the second, about 300 students,) and the sexes attached to charitable institutions, or Studj Accademici at Florence, comprising for which the scholars pay. The defecmedicine and the fine arts, we will confine tiveness, however, of all these different ourselves to Secondary and Elementary in- means of instruction is but too plain, when struction. it appears that the number of children who actually frequent school at any time is to the whole population as one to sixty.

Secondary instruction is afforded to males in five colleges, containing about 1200 scholars-seven superior Latin schools under the Padri Scolopj, with about 1800-to introduce improved methods of teaching, and twenty-one in the episcopal seminaries, with about 1000 boarders, besides some hundreds of day-scholars. Secondary instruction for females is given in establishments called Conservatorj, all under the direction of nuns, of which Tuscany possessments, regarding the diminution of popular es forty-three.

We come now to Elementary instruction, which is more properly the subject of our present inquiry. In the 247 comuni into which the Grand Duchy is divided, there are 230 government boys' schools where | the children are received gratis, besides others in the principal towns; but those in the country are often little frequented, the methods of instruction very defective, and their efficiency very small, from want of proper superintendence and direction. For the education of the females of the lower or ders, the government supports seven elementary schools in some of the principal towns, containing about 1700 girls. Be sides these, there are fourteen schools at the expense of the comuni, and others for both

Name of Place.

Florence

It is to compensate this great want, and that many of the most estimable inhabitants of the Grand Duchy, of both sexes and of all conditions, nobles, churchmen, lawyers, physicians, merchants, &c., have lately turned their united energies and acquire

ignorance and the improvement of the habits and morals of the people as the first step towards any real social progress.

The means which have been as yet employed for diffusing the blessings of education by private exertion in Tuscany, have been the establishment of infant schools and of schools of mutual instruction. The term Lancasterian schools would not give a proper idea of the method employed in these last, as they have adopted in them whatever alterations and anxious study of the wants of each locality, or the general principles of education, have suggested. We will first give a general view of the several institutions of both classes which have been as yet opened, and then proceed to a more particular account of some of them,

Leghorn

250

2

60

60

Pisa

A society

100

Siena

2

A society

50

50

The comune

200

Besides the infant schools above enumera-, this, the upper classes learn linear drawing, ted, another is shortly to be established in Florence on a liberal scale, for a hundred children, by Dimidoff.

which more hereafter) for six months. When a boy uniting these requisites is to be appointed monitor, the director summons all the rest of the body, and proposes to them the name of the intended member, asking if they know any objection to his admission. If no sufficient objection is stated, he is forthwith elected. The body of monitors, thus constituted,

The manner of learning to read is a great comes an interesting inquiry how this excelimprovement upon the irrational method ge. lent effect is produced. The possibility of nerally adopted, in which a child is made to arriving at a result so desirable seems to learn a number of names of letters, which he form one of the great advantages of the sysmust afterwards unlearn, in order to combine tem of mutual instruction, in which one boy these same letters into syllables. Our mean- is made responsible for the good conduct of ing will be best shown by an example. From his fellow-scholars. About a third part of knowing the names of the four letters w, a, l, l, the whole school form a body of monitors. how is a child possibly to conjecture that these They are selected by the director or master four long names combined together should from the higher classes, and, besides the inform a monosyllable, wall. Having been struction implied by their position in the taught to consider w as equivalent to "dou- school, they must be above seven years of ble u," a as equivalent to "ay," to "el," age, must not have been registered as insuand I to "el," how is he to guess that "dou-bordinate for a month before their election, ble u-ay-el-el," should be sounded wall. nor have been accused before the jury (of The names of single letters do not help at all to know how they should be pronounced when combined into syllables, particularly in English, where each vowel has so many different sounds. From knowing the names of the Greek alphabet, do we know the pronunciation of ancient Greek? The rational way of teaching a child to read is to begin by teaching the sound of each consonant is assembled every morning by the director, preceded and followed by each of the five vowels, and then combinations of the vowels and double consonants; then single syllables may be combined into words of two or more syllables. Indeed, we have known children learn to read quickly and correctly by be. ginning at once with an easy book, passing over all the tedious work of syllables without meaning. The first word was pointed out to the child and pronounced. The child, already knowing the word, soon caught the form of the printed letters which represented it, so as to know it again by sight whenever he met with it. In the same way he was taught the following words, and this, as they were really words, that he already knew by ear, and having a meaning attached to them, was much less of a task than the remember. ing a number of syllables with no meaning.* But to return to the constitution of the Leghorn school. In this institution are daily assembled 250 boys, belonging to a class of society in which harshness in the treatment of children is not rare, and yet the most perfect discipline and order are obtain ed without the use of corporal punishment. The 31st article of the directions to the master is to this effect: "The director is expressly forbidden to employ the rod, or to strike his scholars with the hand." It be

