Botany.-Vegetable physiology, or the life of plants, should be the subject of the lessons of this year. Germination, the part played by the root, by the leaves, by the stem; the influence of light on the green and on the other colored parts; the composition of the sap, and the part which it plays; the formation of the cells, the fibres, and the vessels, of the tissues composed of the elementary organs, of starch, sugar, oils, and resinous juices; further, the relations which exist between the plants and the air, the soil and the waters of the earth, should also be dwelt upon, and will afford numerous opportunities for direct applications, full of interest.

The lessons in geology should be devoted to the study of the complete series of strata, passing rapidly over those formations which are of no importance from an industrial point of view, or which are not found in any considerable extent in France; but the slate and coal formations should be dwelt upon, so also the brown freestone of the Vosges, the saliferous rocks, the chalk formations of the Jura; the tertiary basins, and, above all, the formations immediately surrounding the locality in which the school is situated.

ACCOUNTS.

Course Preparatory to Bookkeeping.-The pupils are acquainted with the vocabulary, and know how to make out the various accounts which serve to verify the first operations, the master may therefore now turn his attention to the books usually kept in connection with commercial dealings, prove the necessity of them, and explain the plan on which they are generally kept.

He should first mention the three obligatory books, quoting the article of the code which prescribes the use of them, then the most usual auxiliary books; he should explain the note of discount and of back exchange, and the account of redraft; he should accustom the pupils to make out such accounts themselves by setting them numerous exercises. He should next occupy himself with current accounts, bearing interest, and with the three methods, viz., the direct, the indirect, and the Hamburgh method. Lastly, he should teach the pupils how to keep the day-book, the object and utility of which he should explain, giving a detailed account of the arrangement and of the specification of the articles.

The pupils can not be too much practiced in entering into the day-book the items of sales, purchases, discount, &c, for these exercises will make them understand the operations, and will directly prepare them for keeping the journal with which they will have to occupy themselves the following year.

This course completes the preliminary knowledge which the pupils require in order to be able to understand bookkeeping, properly so called, which will be taught to them during the course of the ensuing year.

CALIGRAPHY AND DRAWING.

End of the lessons: round hand, Italian hand, models of capitals, &c., applications of divers kinds of handwriting.

Continuation of ornamental and linear drawing, according to the method adopted the previous year.

Ornamental Drawing.—Copying figures and ornaments.

Commencement of

hatching to represent relief. The model from which the drawings are to be made should always be placed in the class-room,

Linear Drawing: principles of the methods of projection for the representation of lines, surfaces, and solids. Representation of the relief of bodies by means of simple lines and washing in colors. Details of the practice of washing. Elementary notions of architecture, and distinctive characteristics of the principal orders.

Before commencing each architectural drawing, the pupil should make a sketch of the plan to be executed, in a separate copybook, and should carefully note down the dimension (les cotes). These sketches should be done in pencil, or in ink, without the help of rule or compass, and should serve for constructing the plan.

Some suitable plan should be selected to exercise the pupils in using the ruler, and the use of conventional tints should be explained to them.

GYMNASTICS.

Marching and running, regulated by singing; exercises on the rope ladder, on the oscillating plank, on the smooth rope, on the pole, under the horizontal ladder, on the parallel bars, &c.; jumping from height of not more than one metre thirty centimetres, exercises on the horse, on the inclined ladder, on the horizontal pole, on the arm-swing, and on the horizontal bar.

SINGING.

Continuation of the explanation of the principles.

Study of the chromatic scale; modified tones; accidents.

Second study of the diatonic scale.

On the intervals of tones; study of the tetrachords; major and minor keys; typical scale of do and of la.

Construction of scales similar to this typical one, on the first sound of the superior tetrachord, or on the fourth tone of the inferior tetrachord; position of the sharps.

Position of the flats.

Study of the key fa.

Binary and ternary groups.

