The special intermediate courses of study

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Part of Philippine Craftsman

Title
The special intermediate courses of study
Language
English
Year
1912
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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
THE SPECIAL INTERMEDIATE COURSES OF STUDY. Jon:< D. DlH Lt-F, Superint.,nd.,n t of City Schools, Manila .. To be poo r in a wealthy countt·y, to be sick in a !!"OOd climate, to be inefficient among a progressive people, is a sign of unwise educational methods They were not taught to battle with the world or meet life's emergencies."-Thoreau. T HE period of experiment with the special intermediate courses of study is past, and this phase of educational work in the Philippines now stands out as one of the most prominent and successful featu res of this Bureau's activities. The specialized course had its definite beginnings in 1909. Prior to that time, the academic work of the intermediate grades had been supplemented by a certain amount of work in other lines which might tend to prepare the pupil for special activities after leaving school, or for better earning a livelihood, or merely for better living. The success of even this limited supplementing of the academic line of study was such that both the Director and the division superintendents soon became convinced that for different groups of pupils definite special courses should be organized, in order to meet the civic, industrial, intellectual. and commercial needs of the Philippine population. The diverse interests of any people are such that it was believed and has been proved that even in the intermediate grades it is not too early to give such variation in the lines of study to different pupils or different groups of pupils as may fit some for one thing and some for another, at the same time retaining for all a common basis of academic requirements. The necessity of following such a plan of procedure is all the more evident when we take into consideration that comparatively few pupils continue in school after finishing the intermediate course of study. It is not only in the Philippines that this argument obtains, but in the United States as well. For the benefit of readers not conversant with conditions in the Philippines, it may also be stated in this connection that the large majority of the pupils of the last year of the intermediate course are boys and girls of almost if not quite mature years, so that in so far as age is concerned, upon graduating lOG SPECiAL JNT£'RJJEDIATE COURS£'S 107 from the intermediate course they are ready to go out into the world and do for themselves. The question of specializing the work of the intermediate grades came to be the subject of serious consideration on the part of the former Director and his corps of di\'ision superintendents, especially during the early months of 1909. It was thoroughly discussed at the superintendents' convention in Baguio in ::\fey of that year, with the result that 2. few weeks later, the Director issued circular No. 70, announcing and promulgating the special intermediate courses of study in much the same form as they now stand. The following paragraphs are quoted from that circular, as a succinct statement of the conditions and arguments which Jed up to the promulgating of these courses: At the last con-·ention at Baguio the plan was discussed of specializing the intermediate course so as to enable a pupil to secure adequate training in shop work, farming, domestic science, or in preparation for teaching. The plan met with general approval. It would seem to have much to recommend it. The first object in sending a child to school is that he may learn to read, write, and cipheL·. This object may be attained by three or four years of constant attendance at school under good instruction. This much once ~ained, the child whose further education must be limited in amount should have the choice of what his fu1·ther study shall be and to what it will lead. The great mass of people the world over get no more than an elementary schooling of three or four years. In the United States the school life of the average child was ,&.1 years in 1900. American public-school statistics show a startling falling off from attendance in the last grades of the grammar school. The average boy is not interested in a school course which, after teaching him to read and write, appears to conduct him to no definite calling. In the United States he drops out of school at about the sixth or seventh grade. His schooling has trained him for no particular kind of usefulness; he belongs to the class of unskilled and untrained labor. These considerations arc presented to suggest that not merely here in the Philippines, but in the United States as well, a differentiation of the instruction in the last grades of the grammar-school course would seem to be highly