at either side of the entrance itself. Within the cases, and grouped historically, were several busts of noted Greek, Roman, French, Spanish, Italian, Swiss, Belgian, American, German, and English writers and scientific men, These, with a number of statuettes of German Em perors, beautifully coloured, en costume, constituted a most interesting ethnological collection. These, and fuller details of our exhibit, will be more systematically set out in the classification of the entire collection, which will be found on page It was, however, universally acknowledged by all of the educationists who visited the Exhibition, that the chief excellence, as well as the special characteristic of the Ontario educational exhibit, was its comprehensive and varied collection of educational appliances, in the shape of maps, charts, globes, diagrams, models, object lessons, and a most extensive variety of school apparatus from the simplest kindergarten "gift" or object, up to the more complicated instruments designed to illustrate the several departments of Natural Philosophy and of the Natural Sciences, etc. The number of articles in this extensive collection, which was in our exhibit, was over 1,000, and was the result of years of careful selection and adaptation for schools under these heads. Another practical feature of our exhibition, which for years had received a large degree of attention from the Department. and which has been the means of greatly stimulating teachers in their profession was, a collection of books (called the "Teachers' Library "), which had almost exclusive reference to the science and art of teaching, the discipline and management of schools, national education, school architecture, educational biography, the science of language, and other practical subjects, relating to the Teachers' profession. Nearly 400 volumes of books on these important subjects, were selected and sent to the Philadelphia Exhibition. It is gratifying to know that so highly were these invaluable aids to a teacher in his work regarded, that the Education Commissioners from Japan ordered the entire collection for the Education Department of that Empire. As an evidence of how much in earnest the Japanese are in this matter, I may mention that two excellent works in the collection, prepared by the Honourable J. P. Wickersham, Superintendent of Public Instruction in the State of Pennsylvania, on "School Economy," and "Methods of Instruction" have been already translated into Japanese, and have been the means of inciting the teachers of Japan to greater skill and intelligent effort in the discharge of their responsible labours. It was doubly gratifying to Mr. Wickersham to receive copies of these works in a foreign dress from the Japanese Commission, and to see them also placed among the articles on exhibition in the Japanese Educational Court. A cursory glance at the various educational exhibits at Philadelphia would enable the visitor to group them under three heads, viz. : 1st. Those which consisted chiefly of "results" of education, i.e., pupils' work. 2nd. Those which consisted mainly of the "appliances" of education. 3rd. Those which combined "appliances" and "results." As a general rule the various American State exhibits consisted chiefly of "results,"-that is examples of pupils' work, with large and valuable collections of educational reports and illustrative statistics. The Russian, Swiss, Belgian and Japanese, combined appliances and results in a greater or less degree. Ontario alone (although she had a few examples of pupils' work in two or three departments) confined her exhibit almost eclusively to a systematic and scientific "exposition" of educational appliances, and objects of historical or practical interest from our educational museum. She was desirous of exhibiting the means by which she sought to build up the material or practical part of her system, and illustrated it with samples of the "tools" with which her educational workmen were furnished or were available for their use. The question was sometimes asked: "Are these object lessons, maps, charts and apparatus in general use in your Ontario schools?" Our reply was the object lessons, maps, charts and globes are in pretty general use; but many of the more expensive kinds of apparatus, or more difficult instruments, are rarely used. Nevertheless, our object is to obtain samples and supplies of all kinds of articles which might be useful in our schools. As the teachers become better trained and the schools more efficient, they require, and should have, the very best kind of school material. We, therefore, keep in our Depository and Educational Museum the greatest variety of these useful and necessary articles. It is not the fault of the Department, but of the schools, that. they are not so generally used as they ought to be. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the Department to provide these things, and to give every enconragement and facility for their use. The Rev. Mr. Fussell, one of the British Jurors at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873, in his report "on Educational Appliances," speaks of "an educational exhibition as (for the most part at least) an exhibition of appliances and instruments, rather than of accomplished results." Such an exhibition, as every educationist must know, is by far the most instructive and valuable,—for it reveals the mechanism of the inner "life" of the system, and the contents, so to speak, of its "tool-house of practical education." It deals not with results, but with the means and processes of education. It illustrates not so much what you do, but how you do it.