With the lessons in theory should always be combined practice, intonation, dictation, and singing in unison should terminate each lesson.

Modern Innguages...

4

66

Commercial Geography-France considered in its relat ons with
foreign countries-history of France, and general history since

1789..

3

Cosmography..

Mathematics-principles of algebra-descriptive geometry..

Physics (heat, acoustics, light)..

Chemistry (inetals, notions of organic chemistry)..

Natural history-zoology the principal physiological phenomena)—

4

2

2

-;;

botany-geology.

Accounts-bookkeeping properly so called.

Drawing..

Gymnastics..

Singing.

In all.......

Information derived from the various parts of the empire shows that a certain number of pupils usually leave the special colleges at the end of the third year. The same takes place in Belgium, and took place in Germany and Switzerland during the first years after the introduction of practic. or special schools. But this much-to-be-regretted habit will gradually disappear in France, as it has disappeared on the other side of the Rhine, and in Switzerland, as soon as this system of construction, having been regularly organized, and having become more known and appreciated, shall have taken the place which is secured to it by the services it will render, and by the guarantees which the diplomas, given to the pupils in its name, will hold out to parents and to the public in general.

The third and fourth years' courses of the special schools will not lack pupils. The more advanced age, and the greater maturity of the latter, call for a greater breadth of instruction.

ETHICS.*

The third year constitutes as it were the course of rhetoric of the system of special instruction. Indeed the course even partakes of the character of the philosophical course in the lycées, insomuch as, although it is not proposed to teach methodically psychology and logic (which to be well understood require deeper and longer literary studies), the pupils are made practically acquainted with the essential and necessary features of these two sciences; they are taught ethics, which are accessible to all degrees of intelligence, and for which the catechism and the religious instruction have prepared the way. The object of the course of private and social ethics is to give the pupils a rational conception of the duties which we all have to perform.

The apprenticeship to these duties, which begins for man with the first dawn of reason, is prolonged during the whole period of education, and indeed during the whole of life. Every master, who has a sense of his true mission, devotes much care to developing in the mind of his pupils the moral sense, and the love of goodness. But these notions of duty which are, so to say, acquired from day to day, need to be coördinated and presented in their entirety, supported by the motives which justify and confirm them, which render them immovable, and make them one of the best guides of conscience. Such is the object of this new branch of instruction, which crowns and completes the lessons of the special school.

Industry has been accused of developing to excess the taste for material well-being, and of turning the thoughts exclusively towards the acquisition of that well-being. Our pupils being constantly recalled to the sense of their moral obligations towards themselves, towards society, and towards God, will be preserved from this danger.

This course should be less a series of philosophical lessons, than a course of morals in action explained by science, the professor endeavoring to make the precepts understood by examples, in the beautiful manner followed by Cicero in his treatise "On Duty." The object of the teacher should be to strengthen

* In the distribution of time allotted to ench lesson, one hour has been marked in the programmes as given to ethics, instead of one hour and a half, which will be required, but which will be an exception to the usual duration of each lesson. The administration of the lycées and colleges should however take care that the necessary time be allowed for this subject,

as much as possible in the hearts of the children by his lessons, and by his example, self-respect, filial piety, love of their country, and obedience to its laws. The university can not forget that ethics can not be taught like an exact science, and that the lessons of the master, if they are to penetrate the hearts of the pupils, must be supported by the authority of his own life.

The object held in view during the course of the third year, is to develop the headings in the programme which treat of the duties of man towards himself, towards his fellows, and towards God.

LITERARY COMPOSITION.

The principles of style and composition explained in the course of the preceding year, should be briefly recapitulated while reading again some of the fragments then read.

