he goes as one familiar with every possibility of the country and not as a stranger. I might multiply this by similar examples drawn from Belgium and France, but it would be duplication, and Germany seems to have a long lead. It is a matter which we can well take under consideration; for, blessed as we are with natural advantages which have rendered easy thus far our commercial supremacy, it needs no tongue of a prophet to foretell that with the decrease of these advantages, consequent upon a more thoro occupation of the country, we cannot hold our own in the markets of the world unless we train equally well our agents and factors. We have been prone to believe that to give a boy his elementary instruction, and a year or two, or perhaps all, of his high-school course, and then turn him into business, relying on his native shrewdness and adaptibility to push along, is sufficient for a business training. It may have been under old conditions; it is not enough in the present-day world-competition. Our so-called business colleges have been a makeshift and devoted to turning out bookkeepers and stenographers-good enough in their way, but a short way. They can contribute nothing to the solution of the question unless they are thoroly reorganized. Two or three cities have provided for high schools of commerce, but they are as yet John the Baptists crying in the wilderness. The question has come, and come to vex us till we solve it. Among the great crowd of scholars, statesmen, business men, and others who visited us at St. Louis last summer, no nation was better represented than Germany. They came not only to see, but to take notes, and since their return their comments have been many and varied. These opinions have been carefully observed and reported by Consul-General Mason, of Berlin, and embodied in a report to the State Department. Among other things he says: There are, say these critics, a pervading ignorance and indifference about everything outside the United States that, from the German standpoint, will be, unless corrected, a serious handicap in our quest for foreign trade. The careless confidence with which agents and salesmen are sent abroad, with no special preparation and with no knowledge of any language but their own, to do business in countries where only a trifling percentage of the population understands English, strikes these careful, methodical European experts as amazing. The meagerness of technical education, the trifling annual contingent of chemists, engineers, educated dyers, weavers, and electricians, as compared with the throng of lawyers, physicians, dentists, and unspecialized graduates turned out by our colleges and universities, seems to them short-sighted and improvident. The high standing and excellence of a half-dozen great technical schools in the United States are frankly conceded; but what are these in a country of 80,000,000 of people, in which practically every student is destined for an active and useful life? But most surprising of all appeared to the German visitors the absence of any adequate system of special education for commerce, banking, and foreign trade. Reduced to simplest terms, these investigators generally conclude that the reliance on a general and more or less superficial education, together with natural adaptability, to fit young men for almost every walk in life, and the lack of specialized study in physical science, modern languages, and the industrial arts, will, if persisted in, neutralize much of the advantage which our country enjoys through natural resources and advantageous geographical position for the South American, Mexican, and Asiatic trade. Without enlarging further, these seem to me the two greater lessons to be drawn from the foreign educational exhibits. With the first we may well remain content, as our system seems absolutely unassailable; with the second we shall have to reckon. Concerning some of the special features, no account of the exhibit would be justified unless mention was made of the wonderful scientific exhibit of the faculties of the German universities. From the elaborate medical exhibit, which was the delight of every physician who visited the grounds, to the exhibit of instruments of precision and scientific research, it was unsurpassed. This is a scientific age, and naturally the exhibits of the universities would assume that form; but everything has its reason, and this exhibit seems to me a magnificent attempt on the part of Germany to demonstrate that in the field of special training, particularly in biology and medicine, her universities are still the foremost in the world. In view of the marvelous advance of American universities in this respect in the last fifteen years, and the acceptance of the idea that it is no longer necessary for American students to be trained abroad, the exhibit assumes a most interesting aspect, even if it may not be deemed to become historic in its purpose. The Swedish exhibit was particularly interesting to Americans on account of its sloyd, which brought to many the source of inspiration pure and undefiled. A rich display of pupils' manual work was brought over, as well as a thoro exemplification of the Sloyd Training College at Nääs, the original home of the Swedish National system. Another interesting feature of the exhibit was the chart describing the lectures on social topics before the Secondary School for Girls in Stockholm. Among the topics for 1904 were: "Features of the Swedish Poor-Law Administration," "Private Charity in