Reports on large range of varieties of work by employing an expert to teach a the State of number of its girls the same very popular lace. In this flourishing National Education. Miss department a very large amount of "tambour" Limerick lace was made during the past year, and as quickly sold; the newly-imported Carrickmacross was making good progress when I visited-fine underPrendergast. clothing, embroidery, &c., were doing well, and drawn-thread work was specially good, some beautiful specimens of it, done in silk, having been exhibited at the Royal Dublin Society's Show. One of thesea baby's robe was afterwards bought by her late Majesty, Queen Victoria. Most of the school sewing is remarkably good here. In the birthplace of " Carrickmacross," the town of that name and its neighbourhood, lacemakers have been kept almost unprecedently busy. The three Industrial departments have found it difficult to cope with the demand for their productions. From Crossmaglen School during the harvest month of September-always reckoned a bad one for the industry-£180 worth of lace was sold. Ardee Convent continued to do well with this lace, and very good English point; Queenstown Convent disposed of a considerable amount of Carrickmacross, generally of nice quality, by private sale, often to American tourists. Crochet lace has lately been started here. The department in Dunmanway Convent is steadily advancing, undertaking very good fine underclothing, drawn-thread work, embroidery, pretty silk and muslin blouses, tucked and trimmed with lace, ladies' evening underskirts, children's smocked frocks, &c. Rosscarberry Convent produces a limited quantity of good Carrickmacross lace, along with art needlework, excellent embroidery, and very nice work of other kinds; the sewing of senior girls here is very good. It is hardly necessary to mention the quality of Youghal lace. Both its beautiful "point" and the Clones crochet now made in the Convent work-room have been in great demand during the past year. In Killarney (Mercy) Convent the "flat" point worked during the same period reached so high a standard of excellence as to win the first prize for work of its kind at the Horse Show Exhibition, Kenmare Convent carrying off the corresponding first prize for a beautiful example of "raised" point. The Carrickmacross lace, worked by very young pupils in the same school at Killarney, is highly creditable, and other work of the department is well managed and successful. The Presentation Convent, Killarney, continues to advance steadily, raising the quality of its English-point lace, of which some very good examples were shown me when I visited last November, and producing excellent drawn-thread work, some of which was exhibited at the Horse Show and bought immediately afterwards. Very good work is done in the two Industrial departments in Kilkenny. Thurles Convent department is prospering. Its crochet lace, for which the principal market is found in France, cannot be produced fast enough to meet the demand. The regret, when I visited, was the insufficient number of trained workers available for the gathering in of this harvest of prosperity. The plain Needlework of this school showed very creditable advance made during the year, the monitresses doing specially well. The Gort Convent department continues to flourish, making charming "run" Limerick lace, and very good crochet, besides pretty embroideries, drawn-thread, and other varieties of work-some of them done upon its own linen. The work of the departments at Newtownsmith and Oughterard is taught with skill, taste, and success National -the drawn-thread work done in the latter school is quite remark- Reports on ably good. Ennis Convent (which took a first prize at the Horse the State of Show for its special work) continues to make most attractive children's Education. clothing, smocked and embroidered, ladies' blouses, &c. Crochet lace has been successful in Doon Convent. Orders have had to be declined for want of hands here. The people of the neighbourhood are, as a rule, sufficiently comfortable in their circumstances, and lacking the spur of necessity-the girls do not care to work. Canal-street Convent (Newry) exhibited beautiful work in various branches, fine underclothing, embroidered household linen (ordered by Lady Gerard), dainty blouses for ladies, and charming children's frocks, at my last visit there. The work done in Cashel Convent is very good-embroidery of church linens is specially so. Macroom Convent made satisfactory progress during the year, and very nice work was done in Kilkee and Kilrush Convents. The new departments to which grants have been made are two, viz.: : St. Joseph's Convent, New Ross, in which pupils are taught dressmaking, making of shirts and underclothing, knitting by hand and machine, making of vestments, surplices, and church linens, and repairing of same, crochet. The number of pupils present when I visited was twenty-one; and Caherciveen Convent, where girls learn the making of run" Lime. rick lace, simple ecclesiastical embroidery, and making of vestments and church linens, knitting by machine, fancy knitting and crochet, making of shirts and underclothing, plain dressmaking, fancy work. The number present when I visited was thirty-four. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, Miss Prendergast To the Secretaries. M. PRENDERGAST, IX.