9. Military History is taught by one professor in the last two terms, and has a maximum of 2,000 marks.
10. Chemistry, under one lecturer, is taught in the last term, and receives a total of 1,200 marks.
11. Gymnastics, drill, and riding are taught as follows: Regular gymnastic instruction is conducted by a superintendent and three sergeants, for at least six months, and practised through all the terms. Artillery drill, with gun, sword, and other military drill and tactics, are conducted partly by military officers and partly by the professors and instructors of artillery. Riding drill is conducted under the officers of the Royal Artillery, in the last two terms, and is practised four or five hours a week. Swimming is taught optionally.
12. Recreations and amusements are optional and at the expense of the Cadets. Workshops are maintained by the government, but tools and materials are furnished at the expense of the Cadets. There are two reading rooms.
[SCHOOL PREPARATION FOR WOOLWICH.]
From the returns and evidence furnished, it is an extremely rare occurrence for a candidate to go up direct from a public school which does not possess a Modern Department to the examination for admission to Woolwich. Out of 855 candidates admitted to Woolwich in 10 years—from 1858 to 1867—the six public schools of Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester, Westminster, and Shrewsbury, only sent up five direct. Colonel Addison states that at Sandhurst, out of 320 admissions during the last two years, there have been only 16 from the nine schools mentioned in the Report of the Royal Commission on Public Schools; but from Cheltenham and Wellington College the admissions have been more numerous. Even for the direct commission examination, those who present themselves from public schools (including Cheltenham and Marlborough, where Modern Departments exist), without seeking the assistance of a private tutor, scarcely amount to five per cent. of the whole number of candidates. At the same time, it may be observed that the proportion of failures among such candidates in the latter examination is comparatively slight, not amounting to more than 8 per cent., while the average number of failures among the candidates generally during the last four years has been very nearly 25 per cent. In fact, the general tenor of the evidence goes to show that, in the case of the examinations both for direct commissions and for admission to Sandhurst, there is, or at least should be, no necessity for candidates who have had the ordinary education of a classical public school to have recourse to private tuition. The Woolwich examination appears generally to be regarded in a different light. Its higher and more special character, and the great importance attached to mathematics, coupled with the competition which exists for it, render it apparently doubtful whether success would generally be obtained by candidates from public schools—other than those where, like Cheltenham, instruction is given with a particular view to this examination—without a special preparatory tuition.
The general character of the “Modern Side” at Harrow, which was established in September of 1869, “for the benefit of boys for whom, from various causes, an advanced classical training seems undesirable,” is explained as follows in a circular issued by the Head-Master when announcing the intention of adopting the institution:
The principal subjects of instruction on the “Modern Side” will be mathematics, French, German, Latin, history, English literature, and physical science.