Summary of examinations for admission to the United States Military Academy for the

year 1885-'86.

Summary of examinations for admission to the United States Naval Academy for the year

IV. TRAINING FOR BUSINESS PURSUITS.

The institutions included in Table 63, colleges or schools, as the case may be, have arisen in response to the general demand for business training. If they have excited less public interest than manual-training and technical schools it is because their utility has not been questioned or the special equipment which they required has been more easily secured. The constant increase in the number and in the patronage of these institutions is sufficient evidence that they meet an important and growing demand. The total number reported for 1885-'86 is 239, having 1,040 instructors and 47,176 students, as against 162 schools reported in 1880, having 619 instructors and 27,146 students.

With the increase of commercial business and relations the curricula of the business colleges will necessarily be widened, especially in the direction of foreign languages and foreign exchange. As the scheme of instruction is enlarged the material resources and equipment must be increased, and the time seems not far distant when the leading coinmercial cities of the United States must make provision for this special department of training on a similar scale to that which exists in foreign cities. A few cities, as will be seen by an examination of the detailed table, are already moving in this direction by the maintenance of commercial courses in connection with day or evening public high schools.

The studies included properly in the curriculum of commercial schools of the highest order are indicated in the following extract from the catalogue of Tulane University:

"The need has long been felt in commercial circles throughout the United States for a more liberal education under higher auspices of young men intending to pursue a commercial career. The instruction given is too often inadequate in amount, superficial in character, and ill-adapted to the development of intellectual and moral power. An effort is made in this course to supply a want.

"The linguistic training embraces French, German, and Spanish; and these languages are taught not only colloquially, under the most favorable conditions, but in their higher literary and philological aspects. Mathematics is carried through analytical and descriptive geometry. The English literary and philosophical studies and the natural sciences are taught as fully as in the classical course. To these are added larger studies in political economy and commercial law, and in political and commercial geography, and in geology and astronomy. The practical book-keeping of the high school is supplemented by full courses and practice in type-writing and short-hand and telegraphy, and in life and fire insurance and bank and railroad accounts. The effort will be made to combine culture with practical business attainments." The following is a comparative exhibit of colleges for business training as reported to this Bureau each year from 1876 to 1836, inclusive (1883 omitted):

States and Territories.

TABLE 62.—Summary of statistics of commercial and business colleges for the year 1885-'86.

TARLE 63.-Statistics of commercial and business colleges for 1883-86;

New Haven Phonographic Acad. John F. Gaffey
emy.

*From Report of the Commissioner of Education for year 1884-'85.