Geography.The remaining Provinces of the Dominion. The general geography of the United States and South America. General geography of Europe. General geography of British Isles. (The Teacher with the aid of a wall map may communicate orally instead of by means of a text-book a knowledge of the general geography of the United States, South America and the British Isles.) Geographical definitions completed Location of places named in Reader. Map-drawing as before.

Useful Knowledge Lessons.-Lessons on agricultural topics from Tanner's First Principles of Agriculture. Bailey's Natural History completed-lessons to be illustrated by specimens. Palmer's Temperance Teachings of Science completed-lessons to be illustrated where practicable by experiments and lessons to be given on the human system as aids to the intelligent study of the text.

NOTE 1.-If there are pupils in each of the foregoing Standards of the ungraded course and if the enrolment numbers fifty pupils or upwards a class-room assistant MUST be employed.

NOTE 2. If pupils continue at school after satisfactorily completing Standard V of the ungraded course an assistant holding a license under Reg. 30 MUST be employed. The Teacher, with the approval of the Inspector, may select subjects from Standards VII or VIII of the graded course for pupils in advance of Standard V.

The principles underlying the original course of instruction have been undisturbed in the revision as given above. The framers of that course properly assumed that the function of the public school is to prepare the youth of the country to discharge the duties of future manhood, and that this preparation should include the training of the child's physical, intellectual and moral nature, so that the outcome may be health, intelligence and character. Due provision was thus made for physical and moral training, and in these respects the course is untouched. It has also been untouched both in the selection of subjects which form the ground-work upon which training in intelligence proceeds, and in the order in which these subjects should be presented.

The changes which have been made relate more particularly to the subjects of Industrial Drawing and those embraced under the head of Useful Knowledge. The study of Industrial Drawing has undoubtedly produced good results, though these fall short of what was expected when the subject was introduced. The course for one thing was too extensive, and few even in cities and towns have been able to complete it. It has also failed to call into exercise in any efficient degree the powers which it is the object of drawing to cultivate. It is believed that these defects are supplied in the amended The new Drawing Series-Prang's Shorter Course in Form Study and Drawing-comprises five books with an additional book in preparation dealing with Geometrical Drawing. This course is begun in Standard III and completed in Standard VIII at graded schools-one book covering a year's work. In ungraded schools the subject is first taken up in Standard III also, and the instruction for the first year is limited to the principles and exercises contained in the first book, but embraces two books during each of the next two years with simple geometrical exercises (taught orally) during the latter year. A like proficiency in the details of the subject cannot, therefore, be expected in the ungraded as in the graded schools, but it is of more service to have a general knowledge of an elementary subject as a whole than a minute acquaintance with parts that do not embrace the essential principles. This principle has all along been recognized in the assignment of subjects for ungraded schools, nor do they appear to have been placed at a disadvantage thereby. The pupils, whether from the fact of being thrown more frequently on their own resources and being as a rule somewhat older than pupils in the corresponding standards of graded schools, or from other causes, often show more ready knowledge and greater facility in applying it than do many those who are seemingly better cared for. The shorter course in Form Study and Drawing provides for the training of the hand as well as the eye. It provides for the examination of objects both by sight and touch, for making and modelling them before representing or drawing them. The practice of making the objects from paper, pasteboard, etc., by folding, clipping and cutting and of modelling them from clay introduces into schools, without disturbing their organic character or general aim, that kind of manual training which is daily becoming more and more important. The course also secures ability

of

to make working drawings of objects and afterwards to make the object from the working drawings, to draw pictures from the actual object and to design and draw arrangements for decorations.

The requirements under the head of Useful Knowledge have, in most of the standards, been simplified and made more definite. The principles of classification have been deferred till the higher standards are reached, when the pupils form a wider acquaintance with facts, will be better prepared to deal with the subject. The use of Bailey's Natural History as a text-book is begun in Standard VI of the graded course, and in Standard IV in ungraded schools. The preliminary instruction on this subject is to be given orally in the underlying grades as indicated in the course. Lessons in Natural History, whether given orally or prepared from the text-book, are of very little value, either as respects educative results or the acquisition of knowledge-hence the course enjoins the use of specimens. Lessons on the Human System and how to take care of it are introduced from the outset and continued through the first six standards. These lessons will be found not only useful in themselves, but valuable as a means in leading the pupil up to an intelligent study of Palmer's Temperance Teachings of Science. This text is begun in Standard VI. Oral instruction on the effects of alcohol on the human system is begun in Standard IV, thus securing instruction on the harmful effects of intoxicating drinks for all pupils capable of receiving it. The course suggests that whenever it is practicable illustrative experiments be given on the lessons in the text-book. In ungraded schools formal lessons on the Human System are not prescribed for pupils of the first three standards, but teachers are required to give the classes instruction on the conditions of Health as specified in the Note prefixed to the course. The text-book on Temperance Teachings is introduced in Standard IV, and explanatory lessons on the Human System are to be given orally as aids to the intelligent study of it. The subject of Physics is begun in Standard VI and completed in Standard VIII. The teacher-not the pupil-is referred to Hotze's First Lessons in Physics as a guide to the instructions which are to be given orally.