-General Report on Musical Instruction, 1900, by Mr. GENTLEMEN, Herewith I beg to submit my General Report as Inspector of Musical Instruction for the year 1900: Mr. P. Goodman The closing months of the 19th century witnessed the opening of The New a new chapter in the history of primary education in Ireland. Ever Programme. since the publication, in 1898, of the Final Report of the Commission on Manual and Practical Instruction, it was felt that changes and developments of an important kind were impending. Now that they have come, and that it is possible to estimate their value, every one must admit that a very serious step has been taken, and that some thing like an educational revolution has occurred in our midst. G Reports on the State of National Mr. P. Goodman. Condition of Music in Irish Music a Music returns for 1899. It would, of course, be outside my province to attempt to describe the various new features introduced into the curriculum of Irish schools by the Board's latest Programme. With but one of its many subjects am I concerned, and to an account of the progress of this subject during the past year, it is my duty to confine myself. The introduction of the New Programme, however, had for me a particular and personal interest. In order to render possible the carrying out of some of the new requirements, certain organisations had to be created. These organisations were placed in charge of specialists or head-organisers, whose sole business it should be to aid in developing throughout the schools of the country the specific subjects entrusted to them. The Commissioners having done me the high honour of appointing me to be the Head Organiser of the new Musical Department, my official position has changed during the year from that of Examiner in Music to that of Inspector of Musical Instruction, and my duties from being confined chiefly to the Training Colleges, are now extended to all matters relating to the teaching of Music in National schools. In previous Reports I have repeatedly dwelt upon the unsatisfactory condition of Music generally in the Irish primary schools. While in the schools of England and Scotland Vocal Music may be said to be universally a subject of instruction, it is to be found, according to the latest returns of the Board, in only about 17 per cent. of the schools of Ireland. And the explanation I gave for this state of things was that Music in the Irish schools was but an optional subject, to be taught or not just as the teacher pleased, with the result that in the vast majority of instances the teachers were pleased not to teach the subject, and it consequently found no place in the school programme. Looking back now the marvel is that such a state of things should have been tolerated so long. One cannot but wonder that managers and inspectors should not, in the interests of the children of Ireland, have resented more strongly than they appear to have done, the apathy and indifference of the school teachers with regard to this subject. One would have thought that the whole country would have protested against its youth being allowed to grow up musically deaf and dumb, not only unacquainted with and unfamiliar with their native music--" the proudest remnant of our ancient inheritance," to use O'Curry's words-but ignorant of any music whatever, and only in too many instances, wholly incapable of imitating, or of giving utterance to, the simplest musical sounds. " This condition of things the New Programme seeks to set right. The Commissioners," it states, "desire to see Vocal Music taught in every National school, as they consider the study of Music in any form is a refining and intellectual pursuit, and is calculated to have a cheering influence on school-life generally." Singing, it is further stated, is forthwith to be compulsory in all schools in which there are teachers certificated in the subject, and is one of certain specified branches which "must be introduced into all schools as soon as possible." To assist the Irish school teachers to carry out the requirements of the New Programme in the subject of Vocal Music was the chief object of my appointment as Inspector of Musical Instruction in April last. The state of things musical in the National schools at the date of my appointment may be seen at a glance in the Commissioners' Report for the year 1899, recently issued. In that year, of the 8,700 schools in operation under the Board, only 1,470 had had Music as a subject of examination at the annual inspection. The number of the State of teachers, male and female, engaged in the Board's service is estimated Reports on at 12,000, of whom only about one-fourth are registered as competent National to teach Music. The task laid upon me, therefore, by my appoint- Education. ment, was practically to get Vocal Music " as soon as possible" into 7,200 schools and to aid some 9,000 teachers to acquire such a knowledge of the subject as would enable them to comply with the requirements of the Programme. To help me to accomplish this work five assistants were assigned me. It will be seen that the task set before me was no light one. It was nothing less than to make musical the greater part of the school children and school teachers of almost an entire nation, and to do this at express speed. The Programme was to remain no dead letter, but was to become a living reality. Music was to be introduced into all schools, large and small, town and country. The teachers were to be everywhere roused into activity. Ireland was once more to become musical! Mr. P. Goodman. new experi So far as I am aware this effort quickly to develop the School The Musical Music of a whole nation was an experiment absolutely new. Nothing Organisation a of the kind had, to my knowledge, ever been attempted before. The ment. French Education Department, it