EASTERN DISTRICT.

Lower Jeddore West and Taylor's Head.

RURAL DISTRICT.

Every section had school in operation either in winter or summer term.

Arrangements have been made for the opening of schools in Beech Hill, Lower Jeddore West and also at Goodwood, the latter will accommodate part of the children from Green Head.

Diphtheria has been prevalent in many parts of the county, and has probably been one of the principal causes of the decrease in the grand total days' attendance. During the winter term the school attendance of many sections in Musquodoboit was materially affected. The school at Owl's Head was closed from the Christmas vacation; those of Chaplin and Henry sections were partially closed in the summer term, and also one department of Herring Cove entirely.

The above statement includes Dartmouth, where the Principal receives from the section $880.

In regard to the progress of our schools, although some are unsatisfactory, it is pleasing to add that the majority have given substantial marks of improvement, both in order and discipline and in the character of the work done. The reading, writing and arithmetic especially afford tangible evidence of the truth of this statement Last year I reported as follows: Very Good, 19; Good, 31; Poor, 35. This year I have marked 21 Very Good, 37 Good, and 23 Poor. Ten of the latter held Grade E., and the remainder are estimated as Fair. City Schools. I have given all the time at my disposal to the inspection of these schools; but, in spite of all my efforts, and for a reason to which I shall presently call your attention, I have only been able to visit 93 in the winter term and 95 in the summer term. We have a large number of excellent teachers, whose orderly and well taught schools are a standing evidence of their ability; others, who, while less gifted, are faithfully trying to do honest work; and some who are, and always will be, inefficient. But the full and careful report presented by the City Board renders it unnecessary for me to go into minute details.

We have in Halifax County 127 sections, and in many of these, owing to poverty and other causes, the schools are placed in charge of young and inexperienced teachers, many of whom have had no professional training, and, in some instances, have never even had the opportunity of attending a really well-conducted school. I have always felt that if I could, at the beginning of the term, make a hasty visit to these schools, give hints and suggestions, and mark out a general plan of the work to be done, and then, towards the end of the term, make the regular visit, a great deal of good might be accomplished; but, up to the present time, this has been impossible, because, in the months of May and November, I have been obliged to meet three Boards of Commissioners, make up the Government and County sheets, and pay teachers. Owing to the size of Halifax County, and the large number of schools in the city, this multiplicity of duties, together with the length of time consumed in travelling to reach the Boards in Musquodoboit and Sheet Harbor, has always been a serious hindrance to the regular work of inspection.

But now that large Inspectoral Districts are to be the order of the day, the same difficulty will be experienced throughout the Province. Allow me to suggest, therefore, that, as the present is a period of reconstruction, it would be well, by rearranging this matter, to obviate this inconvenience and loss of time at the commencement of each term. Respectfully,

TO DAVID ALLISON, ESQ., LL.D.,

Superintendent of Education.

H. CONDON.

HANTS COUNTY.

REV. J. D. MCGILLIVRAY, Inspector.

SIR,-Below please find my report for the last school year. During the winter term 16 out of the 98 sections in Hants were without school. In the remaining sections 98 schools were in operation. These were taught on an average 110.63 days. Only 15 made out the full term of 118 days. But 74 were in session from 100 days to 117. The number of visits of Inspection made to all these was 105. Owing to the state of the roads North Beaver Bank was not visited. As the condition, attendance, books in use, etc., in each were reported on separately to the Boards, and anything in it or its management calling for special remark was specified, I will here merely say that on the whole the schools were in fair condition. The state of much of the weather and of the roads interfered a good deal with the attendance.

The total number of pupils registered in all the schools was 4381. The pupils registered in West Hants made an average of 60.23 days, and those of East Hants an average of 59.22 days. The principal branches studied were reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, geography, (General and Canadian). Then follow, at considerable distance behind in point of numbers engaged in study, British history, composition, Canadian history, (mainly Nova Scotia,) drawing, (mainly of maps), algebra, geometry and book-keeping. A few study chemistry, latin, natural philosophy, navigation, and a very few some other branches.

Two

In the summer term only five sections were without school. of these, Cogmagun and Hillsdale, were among the number closed during last winter. In the remaining 93 sections, 106 schools were in operation. The average time during which these were open was 104.80 days. Only nineteen were in session the full term of 112 days. Forty in East and thirty in West Hants were open from 100 to 111 days. Four in East and six in West Hants were open from 80 to 99 days, and six in East and one in West Hants for less than 80 days. The preparatory department in South Maitland (Rockville) was not opened after holidays, owing to the sickness and death of the teacher, Mr. Fred Creelman, a young man who succeeded in the first part of the term in raising great expectations of his success as a teacher in the section. The preparatory department in Upper Selma and the Burncoat School closed about the time of the holidays, by lapse of time of engagement with teacher. For the same reason the preparatory department in Walton closed about the 1st of October. The three departments in Maitland were closed for eight days; the two in Shubenacadie for six; the school in Poplar Grove and Kennetcook Church for ten; that in Northfield for fifteen; and that in Ellerhouse for twenty-five days,--all on account of diphtheria. The number of visits of inspection made during this term was 115. These do not include a visit to Northfield, where I found the school closed, nor the

preparatory department at Rockville, also found closed. The condition of the schools indicated diligence on the part of the teachers, but their efficiency was much interfered with by irregular and often slim attendance.

