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salary by his future principal. Others were informed that they might call immediately upon the Head Master of a school, who wanted to engage a Foreign Master. They hurry out of the room to take the next train which will bring them there. How many, perhaps all, returned without having attained their end! Others are conducted to a principal who wants a master and who examines the competitors in an adjoining room. Such interviews mostly do not last very long. I have never had the luck to be introduced to such a gentleman, another candidate having been engaged every time, before it was my turn.— A colleague from Berlin, Dr. Albert Harnisch, who had applied to me for information, concerning English school affairs, wrote to me afterwards— in August 1887— from Bexhill, a small watering-place in Sussex, where he had found a situation in the house of a clergyman, as follows:„Ich wurde auch in der That ein paarmal zu dem Agenten hinbestellt, um mit, 15— 20 andern jungen Deutschen von einem headmaster in Augenschein genommen zu werden—„Sklavenmarkt“, wie wir es jetzt sehr treffend bezeichnen— aber stets wurde dann ein Andrer, der schon einige englische Schulpraxis hatte, vorgezogen.“

The exterior of most of those candidates was not calculated to inspire confidence, and their clothes often were threadbare. In my new summer-coat, I considered myself to be a good deal superior to them.

After having waited a long time, it was at last my turn. In a few words, which I had often repeated before at home in a loud voice, I told the Agent what I wanted. After having paid two shillings for correspondence, I got a blank printed form whereupon I was to answer different questions. These questions referred to the branches I could teach, to the experience which, up to that moment, I did not yet possess, to the salary I asked, to age, religion, etc. After having faithfully filled up this blank form, the Agent gave me some small pieces of paper, whereon several vacancies were printed, or rather, hectographed. He said, I should at once apply either personally, or by letter, to the principals of the respec- tive schools, and promised to send me, from time to time, notice of any other vacancies he might receive.

Within a month, I called at about six other School Agencies, for it is a general rule with masters, as well as with Principals, to apply to several School Agents. The Principal has nothing to pay to the School Agent who procures him a teacher, but the Assistant Master must give him 5 per cent on his first year'’s salary, as I have already mentioned. For situations which the School Agent may procure in France or in Switzerland, the teacher must pay 10 per cent. All engagements which last above two months, are considered as annual ones. Thus, it may happen that a teacher is obliged to pay these fees three times a year, changing, or being forced to do so, each term. Such unhappy contingencies are said to be pretty frequent. Thus, somebody, as Mr. Reichardt relates in his brochure„Der deutsche Lehrer in England,“ ¹ had paid£ 16.3. for agency-fees within a calendar-year, dur- ing which time his income amounted only to£ 53.3.8.

If a teacher receives the same address of a vacancy from several School Agencies, and he gets the respective place, he must pay the fee to the School Agent who gave him the first information.

If the teacher is not able to pay the fee immediately, 5 per cent interest amount due is charged upon.

Twelve days after my engagement, the School Agent sent me a draft, asking payment of£ 2.2., instead of£ 1.10., which I owed him. My salary was£ 30. I wrote to him that he was mistaken. Ten days later, I got another draft for£ 1.10.„We are really very sorry,“ he wrote,„for our mistake. We understood your salary to be 40 guineas. We therefore enclose you a fresh draft, which kindly sign and return to us.“ I immediately (as I thought), sent the money by money order, but made the mistake not to forward him the order. A month and a half later, I got the following letter:„We beg to enclose you a draft for the amount of our fee(£ 1. 16. 6. this time!) on your engagement. We

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