Stockholm," "Housing Question," "Legal Position of Swedish Women," "Social Settlement Projects and Their Practical Realization." Perhaps no exhibit was richer in suggestive details than that of Belgium. Blessed with a fruitful peace of seventy-five years, enjoying the respect and legal protection of its powerful neighbors, it has an enviable record for continued improvement of the condition of its people, materially, intellectually, and morally. All the elementary public instruction is directed by the communes, represented by a council of seven members as a minimum, thus placing in a small board supervision over a small area. The teachers enjoy security of position, with rights of appeal, guaranteed by the constitution. Their salary is fair, bringing a regular increase at recurring intervals, and carrying with it lodgings at the commune's expense. At the age of fifty-five or sixty years they are entitled to retirement on a pension equal to two-thirds the highest salary they have received. Efficient government and cantonal inspectors visit each school at least twice a year. Four times a year each cantonal inspector meets, by districts, every member of his teaching staff. Attendance. is compulsory; expenses are paid. Teachers selected by lot (here is a good point) give to the children of the school where the conference is held two prac tical lessons, relating to the theoretic questions treated in the papers submitted to the conference. After the pupils are dismissed, these lessons are criticised by those present. Over sixty per cent. of the teachers who begin in a commune finish their life-work in the same commune. You can readily infer the devotion and pride they bring to the advance of their schools, and the power of their influence over the community. The commune provides also a garden where the elements of agriculture taught in school are practically explained and demonstrated. The trees and flowers planted are placed under the protection of the pupils, and, while contributing to their æsthetic development, promote also a respect and guardianship for public property. More might be said of their professional training, their continuation schools, their intensive study of agriculture; but the time limit forbids. In the three countries of France, Austria, and Italy the industrial training stood forth pre-eminent. France, it is true, gave in charts and printed volumes a full record of the work of her primary, secondary, and higher instruction; but, unfortunately, it was not so installed as to be easily studied, and all information obtained had to be dug for. Her attractive and carefully considered exhibits came from the higher professional primary schools maintained by the cities and under the supervision of the ministry of commerce and industry. The exhibits of the art and industrial schools of Austria and Italy have never been surpassed on American soil, and were at once the admiration and despair of American critics. The exhibits of both nations were limited to Groups IV and VI, Art and Industrial Education. The international jury on Group IV said: We feel, as jurors, that it is a part of our duty to call the attention of American educators to these excellent exhibits [referring particularly to Austria], as showing that art is not only an ornament, but an excellent investment when properly directed. These schools, as well as the excellent schools of Great Britain and Ireland, are under the direct control of the government, and opportunity is given pupils to perfect themselves in all art-industrial pursuits; special training being supplied for those who are fitting themselves for foremen and directors of manufacturing establishments wherein an art-knowledge is necessary. Special attention is given in various schools to local industrial demands. The art schools of Great Britain and Ireland have been mentioned in the foregoing extract, but the typical feature of the English exhibit was the selection of certain features of schools, or of class work, and their presentation in a most attractive manner. This policy accorded very well with the unorganized and varied educational efforts, public and private, state and church, which are to the American mind inextricably interwoven in English educational administration. It certainly had the merit of clearly setting forth many admirable features of English schools. From the Orient the great exhibit was from Japan, whose statistical charts set forth in a most graphic way the marvelous growth of education in that country since 1867, when the old system of education gave way to the western system. The development in the last ten years has to be seen to be credited. The percentage of elementary-school attendance is nearly 92 per cent. Every group in the official classification contained Japanese exhibits, but, in accordance with the theory of the country's development, great stress was laid upon art as applied to the trades and industries. The exhibit of the University of Tokio was specially remarkable in the field of applied science. It was very easy to note the marks of American influence in every field of administrative effort. The exhibit of the Chinese commission was interesting from two facts. It was the first exhibit of Chinese education ever made, which gave it, as coming from the oldest recorded civilization, an intense historical value; and, second, the interesting comparison between the old education and that introduced by means of foreign schools in the seaport towns. Little progress has been made by the latter compared with