desirable. Such a purpose as this has been aimed at here since the organization of our courses of study. The intermediate school was separated in 1904 from the primary school course in order to give it a distinct and practical character. From the very first, it was provided that the boy and the girl should receive instruction not only in the common branches, but in elementary science, and in such subjects as agriculture, tool-work, mechanical drawing, and housekeeping. But the effort to include all of these subjects in the intermediate training or every pupil threatens to result in overloading the course and in an insufficient training in the special branches pursued. Accordingly, hereafter the following intermediate courses will be recognized. lOB THE f'HIL!PPIN8 CRAf'TSMA N Then followed the outline of six separate courses of study fOl' intermediate grades: the general course, the course for teaching, the course in farming, the trade course, the course in housekeeping and household arts, and the course for business. The general course as announced was simply a continuation of the intermediate course of study as prescribed in former years. It provided for three years in reading, three in grammar and composition, three in arithmetic, two in geography, one in plant life, one in animal life or agriculture, one in Philippine history and government, one in physiology and hygiene, and three in manual training or other industrial work (for girls, housekeeping and household arts), and included drawing and music. The course for teaching provided for three years each in reading, grammar and composition, and ar ithmetic ; two in geography; one in plant life; one in agriculture and gardening; one in physiology and hygiene; two in music and drawing; one in Philippine history and government; one in school management and practice of teaching; one in instruction in native minor industries; and for the girls one yenr in housekeeping and household arts. The course in farming provided for three years each in reading, grammar and composition, and arithmetic; two in geography; one in plant life ; one in the theory of the elements of agriculture; one in physiology and hygiene; one in P hilippine history and gonmment ; and three years of three periods dailr in actual gardening and farm work. The trade course provided for three years each in English and arithmetic, two in geography, three in drawing, one in Philippine history and government, and three years of four periods daily in shop work. The cou rse in housekeeping and household arts prOYided fo r three years each in English and arithmetic, two in geography, one in Philippine history and government, three in sewing and garment-making, one in physiology a nd hygiene, two in weaving, one in cooking, and one in nursing and the care of infants. The course for business provided for three years in reading, two yenrs in grammar and composition, two years in ordinary arithmetic, one year in business arithmetic, two years in geography, one year in handwr iting and plain letter ing, one •. in spelling and dictation, one year in business correspondence, two years in bookkeeping, one year in commercial geography, one year in Phi lippine history and government, and three years in typewriting. A review of these courses will show that the Jines of work SPECIAL INTERMEDIATE COURSES 109 common to all are reading, arithmetic, and grammar and composition, but that after these the pupil in each distinct course is given such lines of instruction as tend to specially fit him for some particular sphere of practical usefulness. Disregarding a few details of really minor importance, no great difficulty was encountered in establishing one or more of these special courses in centers where intermediate work was already going on. In most of the provincial high schools, where, as a rule, intermediate classes were carried as an adjunct to the high school proper, instruction in manual training and domestic science had been given in connection with the old general course for several years, and the work of o1·ganizing the boys into classes taking the special trade course, and the girls into classes taking the special course in housekeeping and household arts was merely a matter of dropping or modifying one or two lines of academic work and increasing the special work in the proportion in which the academic work had been decreased. The teaching course was perhaps the easiest of all to establish, as it involved but little change from the general course other than that of providing for training classes of primary children, in order that actual practice work in teaching might be given. The course in farming is given only in schools connected with the various school farms of this Bureau. The course in housekeeping and household arts, having almost exactly the same proportion of academic and industrial work as the trade course or the farming