صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

(1) The people's school in Prussia varies but little from that of other German States in aims, though it does in organization. Here and there slight differences are noticed owing to local predilections and influences. This school has an eight years' course in cities, a seven years' course in rural districts. Children of both sexes are taught together till they reach the eleventh or twelfth year of age; then, if local circumstances allow it, they are taught in separate classes. When they are "released" from school they are "confirmed" in the Protestant Church, or go to "first communion" in the Catholic Church.

No language but the mother tongue is taught (except in the schools of a few border provinces), and this without the aid of a text-book in grammar. From the lowest grade upward careful training in the use of the language without evolving or applying many rules is the object. Arithmetic is not carried on quite so far as is done in this country, and not quite one-half the time spent here is used for arithmetic in Prussia. (For reasons see p. 56.) History is taught quite early, beginning with "home stories;" Prussian and German history both necessitate more than mere glances at general history. All history in this school is of fered in biographies. Geography is taught within a limited compass, topographical and political as well as mathematical and physical. Natural history is taught in form of object lessons. Only in the highest or sometimes in the two highest grades do physics and physiology come in for much attention. Drawing, singing, and gymnastics are all taught to a greater extent than is done in the average American school. No text-books are used for history, natural history, physics, etc.; all these studies are oral, but are not regarded as mere ornaments. In the readers the pupils find much solid reading; these books contain masterpieces of all kinds of prose and poetry, instructive and amusing. Composing in words and pictures goes on at every step, and is developed to a very astonishing degree.

(2) The middle schools. (a) Buerger, or citizens' schools, so called, in contradistinction to the people's schools (for many centuries the citi zens were considered a higher stratum of society than the people, although the word buerger meant originally the denizen of a burg or fortified place), attempt more than the mere elements. Their pupils as a rule come from more cultured families, and speak German with little of the ruling dialect, hence need not spend so much time in learning to use their mother tongue correctly. One or two foreign languages are taught, and the customary scientific branches and mathematics have a wider scope than in the people's schools. Drawing leans toward industrial pursuits. Side by side with these boys' schools are the (b) Höhere Mädchen-Schulen, or girls' academies, which in their academic studies go parallel with the citizens' boys schools, but terminate in a post-graduate course for the preparation of young teachers. Both these middle schools resemble in their upper grades our common high schools. It may be said that this class of schools offers an education more advanced

than can be given in people's schools, and less extended than a preparation for the university requires. There is more diversity in aims and methods in these middle schools than in

(3) The high schools: (a) Realschule, (b) Gymnasium, (c) Realgymna sium. This array of technical terms is difficult to render in English. A verbal translation would be misleading and a labored circumlocution useless. The Gymnasium is the oldest. It is the classical boys' school par excellence; the Realschule (the first one was founded one hundred and forty years ago) substitutes modern languages for the classics, and gives much attention to natural sciences, mathematics, and industrial drawing and designing. The Gymnasium prepares for the learned professions, the Realschule trains engineers, surveyors, artists, civil officers, etc. The Realgymnasium is a combination of the two kinds of schools. From the accompanying charts the differences existing between these schools may be gleaned better than from verbal explanations. The great army of business men recruits itself from these higher schools and from the middle schools. The boy of the people's school has a hard time of it in courting success in higher walks of life; still, such cases are not unknown. What gives to the Prussian secondary schools such a remarkable impetus is the fact that their graduates and undergraduates are called upon to serve in the army only one year, while all other able-bodied men must serve three years.

XIII. REMARKS EXPLANATORY TO THE ACCOMPANYING CHARTS.

On Chart I it will be seen that the course sketched for the American common school is an average course, such as is found with slight deviations all over this country. It does not show distinctions made here and there, or preferences in favor of this, that, or the other language, and leaves the limit of time spent in the study of grammar undefined, but shows that much time is consumed in mastering the orthography of the English language. It is scarcely necessary for the reader in this country to see the average course of study minutely delineated. Of course, if a selection were made here and in Europe among the schools we might present a picture which would make a just comparison quite impossible. Statistics is the science of averages, and it is the average school, not the exception, which is here delineated.

The courses of the Prussian schools are endeavors, also, to present en bloe the leading features of language instruction. A careful comparison between those of Realschule and Gymnasium, for instance, will reveal the vital difference between them. These charts are the result of the comparison of many courses of study in use published in annual reports of German schools and filed in this Bureau; also of the requirements made by the Prussian Government, notably by the decree of May 31, 1882.

Chart II shows what prominence history as a study assumes in the

[blocks in formation]

XIII.-GRAPHIC PRESENTATION OF THE COURSES OF STUDY.

[graphic]

Chart I, showing how the time commonly devoted to linguistic studies in the American common school

and the different classes of German schools is divided.

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

Chart II, showing how the time commonly devoted to history and geography in the American common

school and the different classes of German schools is divided.

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]

mathematics in the American

Chart III, showing how the time commonly devoted to arithmetic and
common school and the different classes of German schools is divided.

« السابقةمتابعة »