and he appoints those who shall serve dur-
ing that day in each class. Once a week,
one of the monitors is appointed by the di-
rector inspector general, and another, subor-
dinate to him, called the monitor.general.
The whole instruction and discipline of the
school are now in the hands of the monitors,
the director and his assistant having only to
overlook the whole, and see that all do their
duty. The monitors are forbidden to speak
to any of their class, or to allow them to talk
together, unless on the business before them.
At the end of each lesson, the inspector-ge-
neral goes round the whole school, and is told
by each monitor the name of the boy who
has been most diligent, and also of any one
that has been negligent, in each class, which
names he writes down on his slate. The in-
spector then returns to his desk at the head
of the room, and reads aloud the names of
the diligent and negligent, which he has re-
ceived from the monitors, which names the
director then copies into a register, or rather
he makes certain marks opposite to the names
of these boys in a register containing the
names of the whole school, and arranged for
that purpose, so that at a glance the conduct
of each boy may be seen at once.
At the
end of the day the monitors who have con-
ducted themselves well receive a mark of
approbation. Every Saturday, the monitors.
point out any boy in their class whom they
may think worthy of passing into a higher
one, and if, upon examination, the director
finds him fitted for it, he passes. Every two
months, when the visitor of the school goes
out of office, a general examination of the
whole school takes place, when any who are

found deficient are put back into an inferior | importance of this daily observation of the class, and a report of the whole is made by practical working of the system, in its mi. the visitor in writing.

For further encouragement to good conduct, one-tenth part of the school forms what is called the society of merit. The admission into this body is not confined to any particular classes, but is determined by the marks of diligence in the register, of which 150 are necessary, after the deduction of the marks of negligence, one of the latter cancelling four of the former. Besides this the candidate must not have been accused before the jury for a year, must not be above sixteen years old, and must be able to read, write, and cipher pretty well. When a vacancy is to be filled up, the director proposes three candidates, out of whom the rest of the society choose, by secret voting, one, who is admitted at the half yearly public distribution of prizes. The members wear a medal, are seated apart from the rest of the school on occasions of ceremony, and are presented to any distinguished visitor who comes to see the school.

nute details, cannot be too much insisted upon. It stimulates the exertions of the director and scholars, and affords the means of introducing innumerable little improvements, and of immediately altering whatever is amiss.

The chief difficulty attending the mutual system of instruction is to prevent the instruction conveyed by it from degenerating into a mere mechanical exertion of the memory, unconnected with the opening of the mind and the improvement of the reasoning faculties. Thus children will sometimes know all the words in a sentence, and read them correctly, without the slightest idea of the meaning of the whole. That this, however, is not a necessary defect in the system is proved by our experience in England, where it has been adapted not only to teach reading with intelligence, but to higher branches of knowledge, such as geography, history, drawing, and natural history. This effect is obtained by constantly requiring the monitors to call into exercise the reasoning faculties of their class, by questioning them on the meaning of every thing they learn, from their first entrance into the school.

The difficulty has been felt at the school

We come now to the jury, an institution destined to deprive the punishments inflicted of any appearance of passion, and to render them more imposing. Those who are capable of sitting on a jury are chosen, one from each class, by the rest of the boys of of mutual instruction at Florence, where the class. Half the number are changed upon each half-yearly distribution cf prizes. When a boy is accused of any offence, he selects from this body the jury who are to try him, which consists of four boys, presided over by the inspector-general. If the accused belong to the body of monitors, or to the society of merit, he may select his jury from those of his own class. The jury, having heard witnesses, and the defence of the culprit, communicate each secretly to the inspector the punishment which he deems just, and the director chooses, from their verdicts, that which accords best with the printed laws of the school. An account. of the whole proceeding is then entered in a register kept for that purpose.

the five higher classes receive instruction from the director in person, an exercise which is called sviluppo intellettuale. This is accomplished by each reading in turn a short paragraph, upon the meaning of which the director questions them, enlarging upon any point of morals, or other incidental subject, from which instruction may be derived. Besides this, some of the highest boys are required to write some little original composition while at home; such, for instance, as the history of a holiday or festival, a description of some incident, or a story which has been read to them.