course, may easily be given in connection with either one of those courses, as the teachers who handle the academic work in one course can handle it in the other at the same time. As a matter of fact these special courses were established and put into running order with scarcely any necessity of an increase in the teaching force, so that by the close of the year 1909-10, a fair percentage of all the intermediate schools had done something creditable in the way of departing from the former almost purely academic line of procedure. A year of experimentation with the special courses of study as promulgated in 1909 served to give a line on any defects in the plan; and when the comment of superintendents and teachers on the workings of the courses for that year had been summed up, it was found that the general impression was that the proportion of academic work was too great and that some of the subjects might as well be eliminated or combined with others. To this end circular No. 142, series 1910, was published by the present Director of Education, announcing the courses of study in a somewhat modified and more definite form. In that form 110 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTS.liAN these courses continued to be given until the close of the school year 1911-12, although many were of the opinion that the proportion of academic work had not as yet been sufficiently reduced. In December, 1911, a committee was appointed to go over these courses carefully and make definite recommendation as to further changes. This committee finished its work at Baguio in May, 1912, recommending some changes which have been thought to be almost radical. The principal change recommended is that of the reduction of the academic work of the general course to fou r subjects daily. This involves the elimination from Grade V of plant life as a separate subject; the elimination from Grade VI of animal life as a separate subject; the reduction in time to be given to geography from two years to one year, this to be given in Grade V; and the assignment of the subject of physiology and hygiene and sanitation to Grade VI instead of Grade VII. In addition to this the committee decided to recommend the definite requirement of one year of basketry, bamboo and rattan work or hand weaving for Grade V; one year of gardening for Grade VI; one year of woodworking for Grade VII; and the combining of the theory of the elements of agriculture, formerly given as a separate academic subject in Grade VI, with the general industrial subject of gardening. A few minor changes in the trade course, the farming course, and the course in housekeeping and household arts were also recommended. With the exception of the course in farming, the recommendations of this committee have not as yet been accepted by the Director, having been submitted to the field for general comment. The following scheme will illustrate the several courses as they now stand and as recommended for change by this committee. General CQUrse, as at preseltt. 1=-c .... v. 1 - ::~:::;::l::~itiQn. ~~(: ~thmctic. m.;:~~eo Goography. ' Plant Life. - - GradcVII. ~ Grammar and Comp<>sitiQn. GrammarandComJ><>Oiti<>n. Reading and Spelling. -- ...- - Muaic-2(1 minutes three Mu•ic-20 minut.,. three timcaaweek. timeoaweek. Drawing-twice a week. lnduotrial WQrk-~hree times a week. Girls. HouiiCkeeping,etc. Drawing-twice a week. lnduotrialWork-threej timeo a week. Girlo, Housekeeping, etc. SPECIAL INTERME'DJATE COURSES 111 General course, as proposed for revisi011. F ' G"weV, - Grammar and Composition. I Rc~ingandSpelling. ~t~O Arithmetic. m~z~~~ , Goop:raphy, M~i':!:/;-::.r:k'l_O"minute 1><>W:i~~ga - ,!:;;,t 20-minule peReadingandSpcllinK. ReadingandSpellinl(. History and Government. M••••· <>•~,_m;""'"'• l riodsaweek. Course for teaching, as at present. Grammar and Composition. Grammar and Composition. Grammar and Comp<>oition. ReadingandSJ>elling ReadingandSi>cHing, ReadingandSpellin~r. Arithm~t-ic. _ _ _ _ 1 m!~}~ ~:~.:;:;;· Goography, PhysiologyandHyp:iene. M~;~;-~~~~::.ull single peM!"~k.three full periods a D~~;;~":W!:~. d<>uble peDmw'"'-"''' -.~>. I · Inij£~~=." ~:~!~:~:E~~l~ *1!~~&-ri~~'"Ketc. Embroio.lcry lliotoryandGovernmcnt. School Man~•Kcmcnt and Methuds of Teaching:;;;•;,•'""'''''"~"' Drawing-tw<> d<>ublc periodsaw~'<:k. Course for teaching, as recommended for revision. F GrammarG::::~p<>oition. Gramma~:::°C:~D<>8iti<>n. Gramma::::~~~~=l . .., ..... ,, .. "'"'· I ReadingandSpdling, ~~Q ~hmetic. m!:~~ Geography. P~~~"k":'~ita~i:.~. Hyp:iene History and G<>vernm~nt. . M~l~t2~.~:-fi:~k~ M~.!iGr~~ ~rltlnl(, &arne :~=~:~:;em:::~~:c.~ I threeper~odoaweek. - - --- --Studyperlod. Studypcri<><l. Studypcriod. - - - - --p~wJ:'f.i:i'e ~:r'k~our P!