* This was the main purpose and object of the Ontario Exhibit. In carrying out this idea, the Exhibit was so planned and furnished that a stranger, if he should be able to devote time to a careful study of the abundant information and material placed before him, would, without difficulty understand the whole structure and policy of our educational system, its history, progress and development, and the means employed for making it effective for the purposes which it was designed to serve in its establishment. He would also see at Philadelphia what had been done and was doing in Ontario for the training of teachers; for securing a uniformity in methods of teaching and text books; for providing an ample supply at the cheapest rates of the best school material in the shape of maps, charts, models and apparatus; for improving the construction and condition of school buildings and premises; and for supplying the pupils at a nominal cost, (during the process of their education and at a critical period of their life,) after the taste of reading had been developed, with the greatest possible variety of the best and most wholesome literature which the press of England and America produces. Thus, an intelligent enquirer at Philadelphia into our Ontario system could under This view is shared in by M. Buisson, the French Education Commissioner at the Exhibitions of Vienna an Philadelphia. Speaking of the American Exhibit at Vienna, and what he believed to be its defect, he says: The American District School-house satisfied the visitor's curiosity. The building contained a hall and a large and well lighted School-room with forty seats. The interior arrangement of the building was far from making a favourable impression upon the visitor. I was surprised to find nothing that indicated this great nation's intimacy in the practical school life. Rich furniture was the only object of admiration. The maps and charts, of which several seemed to be in the collection entirely by chance, gave rather an idea of great variety of means of instruction than of regular methods in teaching, and of a premeditated pedagogicial plan," stand the whole philosophy of our educational plans; take in at a glance the outlines of the entire structure of our educational system, and with a little effort could understand its practical working. Such, at least, was our aim, and such, I believe, it was felt that we were able to accomplish (among other things), by reason of the comparative completeness of our Educational Exhibit at the Centennial. That such a purpose was fully appreciated by noted Educationists who visited the Exhibition, we have very gratifying evidence. The fact, also, that a Gold Medal was awarded to the Exhibit, and two additional awards of a most complimentary character were "decreed" by the Centennial Commission to the Department, upon the report of experienced Judges, is a matter of congratulation to the Department and to every one in the Province, who appreciates the efforts which have been put forth during the last twenty-five years by the Legislature and people to place Ontario as high on the list of educating countries as possible. So uniform and consistent have been the testimony of strangers to the value of our Exhibit, that I cannot forbear quoting portions of that testimony in this report. But, before doing so, I desire to specify in detail the main features of that Exhibit, so that our people may the more fully appreciate the kind and friendly nature of the remarks which have been so spontaneously and heartily made in regard to it, and our educational system generally. I may state that our whole Educational Exhibit was systematically grouped into twenty classes, which embraced the entire collection, the particulars of which were given in detail in a descriptive catalogue (compiled by Dr. May), which was distributed to visitors at Philadelphia. The following brief statement of the classes was prepared for me by Dr. May. principal articles exhibited-dividing them into. He has appended notes where thought desirable : CLASS I. 1.-The Ontario School System, Historical and Statistical. This section related to the High and Public Schools under the control of the Education Department of Ontario. It embraced Educational Reports of the Province from 1821 (in part) to 1875; School laws regulating High and Public Schools, and the Protestant and Roman Catholic Separate Schools in Ontario; General Regulations for the organization, government and discipline of High and Public Schools; Meteorological Reports and other important documents illustrative of our School System. 2.-Reports from various Educational Institutions. This included University Reports, Calendars and Examination Papers, Reports from the Deaf and Dumb, and Blind Institutes, and Reports from the Inspectors of Asylums, Prisous, and Charities in Ontario. These books were beautifully bound, and the back of each book was numbered in accordance with a catalogue specially prepared for the visitors at the Exhibition. As may be supposed, this collection was of great value and interest to educationists from other countries, who were thus enabled to compare the growth and advancement of education in Ontario with their own. |