We have already given so much space to the description of infant schools in Lombardy, that we must pass over in silence It is very much to the credit of the inha- those of a similar kind in Tuscany, particubitants of Leghorn that, amidst the affairs of larly as the latter are principally modelled commerce, in which most of the supporters on the system of Aporti above alluded to. of this school are engaged, those appointed We will only remark a most important acby the society to visit the school have been cession lately made by the society of infant found most diligent in the performance of schools at Florence, by the reception into this duty, though they are required to attend their body of twelve capi d' arte, or heads of daily each for two months in the year, to trades, a class who formerly possessed the make observations, receive applications for government of the Florentine Republic. admission, acquaint themselves with the The last report in reference to these indiconduct of all, and point out those de-viduals, says

serving of rewards; of all which particulars "It is known to you all, that those wonderthey have to present a written report at the ful moments, those superb edifices, those mamonthly meetings of the committee. The jestic temples, with which our city abounds,are

all the creations of that period in our history | ciples of morals, taught through the medium when the magistrates who ruled the Republic of the Italian language, to the first and were selected from our corporations of arts; second classes, three times a week; history when, under their direction, Florence was (ancient and modern), taught by means of the the arbitress of the fate of Italy."

Amongst the trades thus belonging to the infant-school society, through their representatives, we remark workers in wool and silk, booksellers, jewellers, dyers, cabinet-makers, gilders, tailors, carpenters, bricklayers, bakers, and others. The co-operation of this class of citizens enables the society to find certain employment for the children educated by them, at the period when their age obliges them to leave the school, which will in future be at eight years old, the society having lately resolved to add a third class to their school.

French language, to the first and second classes, three times a week; geography, to the first and second classes, by means of the English language, three times a week; writing, drawing, dancing, to all; grammar to

"the first class."

This school having a special object in view,-to afford a good commercial education, the course of study has been directed those who are to engage in commerce. to the objects which are most important to These appear to be, the knowledge of mankind in relation to their Maker and to one another, the knowledge of languages, of the Before we conclude this notice of the first efforts now in progress for the improvement that of the elements of mathematics. The most important productions of nature, and of public instruction in Northern Italy, we will give a short account of a commercial knowledge of man's nature, in his duties as a member of society, is communicated (in school, under the direction of Professor Doaddition to direct religious instruction) by veri, opened at Leghorn in August, 1833. This establishment resembles, in some remeans of a judicious selection of moral tales -read, discussed, and afterwards reduced to spects, our proprietary schools, the parents of the boys received into it forming a society, writing. On the day on which we had the by whom the professors are appointed, their pleasure of visiting the establishment, the lecture on morals commenced by the profes salaries and all expenses of the school defrayed, and the course of study arranged. class assembled round his desk, the essay of sor of that branch reading aloud, to the whole Hence it is called the school of the padri di each boy on the subject which had been famiglia (fathers of families); and at the pe-treated of in the last lecture. On that occa riod of our visit it contained forty boys, who sion a tale had been read aloud to them by attend school from 9 A. M. to 4 P. M. daily.

The affairs of the school are under the immediate superintendence of a committee chosen annually out of the whole body of parents, consisting of four inspectors and a treasurer. Each of the inspectors undertakes in turn the particular personal surveillance of the

the professor, and then again by some of the class; after which they had been questioned tions and developments were suggested. on the facts related, and appropriate reflec. Upon their return home, after school, each boy had written his account of the story in his own words, incorporating with it the re establishment for three consecutive months. flections of the professor. It was these esOn entering the school, we found all the children, having just finished a slight lunch says which the professor was now reading to the class, and upon which he remarked or eon, engaged in their amusements. It being a rainy day, last winter, a waltz was playing This appears an excellent method of teaching put questions to the boys, as he proceeded. on a violin in one room, and all the company composition and orthography, and answers there whirling gaily round. The rest were that end much better than the plan of forcing in another room, receiving instructions in drawing; both these accomplishments being upon a boy the irksome task of stringing to. here considered as recreations. The boys trite subject, under the name of a theme. gether some common-place sentiments on a are divided into three classes, and there being It will have been remarked that a pecuthree separate school-rooms, three professors lierity in this establishment is the method of can be engaged in instruction at the same teaching foreign languages in a practical way, time, the different classes proceeding from by making them the vehicle of instruction in other subjects.

one room to another at the conclusion of each hour. The course of instruction, as at pre- While the exercise above described was sent arranged, comprises the following sub-going on in Italian, the second class, in an jects:

"Sacred history and geography, to all, every Saturday; natural history, to all, three times a week; arithmetic and geometry, to the first class, three times a week. The prin

adjoining room, was occupied with a lesson in history, given by a native of France in his own language. He first read over and corrected, in the hearing of all, the portion of history which each boy had written in French,