~':i~f,:i",."lce W::'r"k'~four 'E~b_,''. tioneo a week. Boyo. t<meoaweek. Boyo,Gar. Stud,period. ,.._,, oame aa for ~reneral G _j <'Oune. Glrlo.LacclTUlk· denin~r. irl., Houoeln~randEmbroider)'. keepln~r. eu. 112 THE: PHILIPPINE' CRAFTS.l!AN The course in jarmiJ!O, as per Circular N o. 11.:!, series 1910. -1· G,.,.,v, -1-G""'v'. ' _Grammar and Com~l Grammar and Co~-ition. I. ~ngo.ndSpelling. ReadingandSpelhng. Grammar and Composition. ReadingandSJ><'~I Arithmetic-three double J>eri<xbaweek. Blackomithing-t"'O doubleperi<Xl~ a week ~ot~ Arithmetic, Agriculture- two;> double m~~~~ G-raphy. - - 1 M~h~~i~JSk!~hing-one doubleperiodaweek, c~'i!i~~~~k." double pe~·arm Work-fourconoecutiveveriododaily. T he course in fannin{!, as recommended for revision, and tentatively authorized by Circular No. 71, st<rics 1912. I G""'•V. r DR'f!" be divided inW '''"·en _or , ~~tperi<>d•. Onepee~oddat]y Same division of time and same •ubi<:<:ts in general as for Grad"" V and Vl. except that theoryofa~rriculturei o srh·en a doublcperi<>ddailyinorderto carryonlaboratorywork. ~'arm workcorreS])ondin~rlyd...,rca•ed byonet>eriod. tion, Samedivi$i<m of tim" and o.ame oubjecUJ t ... ~:n~~al as for The trade catlrse, as at present. Grammar and CompOsition. Grammar and Comi>O!Iition. Grammar and Com~iti<>n. , _ _ Arithmetic, The trade course, as recommended for revision. I G.~o V. - GrammarandComt>OSition. ReadinsrandSpelling. Drawing-<>nc double period daily. Grade VII. Grammar and ComPQ!Iilion. Grammar and Com~ition:__J inJr""(louble period twice a Dr~winJr""(louble period three week. EstimatinJr""(lou~ llm.,.aw<:ek. - --I periodonceaweek. _ Ro:adin~r and Spelling. R~cdrii~ ~;~~~'!!~rD.':.~~ I Shop Work-double period on I ' ShopW.ork._nedoublcperiod ~~~·7h~~d~wJZ~ri"coU:.=: Sh?P W~k-th~ee con•""u I daily utivcperiodoontheother uvepcrood•daoly. . ---~ twodayo_ . _ _ _ - - - - SPECIAL INTERMEDIATE COURSES 113 The COilrse in. housekeeping and househo/ll arts, as at present. I GradeV I. I GradeVll. 1 r G~ Compo:oition. _Grammar and Compoootion, Grammar and Composltlon. 1 R~ding and Sp~lling. ~~~Reading and Spelling. -1 Reading and Spelling. Arithmetic, Arithmetic. Hygiene and Home Sanitation. Hygiene and H<>me Sanitation, I'~~~~;~J:· Hygiene, and D';.";.:::rtwo double periods D';!:,~n.g-twodouble periods a D~a:z:::;,f"'two double periods Needlework- two double peN~lework-two double pc- Weaving- two double periods! riodsaweek. roodo aweek. aweck. £~~k-:-""" double period a E~~~k-:-"ne double period a •:~~'ic-:-""e double peri<o:l a w,~.v~~.~. two double period• Weaving-twodoublepcriods a Needlework- t.hreedoub~le !><!• L~., week. riodsaweek Cookin~eand Housekeeping- Cooking and llousekeepinl("'- Cookin~eand llousekeepingthreedoubleperiodsaweek. threedoubleperiodo aweek. twodoubleperiods awook. Same, us ueomme11dctl for revision. Grammar and Compoaition. Grammar and Compoaition. Grammar and Composition. ReadingandSpelling, HeadingandSpelling. ReadingandSpclling. Physiol.,gyand Hygiene. Drawing-one double period a Dra. win. g-one double period a Drawin~ne double period a I week. week. week. Needlework-four double pe- Needlework-four double pe- Needlework-four double periodo&week. roodoaweek. riodoaweek. - .I - - Cooking and HouoekeepinKth~eedoubleperiodoa wee~. Cookinl< and llouS<'keepin~, Cooking and llousekeEpin :i;~::::::Ou:~~~:~:n: ~~~:;_t~~~ ~~~-;¥~~ E~'Eic~~!e ~~~bf: a:.£. ·~·-· -- - - - - - - - -- -~· Grammar and Composition. The course for busine8s. I c .. ,.v, Gram~•on Read1nll' ' GradeVll.~ Buoin,.,$Correoponden~ __ J G""'!'raphy. Geography. _c._mm_'_'"-''_G __ ,.,_,, _ _ ::~::tiC ~ I Handwrot1ng and plam leU~r I Bookkeeping Bookkeepmg S~::mgand Dkta\lon Sp~lhn" --,,c::Dc-"~-,c-,,--lcH::C,.-w,-,-and Governme_M_ I Typewriting. Typewriting. Typewro\lng . Study I>C<'iod. I Stndy period. --'-'"-'"-'"-"'--NoTE.-No change in the course for business has been recomme11ded by the committee on revision. 114 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN Of the six courses prescribed for intermediate grades, the general course at once suggests itself as the easiest to give, owing to the fact that it follows the line of least resistance. Its purpose is almost entirely cultural and at the present stage of affairs it may be said to answer to the requirements of a course preparatory to specializing in later years along literary or historical lines. As the time for emphasizing this sort of educational activity in the Philippines is not as yet considered propitious, the Director has urged upon all division superintendents the advisability of organizing as great a number as possible of the pupils of the various intermediate schools into classes taking some one of the special industrial courses. The course for teaching is also largely cultural in its tendencies. However, a sufficient amount of industrial work and practice teaching is given to enable the graduates to secure some practical notion as to how they will have to apply their store of facts upon undertaking work in the school room. Ordinarily the graduate in the course in teaching will be fitted for taking