the elementary subjects, Needle-work for girls in day schools, and Drawing(for boys in schools for older scholars). The Optional or Glass Subjects which are taken throughout the school, are Singing, Recitation, Drawing for boys in infant schools and classes, English, Geography, History, Elementary Science. No more than two class sub- jects may be taken, the choice of which is completely free. Drawing has been withdrawn as a class subject since 1889 and made compulsory. DiscretionaryY subjects, which may be taken by individual children in the upper classes of the school, are: Algebra, Euclid, Mechanics, Chemistry, Physics, Animal Physiology, Botany, Principles of Agriculture, Latin, French, Domestic Economy, German, Book-keeping, Shorthand. The instruction in these subjects must not interfere with the efficiency of the teaching of the Essential Subjects and has to be paid for extra.

We see by this that Elementary Schools have the tendency to also give instruction of a higher than elementary character, and in latter times they compete very strongly with Secondary Schools, especially in London and in the larger towns. As an acquaintance of mine, Mr. Hopwood, of Stoke Newington, London, told me, many parents prefer to take their child-

*Parliamentary Papers. 1883. Vol. 25. Page 284.