In the summer term the total number registered in all the schools was 4841. The principal branches studied are the same as in winter

term.

The new text books in arithmetic will, in my opinion, lead to greater efficiency in that branch. In the October number of the "Journal of Education" you acknowledge yourself "in labyrinthine mazes lost" in your efforts to arrive at the reason why Macmillan's Science Primers have not come into more general use in the higher departments of our graded schools. The main reason is the irregular attendance of scholars, which makes it so difficult to secure regular class work and satisfactory progress in the ordinary branches generally regarded as essential, and the very limited number that follow up their studies through the different grades. Our experience hitherto in Hants has been that one plan of grading is allowed to stand for about one year or two at most. By that time the most advanced department has dwindled down to a very small number. Then a movement is demanded to fill up that department with new recruits, and the teacher may consider himself fortunate if he can fill up his room from the next lower grade, and is not obliged to receive from different departments, besides a number that come in and are sent to the highest department to study one or two branches, which they must be permitted to attend to exclusively or they will not attend at all. While on this subject of special branches I may remark that I am often surprised at the disinclination of teachers to give instruction in the theory and practice of music-one of the subjects enquired after in the returns. From notices which I have seen I infer that singing receives very considerable attention in the common schools of England. Its importance as an agent for good, physical, moral and religious, where it receives its fair share of attention; the extent of its utility, being limited to no particular circle, give it strong claims to consideration. But only one or two schools profess to give any instruction on the subject. In the rest no more is done than to sing a popular hymn or school song on special occasions during the day, generally with little regard to the manner of performance or the number who engage in it. Improvement here must be begun with the teachers.

Of the 98 teachers employed during the winter term, 35 were males-2 A, 10 B, and 10 C in West Hants, and 8 B, 3 C, and 2 D in East Hants; 63 were females, 16 C, 5 D, and 5 E in West Hants; and 18 C, 14 D, and 5 E, East Hants. Of these, 27 in West Hants and 20 in East Hants were engaged in the same section as during the previous term.

Of the 110 teachers employed during the summer term, 34 were males and 76 females. Of the former, West Hants employed 2 A, 9 B, 9 C, and 1 D, and East Hants 7 B, 5 C, and 1 D. Of the latter, West Hants employed 17 C, 9 D, and 6 E, and East Hants 1 B, 20 C, 16 D, and 7 E. Of the whole, 27 in West Hants and 19 in East Hants were employed in the same section as in the previous term. Estimated on the basis of agreements made with teachers for the

winter term, the average salary per year paid by the sections to male teachers was-for A and B, $334.50; C, $215.77; and D, $160.00; to female teachers was-for B and C, $143.58; D, $99.22; for E, $89.50. The highest salary was $600 paid in West Hants; the lowest $80 was paid in East Hants. The lowest salary paid per year in West Hants was $100. The general average is considerably lower in East Hants than in West Hants. Males A and B in West Hants received on an average $369.16; in East Hants $282.50; C's received in West Hants $210.50; in East Hants $233.33; D $160. Females received on an average in West Hants, B and C, $158.37; D, $108.80; E, $93.40; in East Hants, B and C, $130.05; D, $95.53; E, $85.60. The Provincial grant does not discriminate between the sexes, but the extra aid given to poor sections affects the average. B's, male and female, received at the rate of $120; C's, general rate, $90, increased by aid to poor sections to $92.30 to males; D's, general rate, $60, increased by the aid to poor sections to $69.47; E's, general average, $45, but by extra raised to $55.50. Total average remuneration to males-A and B, $454.50; C, $308.07; D, $220; females-B and C, $233.58; D, $168.69; E, $145. This exhibit shows that while the expenditure, Provincial, county and sectional, is already so great as to demand, from all capable of realizing their responsibilities and true interests, greatly increased interest in the important cause of common school education; yet the salaries given are not up to that average which will secure to the service a sufficient number of the class of workers which it is for the true interests of our sections and Province to employ.

While I am anxious to keep this report within the narrowest limits which respect for all interests and parties permit, I feel constrained to dwell for a little on two points, which seem to call for additional consideration at the present time:

1. Attendance.-We may not, in the matter of attendance, be so far behind other countries which occupy a leading place in the world as to hang our head. In England, where the law of compulsory attendance obtains, the enrolment is still considerably below the number of children of school age, and the average attendance is only about two-thirds of the enrolment. In the United States, only about two-thirds of the children between the years which bound the period of recognized school age go to school at all, while the average attendance is but little over one-half the number registered. But, if we are not worse than our neighbors in this respect, we are still far from occupying a satisfactory position. What can we do to effect an improvement? Some occasions of partial and irregular attendance, particularly for the last three or four years, cannot be directly attacked. For example, diphtheria has prevailed very generally, and the public mind has become rather panicky respecting it. Then, as much of the sore throat prevailing recently is of diphtheritic tenency, it will readily be understood that the temptation from this side to keep children from school is both great and widespread. Again, the hard times during the last few years seem to have produced an unusual degree of indifference in some cases, and in others to call forth a stronger antagonism to any and every cause that makes financial demands. But causes more easily removable exist, and the co-operation of the professed friends of education can do much to