charge of academic work in the lowest primary grades only. It may seem inappropriate that persons of as low attainments as graduates of the intermediate course should be considered fitted for the teaching service at all. However, when we take into consideration the immense area of the Philippines, their limited resources, the correspondingly limited resources of most of the pupils who seek to enter the teaching service, and the fact that there is but one normal school in the entire archipelago, it may readily be seen how an intermediate graduate may by a little special training be prepared to fill certain positions in the teaching service for which there would otherwise be no adequately trained personnel available at all. The courses upon which greatest emphasis is now being laid, and from which the greatest and most lasting results are expected, are the course in farming, the trade course, and the course in housekeeping and household arts. The Philippines being essentially agricultural, the first named of these three courses would suggest itself as worthy of much more than ordinary attention on the part of our educators. Jt is not an easy nor a brief task to put a school of this kind into working order. The establishment of a school farm necessitates the acquisition of an appropriate site, and progress in this connection has been slow, ar_. though sure. In these farm schools, aside from the ordinary academic work aimed to enable the pupil to read, write and calculate intelligently, he is taught the theory and practice of SPECIAL INTERMEDIATE COURSES 115 market gardening; poultry raising; building and repair of fences; care of school premises; tree planting; disposal of farm rubbish; the production of staple crops; fertilization; drainage; irriga. tion; nurseries; care, use, and breeding of farm animals; and fruit culture. One period daily is spent in the school room in the reading and discussion of texts, pamphlets, and bulletins, accompanied by appropriate indoor experimentation in seed selec. tion, planting and germination, this to be followed later by noting the various phenomena attending the growth and development of the plant. Three consecutive periods daily are given over to actual farm work. When the weather does not permit of out. door work the time is taken up in the farm shop, where the pupils are taught rough sketching, farm carpentry, repair work on buildings and equipment, rough construction work, horseshoeing, and such blacksmithing as is appropriate to the needs of the farm. The trade course at once suggests the aim of preparing pupils for such mechanical work as carpentry, furniture-making, and ironwork. The necessity of employing Chinese and Japanese carpenters on the private and public construction work in the Philippines, when such work might all just as well be done by Filipinos, was one of the strongest arguments for placing special emphasis on this line of instruction in our schools. Moreover, with the abundant supply of hardwood afforded by these Islands -wood which scarcely has its equal in point of elegance in any other country-there is every reason for believing that a young man properly trained along the lines of furniture-making should be able to become a producer of something which will find a ready sale and which may assist in turning the balance of trade, not only for himself but for his country, in a favorable direction. The academic work of this course is confined to grammar and composition, writing and spelling, and arithmetic. Abundant training in mechanical drawing, as prescribed in Bureau of Education Bulletin No. 32, Courses in Mechanical and Freehand Drawing, is given; and this is made to coOrdinate in such a manner with the actual shop work that it may be considered as industrial work itself. In general the plan is to have the pupil make a sketch of the article to be constructed, this to be followed up by the actual shop work of producing the article. The list of exercises to be accomplished satisfactorily during this course is mainly as follows: through mortise and tenon joint, blind tenon joint, pencil tray, lap butt joint, small drawer with lap butt joint, clothes cabinet, footstool, drawing board, T-square, 116 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN triangles, desk tray, panel joint, dovetail joint, drawer dovetail, wardrobe with drawer, lady's writing desk, school desks, stands for native stoves, teacher's table, domestic science table, book chest, filing cases, teacher's desk, bookcases, cupboards, industrial material cases, and field desks. Those particularly apt in this work do not find it difficult to complete all these exercises within less than the prescribed time; and for such pupils the construction of an additional list of articles may be required, as, for example, benches, stools, chairs, beds, writing desks, screens, windows, doors, and any other useful and salable