As regards the course of this third year, it should be devoted to literary exercises, such as narratives, letters, reports, dissertations; the narratives and the reports in order to teach the pupils to examine the various circumstances of a fact, to distinguish the succession of these, take in the ensemble, and to coördinate the details, in order to present the narrative in a clear and interesting manner, and with an appearance of verisimilitude; letters, because business matters demand a particular epistolary style; dissertations, that should be short and simple developments of moral truths, of some grand phenomena of natural history, which manifest to us the beauties of the plan of creation, and lastly of some event in history, which may give rise to serious reflections. During the last months of this year some notion should be given to the pupils of the art of arranging their ideas in proper order, and of expressing themselves with clearness, simplicity, and elegance.

A class-book of extracts from the best authors, to serve as models, and guides should be placed in the hands of the pupils. Each day an extract should be read by one of the pupils, then, the book being closed, the reader should endeavor to reproduce what he has just read, while his schoolfellows take notes for the purpose of completing his exposition, contradicting it, or correcting it as regards either form or substance.

This method teaches the pupils to speak, to reason and to discuss, faculties which it is of importance to develop in young people, who are at an early age to mix in business.

HISTORY OF THE LITERATURE OF FRANCE.

The professor should give a sketch of the literary history of France, connecting with it some of the most illustrious names in the literature of other countries, he should read extracts from Joinville, Froissart, and Commines, Montaigne and Malherbe, in order to reach Corneille, Molière, Racine, la Fontaine, Boileau, Descartes, Pascal, &c., whose works, together with those of some carefully selected authors of the present day, should form the real subject of his lessons.

He should commence each lesson with a biographical notice intended to make known to the pupils the author whom he is about to dwell upon, and to enable them to understand the allusions to the events of the author's life which are constantly being made in the writings of others, and in conversation, The master should then analyze the principal works of the author, should point out

the method of composition followed by him, the leading and the accessory ideas, the arguments, and the passion, if there be question of a speech; the characters and the plot, if there be question of a comedy or a tragedy; and lastly, he should indicate the order in which the author has developed his subject.

Part of the time should be employed by the pupils in reading aloud passages from the author whose writings have been analyzed. This reading, which is intended to make the hearers feel more thoroughly the beauties of the style and of the details, should be interspersed with questions which should afford an opportunity to the professor of completing the literary knowledge of the pupils, and of giving them an idea of the various kinds of composition which were not touched upon in the course of the preceding year.

As an exercise that should be repeated very frequently, the following is recommended: the professor having prepared a short and easy subject, and a very distinct summary, should indicate the most prominent ideas, and the order in which they should be placed. He should then desire one of the pupils to develop them aloud; his fellow-pupils, after having listened to him, should be at liberty to contradict him, and the master, in his turn, should then criticize the main features, as well as the form of the discourse. It is at first very diffi cult for the pupils to conform to this exercise; but as soon as they have got a little into the habit of it, they give themselves up to it with much pleasure, and it is very useful to them.

Their task should be to make a critical analysis of the literary extract read and commented upon at the beginning of the lesson.

MODERN LANGUAGES.

Continuation of the course, according to the same method followed during the preceding years.

As tasks, short, simple, and easy themes, to be written in the foreign language which the pupils are studying.

HISTORY.

History of France, and General History since 1789. In proportion to his education ought to be the knowledge of each man of the history of his country. Every Frenchman ought to be acquainted with, and to retain in his memory, the great things which have been accomplished by the monarchs, the clergy, the nobility, and the people, from the beginning of the monarchy down to 1789, and should know what part his forefathers took in the transformation of the ancient state of society, and the establishment of the new. It is especially important that the pupils of the special schools, who are to form the most intelligent part of the people, among those classes who devote themselves to ordinary arts of life, should be well acquainted with the progress made in modern times, in order that they may be preserved from that disdain of the present, and from that fatal striving towards the future, which prevents a man from forming a healthy appreciation of the times in which he lives, and from being an intelligent and useful member of society. The pupils should, therefore, study contemporary history during this year's course, in order that those among them who are unable to complete their studies may leave the school with some knowledge of what has taken place in France and in Europe. The course