E.—ls.

34

that the'graduates* have taken with them this knowledge directly applicable to the specialised duty of woman —care of children. " They have it, further still, in their power to keep or aid in keeping a sanitary, beautiful, and economical home, and a nourishing, dainty, and economical table, that will protect and promote the health and comfort of the members of the household of whatever age they may be. They can deal with emergencies, such as slight or sudden illnesses, in a way made clear by the simple scientific truths they now possess ; they can check the spread of contagious diseases, and assist in the prevention and cure of tuberculosis. They have left us, too, with the spirit and the gift of helpfulness to this generation and to those to come. " In the scheme of correlation which underlies our present school system, we have put before them, in dictations, recitations (i.e., lessons), and notes, English applicable to the needs of their domestic life. The vocabulary to which they have been accustomed with us, and the literature in which they have become interested, we believe will insure their co-operation in the advances developing about them, and will give them the pleasure of keeping intelligently abreast of their time in their own sphere. " We have used history and geography to teach the evolution of the house and its furnishings, with the comparison of the household customs of the different nations as a background for their point of view in the development of a simple, harmonious taste. " They have applied mathematics with us to the household details of measurement and expenditure, the latter having become in all reality a problem for the foreigner unaccustomed to our markets, and for every one, under the increased cost of living. " The study of botany and bacteriology has given them a solid reasoning basis, when dealing with yeasts in bread-making, moulds in canning, malignant germs in uncared-for food, such as lurk in the uncovered milk and soup, even to the disease-danger in a dirty dishcloth, or an unclean refrigerator. " Physiology and hygiene are the double foundation upon which each meal is planned and cooked, with regard to the age and condition of each partaker. " Physics determines for us house-location ; its plumbing, its heating, its ventilation, down to the economic trifles that as a whole constitute good management, such as the low flame which will keep water boiling. " Chemistry has become so much a part of the theory back of each practical lesson that it belongs to every department of our work. It enters into the first lessons upon air and water, follows in the lessons upon cleaning, is the explanation of numerous facts in cookery, and in its application to digestion it determines the choice and preparation of food. In laundrywork it is an exponent of the dissolvents to be used or avoided. If our girls utilise all they have learned, we may say that they have become the crowning results of civics—good householders." School Libraries. New York has an excellent system of school libraries ; these are generally arranged in departments —namely, school reference, library, teachers' library, class reference libraries, and class circulating libraries, each class above the first grade having its own library. In the year 1905-6 four hundred and sixty-eight of the 485 elementary schools of the city had libraries ; the total number of volumes was 509,965, and the total circulation was 5,964,442 ; the cost was borne by an appropriation of £5,544 from the city, and an equal amount from the State, all of which is by law expended for books. The expense of administration of the head library office was £942 ; in the separate schools the teachers act as librarians gratuitously. It will be seen that the yearly circulation was nearly twelve times the number of volumes ; this, it must be remembered, is for ten months only, the time during which the schools are open. The New York Public Library, with a million and a quarter volumes, had a circulation during the 3 r ear of a little over four millions. Looking at the facts in another way, it may be said that on the average each adult in New York took out one book during the year, and each child in the elementary schools took out eleven books in ten months. This fact bears witness to the interest taken by the children, and also inferentially to the wise choice exercised in purchasing the books. The cost of the school libraries (for children and teachers) was 4d. per pupil, or a little over id. per head of the population. The children are encouraged to speak and write in school about the books they have read. The Superintendent of Libraries says,—

* Those who have completed the school course.