the field of possibilities, and the contrast with the supremacy in Japan of western methods is striking. The exhibits of the Latin-American nations were attractive and instructive, particularly Cuba, where the steady growth from the impetus given by American occupation is gratifying, and in Argentina, where the progress of public instruction in the more thickly settled section, and the growth of normal schools, are highly creditable. Brazil showed great unevenness, ranging from the excellent administrative system of the province of San Paulo to practically nothing in the northern provinces but unorganized private effort. The same may be said of Mexico, but in each of the four countries were many beautiful and progressive exhibits from higher educational institutions. Such is a brief résumé of the more prominent features of the foreign exhibits. Those of you who attended the exposition know well their wealth of material, to which could have been given months of careful study; and their installation, which was characteristic in a high degree of the individuality of the nation. We feel confident that an opportunity has been given for comparative study which will not occur again in our generation, and we shall rest highly content if the educational public deems it worthy in a remote degree of the high ideals which governed the inception of the Exposition of 1904. II. THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT, EXCLUSIVE OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION ELIPHALET ORAM LYTE, CHAIRMAN OF GROUP ONE AND OF THE DEPARTMENT JURY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND MEMBER OF THE SUPERIOR JURY There is a limit to the utility of the laboratory method in acquiring the art of teaching. Experience is a dear teacher often, and always when the experiment must be made upon the growing and aging mind. What has been accomplished by others blazes the way for us. All exhibitions of the products of man are educational, both in teaching us what has been done and in showing us what may be done, and thus saving time and energy that we might otherwise expend in doing again what has been done, or in trying to do what cannot be done. The most striking characteristic of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was the predominance of the educational idea, not only in the Educational Department, but also in most other departments. While the exhibits of school work in the Educational Department seemed in many cases to be almost too exhibitional-if I may use the word-it is true that many of the exhibits in the various other departments of the exposition were largely educational. The erection of a separate building in the most conspicuous part of the exposition grounds devoted to educational purposes was in harmony with the dominant idea seen and felt in all departments. The incarnation of this idea at St. Louis was one of the most flattering testimonials which the world has offered to the profession of teaching, and its effects will be seen in the greater dignity with which the vocation of teaching will be regarded in the twentieth century. World's fairs crowd upon us so fast that the recollection of one has not lost its vividness before the next one treads upon its heels. The changes made in any department of progress can consequently be seen without effort. In some respects St. Louis repeated Chicago, which in turn repeated Philadelphia. But there were many new and striking features in the educational department at St. Louis. The rural-school exhibit stood out as never before, as witness Indiana and Pennsylvania; the great high schools of the great cities commanded respect and admiration; and many other institutions devoted to general education and numbers of special schools showed new methods and marked improvements on older ways. Too much credit cannot be given to Hon. Howard J. Rogers, chief of the Department of Education, for his labors in providing a suitable building for education, in arousing the country to the importance of the exposition, in securing from all classes of educational institutions representative products of their labor, and in the intelligence and skill displayed in so arranging the entire exhibit that it was easy for a student to obtain an intelligent idea of it. The division of the exhibit into eight groups and twenty-six classes enabled the student to find what he desired to see without waste of time. These eight groups consisted of: Group I, Elementary Education, with its four classes: (1) kindergarten; (2) elementary grades; (3) training and certification of teachers; (4) continuation schools, including evening schools, vacation schools, and schools for special training. Group II, Secondary Education, two classes: (5) high schools and academies, manualtraining high schools, commercial high schools; (6) training and certification of teachers. Group III, Higher Education, five classes: (7) colleges and universities; (8) scientific, technical, and engineering schools and institutions; (9) professional schools; (10) libraries; (11) museums. Group IV, Special Education in Fine Arts, two classes: (12) art schools and institutes; (13) schools and departments of music, conservatories of music. Group V, Special Education in Agriculture, one class: (14) agricultural colleges and departments, experiment stations, instruction in forestry. Group VI, Special Education in Commerce and Industry, four classes: (15) industrial and trade schools, evening industrial schools; (16) (a) business and commercial schools, |