articles in demand. As to the course in housekeeping and household arts, no small number of superintendents and teachers are of the opinion that this line of instruction is eventually going to produce more far reaching results than any other line of instruction that has ever been given in these Islands. The whole aim of this course is to improve the home conditions of the people as a whole. This is a somewhat delicate subject to handle, inasmuch as the results of this line of instruction must inevitably constitute in general a radical change over conditions which have heretofore existed. The teacher is under the particular necessity of approaching the subject from a sympathetic standpoint rather than from one in which she might appear as an apostle of new things, advertising her methods as superior to those already practiced in the home. The current notion of a course of instruction in domestic science is that of teaching cooking, sewing, and immediately related subjects. Here the work must go much further than that. The inculcation of the doctrine of pure air; sunshine; cleanliness of body, clothing, house and premises; the prevention of disease; active sympathy for the sick and distressed; and proper notions of ethical relations, is quite as necessary a part of the daily program as exercises in cooking, darning, sewing, and embroidery. The aim of this course is such as to make inappropriate the use of the word "science" in denominating it; it deals with the whole range of subjects constituting a knowledge of home-making from a practical standpoint, and for that reason it is called "housekeeping and household arts" rather than domestic science. The sympathetic teacher takes as her basis the conditions as they exist and endeavors to teach the girl how to make the very best of those conditions without added expense t'o the family, the conditions in many homes being such that only with difficulty could additional equipment be provided. The special work offered in this course consists of three years SPECIAL JNTERMEDJ.4.TE COURSES 117 each in needlework, cooking and housekeeping, hygiene and home sanitation, and ethics, the time allotted to these subjects being in the ratio of four, three, one, and one. In addition to this, one double period a week is given to freehand and decorative drawing, and one period daily to grammar and composition, reading and spelling, and arithmetic respectively. Under the subject of needlework is included everything that a girl should know, not only to keep down expense in the home but in order to enable her during any spare moments she may have to be a revenue producer. Plain sewing, darning, mending, garment making of all sorts, embroidery, lace making, Irish crochet, and other similar fancy work are taught throughout the three years. The work in cooking is peculiarly adapted so as to adjust itself to Philippine food supply conditions, the materials and ingredients being almost invariably such as are within the easy reach of a Philippine family of average circumstances. Even the equipment in the school kitchen consists mainly of such simple utensils as one is apt to find in the average Filipino home, and it must be said in this connection that the Filipino is an expert in converting such simple materials as coconut shells, fire clay, tin plate, bamboo, and coarse abaca cloth into very appropriate and useful utensils for kitchen use. The instruction proceeds, for example, upon the theory that if a coconut shell spoon or dipper, which can easily be made by anyone, serves the purpose just as well as a similar utensil made of enamel ware, there is no reason why the expense of buying the latter should be incurred; that if food can be properly prepared on a clay oven there is no reason why the clay oven should not be used rather than to expect the family to equip the kitchen with an expensive oil stove or wood or coal burner. Much of the attention given to cooking is directed toward the proper preparation of rice and corn, which will in all probability continue to be, and should continue to be, the principal cereal foods of the Filipinos for all time to come. As to housekeeping, the following may be cited as some of the many simple but useful things taught: removing stains, makmg soap, uses of petroleum, bleaching, dyeing, cloth making. In the work in hygiene and home sanitation particular emphasis is laid upon such subjects as the cleanliness of the person, house and premises; the prevention of disease; the ventilation of the house, particularly the sleeping quarters; the effects of sunlight as a disinfectant in the home and on the premises; the proper use of ordinary disinfectants; the care of the sick; first aid to the injured; treatment of colds; what to do in case of burns and faint118 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSJIA.V ing fits; the necessity of keeping the premises rid of flies and mosquitoes; the