The five faculties of medicine, law, science, literature and Protestant theology, and the higher school of pharmacy, form the body of faculties, the association of which is known as the University of Paris. The faculties of science and literature, to gether with their library, are established at the Sorbonne, which is also the seat of the academie, of which Paris is the centre, and of the Ecole des chartes. The faculty of medicine, with its labo ratories (Ecole pratique), occupies separate buildings near the Sorbonne. The law school is also close to the Sorbonne. Of the 12,600 students at the university in 19o5–o6 some 1,260 were foreigners, Russians and Rumanians being most numerous among the latter. The faculty of law is the most largely attended, some 6,000 students being enrolled therein. At the College de France, founded by Francis I., and situated opposite the Sorbonne, the various branches of learning are represented by very numerous chairs, to which are elected scholars of special distinction. They give courses of lectures open to the general public. The Museum d'histoire naturelle gives instruction in the natural sciences; the Ecoles des hautes etudes have for their main object the encour agement of scientific research. The Ecole pratique des hautes etudes, attached to the Sorbonne, is the chief institution of the kind. In addition, there are several great national schools attached to various ministries. Dependent on the Ministry of Education are the Ecole normale superieure, for the training of teachers in lycees; the Ecole des chartes (palaeography and the use of archives) ; the Ecole speciale des langues orientales, for the train ing of interpreters; the Ecole nationale et speciale des beaux-arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, etc.), in the various depart ments of which are conferred the prix de Rome, entitling their winners to a four years' period of study in Italy ; the Conserva toire national de musique et de declamation (music and acting), which also confers a grand prix and possesses a fine library and collection of musical instruments; the Ecole nationale des arts decoratifs (art applied to the artistic industries) ; the Ecole du Louvre, for the instruction of directors of museums. Depending on the Ministry of War are the Ecole polytechnique, which trains military, governmental and civil engineers; the Ecole superieure de guerre (successor of the officers' training school, founded in 1751) for advanced military studies. Attached to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are the Ecole centrale des arts et manufactures, for the training of industrial engineers, works man agers, etc. ; the Conservatoire des arts et metiers, which has a rich museum of industrial inventions and provides courses in science as applied to the arts. The Institut national agronomique, a higher school of scientific agriculture, is dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ecole colonials for the instruc tion both of natives of French colonies and of colonial function aries, on the Ministry of the Colonies. The Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussees, for the training of Government engineers, and the Ecole nationale superieure des mines. for mining engineers, are under the minister of public works. Of free institutions of higher education, the most prominent are the Catholic institute, with faculties of law and theology and schools of advanced lit erary and scientific studies, the Pasteur institute, founded by Pas teur in 1886 and famous for the treatment of hydrophobia and for its research laboratories, and the Ecole libre des sciences poli tiques, which prepares candidates for political and governmental careers. The two latter receive State subvention. There are nu merous private associations giving courses of instruction, the more important being the Philotechnic Association, the Poly technic Association and the Union francaise de la jeunesse.
Among the numerous learned societies of Paris, the first in importance is the Institut de France. (See ACADEMIES.) The French Association for the Advancement of the Sciences, founded in 1872, is based on the model of the older British society, and like it, meets every year in a different town. There are very
numerous specialist societies promoting the various branches of learning. In art, also, Paris has long held a leading position ; her artistic activities are described under various departments of art.
The doctors, surgeons, chemists, both resident and non-resi dent, connected with the numerous hospitals, are all admitted by competitive examination. They are assisted by three grades of students, internes (who receive a salary), externs and stagiaires (probationers).
Of the hospices and similar institutions, the following are the chief : Bicetre (men), less than a mile south of the fortifications; La Salpetriere (women), Ivry (both sexes) ; maisons de retraite (for persons not without resources) Issy, La Rochefoucauld, Ste Perine; fondations (privately endowed institutions)—Brezins at Garches (for ironworkers), Devillas, Chardon-Lagache, Lenoir Jousseran, Galignani (booksellers, printers, etc.), Alquier-De brousse; and sections for the insane—Bicetre (men), Salpetriere (women), these being distinct from the ordinary departmental asylums controlled by the prefect.
Foundlings and orphans are sent to the Hospice des enfants assistes, which also receives children whose parents are patients in the hospitals or undergoing imprisonment. This institution is not intended as a permanent home. Infants are not kept in the institution, but are boarded out with nurses in the country; the older ones are boarded out with families or placed in technical schools. Up to 13 years of age the children are kept at the expense of the department of Seine, after which they are appren ticed.
The following additional establishments in or near Paris belong to the nation, and are dependent on the Ministry of the Interior: The Quinze-Vingts gives shelter to the 30o blind for whom it was founded by St. Louis, and gives outdoor assistance besides. The blind asylum for the young (Institution des jeunes aveugles) has 25o pupils of both sexes. The deaf mute institution (Insti tution nationale des sourds-muets) is for boys only, and they are generally paid for by the State, the departments and the com munes. The Charenton asylum is for the insane. Those of Vin cennes (for male patients) and Le Vesinet (for female patients), take in convalescents from the hospitals. The Vacassy asylum at Charenton is for workmen incapacitated by accident. The Hotel des invalides is for old and infirm soldiers. Private bodies also maintain a great number of institutions.
Religion.—A large element of the population practises the Roman Catholic faith. The department of Seine forms the dio cese of the archbishop of Paris, and the city is divided into 70 parishes. It has the important higher ecclesiastical seminary of St. Sulpice, two lower seminaries and others for training the clergy for missionary and colonial work. Paris is also the seat of the central council of the Reformed Church and of the execu tive committee of the General Synod of the Lutheran Church, and forms a consistory of both these Churches. Paris is also the seat of the Grande Rabbinate of France and of the central consistorv.