A very few remarks on some of the other changes of the course must suffice. Standards III and IV of ungraded schools, which have heretofore embraced a period of one year and a half each, have been so modified as to form three Standards, each covering a year. There are thus five standards in these schools instead of four as formerly. It is hoped that this provision will lead to a more exact classification than has yet obtained in these schools. It will be seen from the provision respecting the employment of a qualified assistant that the general interests of the school are guarded in the event of pupils taking the more advanced subjects after completing the prescribed course, and also that if the five standards are taught and the enrolled number of pupils fifty or upwards the employment of a class-room assistant is obligatory.

Object Lessons as a separate subject have been struck out of the graded.

course. They are amply provided for under Useful Knowledge Lessons and Form study, and can be thus much more effectively taught.

The Lesson Sheets which are prescribed for use in connection with Reader I will supply a much needed want. They will afford the Teacher an opportunity of drilling the class upon sentences, phrases or words in any order, and thus secure their ready recognition wherever and whenever met. Many teachers have, it is true, been in the habit of reprinting the lessons on the blackboard for this purpose, and others have sought to test the pupils from the book, but both practices have occasioned much loss of time.

The course in Geography is more complete-supplying some important omissions and defining more clearly the requirements in respect of map drawing. General and not detailed geography is asked for and more attention is suggested to physical features than to topography.

The course in Mathematics has been modified in some important respects. Instruction in arithmetic (not including Number in the primary grades) is limited to the principles contained in the Elementary Text-book except that instruction is to be given orally to pupils in Standard VIII on the Square Root and its applications. Provision has been made as indicated in the Course for the omission of certain portions which the Teacher may deem unessential till a later stage. It will be observed that considerable attention is to be given to Business Arithmetic, Commercial Forms and the practical application of Rules. With respect to Geometry it has been assumed that geometrical conceptions have been gained through exercises in Form Study and Drawing before the subject is formally taken up, and hence the pupil is introduced earlier than in the original Course to the logical demonstration of propositions. A small but a very important addition has been made to the requirement in Algebra for Standard VIII. It is prescribed that easy equations and problems be taken up. As the Common School Course is completed with Standard VIII, and many pupils then leave school for life, it is very desirable that they should carry with them some knowledge of the practical application of the subject.

The requirement in Latin has been reduced. Few Teachers have found it possible to overtake the allotment previously prescribed.

TABLE IV.-NUMBER, SEX AND CLASS OF TEACHERS AND ASSISTANTS EMPLOYED.

Though the decrease as shown above in the number of First-Class Male Teachers is small any decrease in this class is to be regretted. There has been an increase during both terms in the number of First-Class Female Teachers. A decrease of fourteen out of only fifty-nine Untrained Teachers is a satisfactory showing. Untrained Teachers are not employed except only in such Acadian districts as cannot secure trained Teachers.

TABLE V. PERIOD OF SERVICE OF TEACHERS.

Second Term, 1887.-Of the 1,586 teachers in charge of schools this term the following facts are reported in respect of 1,538: 974 continued to teach in the same districts in which they taught in the previous term, decrease, 70; 404 removed to other districts, increase 59, and 159 taught for the first time, increase 21; 608 of the number had been employed not less than three years in teaching, decrease 125: 48 did not report their period of service.

First Term, 1888.-Of the 1,556 teachers in charge of schools this term, 1,530 are reported in respect of service as follows: 1,003 continued to teach in the same schools as during the previous term, decrease 38; 459 took charge of other schools, increase 78, and 68 taught for the first time, decrease 57; 26 teachers did not report their period of service.

TABLE VI.-TIME IN SESSION OF THE SCHOOLS.

Second Term, 1887.-There were 103 teaching days in this term, increase 5; 164 schools were in session less than eighty days, decrease 2; 624 eighty days but less than full time, increase 128; 754 the full term of the one hundred and three days, decrease 88. The average number of teaching days the schools were in session throughout the Province was 95.9, increase 5.44.

First Term, 1888.-The number of teaching days in this term was 123; 177 schools were in session less than eighty of those days, increase 19; 53 eighty but less than one hundred days, increase 4; 571 one hundred days or