necessity of exercise; the care and feeding of infants; and such topics in physiology as could not appropriately be discussed in a mixed class. The work in ethics involves instruction in the elementary principles of character building, manners and right conduct in the home, in school, and on all public occasions. The course for business has the twofold purpose of fitting young men and women for minor clerkships in go\·emrnent and business offices and of giving appropriate training to such pupils as may find it possible to engage in commercial undertakings for themseh·es. This course is particularly well adapted to the needs of any pupil who contemplates taking later on some one of the courses offered in the Philippine School of Commerce or in any business school of similar category. Owing to the intermediate pupil's comparatively imperfect knowledge of English, no attempt is made to introduce stenography into this course. The following table shows the distribution of intermediate pupils of all three grades by courses at the close of the school year 1911-12: ~~E ~~ ti!l 2. • ~ 2.11'::2 32 '·~ l."'fl - - - ---From this table, it will be noticed that almost half of all the intermediate pupils in the Islands are enrolled in the special industrial courses. It should also be remembered in this connection that of the 13,824 pupils enrolled in the general course, practically all of the boys are required to take three years of two periods daily in industrial work (one year in basketry, bamboo and rattan, or handweaving; one in gardening; and one in woodworking; or one rear in gardening and two in woodworking, as the present requirements permit), while practically all of the girls are given three years of two periods daily in housekeeping and household arts. The only difference between the special courses in farming, trades, and housekeeping on the or1e hand and the special industrial work given in connection with the general course on the other is that in the general course the special work is more abbre\'iated-given in the "short form,'' so to speak. SPECIA.L JNTERMEDJA.TE COURSES 119 One of the few real difficulties encountered in putting these special courses upon an entirely satisfactory footing is that of appropriate textbooks. Even in the ordinary lines of Philippine school work, the books appropriate for pupils in the States have almost invariably been found inadequate and unsatisfactory. For this reason, all the books now prescribed for primary grades, and nearly all those prescribed for intermediate grades, have been written especially for the Philippine schools. And for the special intermediate courses, not only the textbooks used in the States, but those appropriate for the general intermediate course as well, fail to cover the ground which it is desired to cover. The result is that the Bureau is confronted with the necessity of making textbooks suitable to the needs of these special courses. A considerable amount of effective work has already been done along this line, but there is still much to be done. Bulletin No. 32, Courses in Mechanical and Frehand Drawing, has been published, the plan being such as to meet the needs of the pupils of either the special trade course or the drawing classes in the general course. Bulletin No. 35, Housekeeping and Household Arts, has also been published. In its present form, this bulletin serves as a manual for the teacher and is adequate only for classes in housekeeping in the general course. In order that it may be made appropriate for use as a textbook in the special course in housekeeping, this manual will have to be expanded into something like three or four times its present content. The work of expanding this manual into appropriate textbook form is already under way. In lieu of a textbook in woodworking, the Bureau has published in circular form appropriate outlines for this phase of industrial work. The two most pressing needs in this connection at present are a textbook in physiology and hygiene appropriate for the girls in the special course in housekeeping, and one in agriculture for the boys in the special course in farming. Another book that would come in handy would be something along the lines of Philippine basketry, bamboo and rattan work, and handweaving. However, it is anticipated that by means of appropriate articles published in THE PIIILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN, these lines of industrial education may be satisfactorily handled. Horace Mann said that when the teacher fails to meet the intellectual needs of the pupil, it is a case of asking for bread and receiving a stone; but that when he fails to meet the spiritual needs of the pupil, it is a case of asking for fish and receiving a serpent. The implantation in the Philippines of a system of education that failed to meet the material needs of the people would be a case of the blind leading the blind.