is true, had held in 1881 a Special Commission on the subject of its School Music. But except a very interesting Report, nothing practical seems to have come from this Commission. Neither in France, nor elsewhere that I have ever heard of, was machinery set in motion to aid in actively diffusing a knowledge of Music through the schools of the country. This was for me so far unfortunate that I had no precedent to refer to, no previous experience to profit by. I had consequently to strike out a plan of action for myself, on the success or failure of which I must be prepared to stand or fall. A little thought showed that if the work of the new organisation Plan of was to be fruitful and lasting, we organisers must especially seek to working. reach the teachers. If we could but make them efficient our work was as good as done. To aim at the children only, without having first secured their teachers would be, it seemed to me, to attempt to nurse and cultivate the plant at the leaf or flower instead of at the root. Our first and chief attention must, therefore, be given to the teacher. At the same time, since the ultimate object of teaching even the teacher must be to reach the children, our method of working ought, if possible, to be such as should enable us to act on both teachers and children. It was not easy at first to see how this could best be done. A great many plans suggested themselves. That finally adopted was the following. For the teachers I proposed we should hold classes in the evening, while during school hours or day time, we organisers should give instruction in the schools to the children. In this way we should reach both teachers and pupils, and should do so without causing disturbance to the general routine of the schools. This plan was approved of, and has been found to work so satisfactorily in the Music Classes that I believe it has since been adopted, more or less modified, for the teaching of other subjects as well. Various causes prevented me from commencing operations as soon First Classes as I could have wished. It was not till September that at length all started. was ready and that our plan of action was matured. In that month Reports on the State of National Education. Mr. P. Goodman. How con. ducted. Work accomplished from our first classes for teachers were started in Dublin (two classes), The classes have all been conducted on the same lines. I select a certain locality for a centre and send an organiser to it. From a radius of seven miles round the teachers are summoned to attend a class in Vocal Music, meeting every evening from 6 to 8 o'clock for a period, usually, of five weeks. The entire course, consequently, consists of some sixty hours' teaching. At the end of the course an examination of the class is held by myself and the local Inspector. All who show themselves capable of doing any useful work are regis tered as having "passed" the examination, and will be required, in consequence, ever after to teach the subject in their schools. Those who fail at this examination are excused from personally teaching Music, as their inability to do so is manifest. While in this way occupied with teaching the teachers every evening, the organisers during the day visit the schools and teach the children, our aim being to introduce Music into every school in the entire district in which we may be working. In schools where the subject has never been taught before, we start it for the teacher. Where the teacher is wholly destitute of the musical faculty, we call upon the managers and try to induce them to make special arrangements for the continuance of the work we have begun. In schools where Music has already been taught, we seek to improve it where necessary, paying attention especially to the new requirements recently introduced, which in some places in the country are not yet thoroughly understood. Working in this manner from September to Christmas, the organisers have been able to introduce Music into over 100 schools where September to previously it had been unknown, besides improving the Singing in Christmas, 1900. The Classes. many others where the music teaching had been more or less weak. During the same period we have given instruction to nearly 400 school teachers in our evening classes. From the first the teachers have flocked to our classes with the utmost enthusiasm. Night after night they have come, often long, weary journeys, with unflagging zeal and unfailing regularity. The attention and earnestness with which they have devoted themselves to the study of our subject call for the highest praise. The Music classes have, indeed, come to be regarded every where as so many pleasant, friendly gatherings, and the termination of each course is a matter of general regret. Nor do the teachers limit their efforts to merely improving themselves. Almost without exception, so far. every teacher capable of doing anything at all in our subject, has begun teaching it in his school, even while yet himself learning. And the organisers have had the satisfaction, in most instances, of personally knowing and seeing that Vocal Music has been introduced into everv school in and near the several centres in which they have been engaged. From managers of all denominations our classes have met with sympathy and encouragement. Light and heat and place of meeting have been in most cases generously given us free of charge. From the Convents especially have the organisers everywhere received the most kind and courteous treatment. The Inspectors, too, have shown considerable interest in our work and have materially assisted |