There are several countries in which—if school statistics could he taken as a test— popular instruction is more widely diffused than it is in Holland; but in no European country is it so uncommon to meet a man who cannot easily read and write. The pri mary schools of Holland have a high reputation for the solidity of the instruction they impart, and have, by competent observers, been declared to be the best in Europe. A. small and wealthy state—rich, too, in the public spirit of its citizens—with a population singularly docile and orderly, the task of educating the people has been for Holland exceptionally free from difficulty. It had the start of most other European nations in the work of popular education. So far back as 1811 its primary schools had been cele brated in a report by the famous Cuvier. It has had an education law since 1806; and of this law, though it underwent modification in 1857, it is necessary to give some account. Secondary education in Holland was officially instituted and organized for the first time by the law of nay, 1863. - On the face of it,. the law of 1806 seemed far from making a complete provision for the education of the people; it left nmeh—in any ether country, it would have been a great deal too much—to the public spirit of local authorities. It did not make educa tion compulsory; it did not even enforce the establishment of public schools; but it pro vided for two things being done thoroughly—the inspection of the schools and the exam ination of the teachers—and to this seems to have been chic-fly due its eminent success. Each province of Holland was formed into a certain number of school-districts, and over each school-dist•ict was placed tin inspector. The inspector was made supreme over primary instruction in his district. Ile was a member of every school-committee, and school-committees could be named only with his concurrence; no teacher, public or private, could exercise his calling without his permission; and he inspected every school in his district twice a year. The united inspectors of the province formed the provin cial commission Cpr primary education. This commission met three times a year, and received from each of its members a report upon his district; once a year, it sent a dep uty to the Hague, to form with the deputies from other provinces, a commission to discuss and regulate school-matters, under the direction of the minister for the home department and his inspector general. The inspectors in the various provinces were appointed by the home office, on the presentation of the provincial commission. It has been said that in Holland public spirit is very strong. State employments are thus deemed very honorable; and the inspectors gave their services gratuitously—receiving only an allowance for expenses. It was one of the duties of the provincial commission to examine teachers for certificates. First, the teacher lied to get a general admisnion—a certificate of competency, admitting him into the teaching profession; be had to get a special admission also, before he could exercise his profession. There were four grades of certificates—the first or second grade had to be obtained by a school-master, public or private, in the towns; the third grade qualified for a village school; the fourth grade was for under-masters and assistants. To the highest grades were admitted those can didates only who gave signs of a distinguished culture. For public masterships, when they fell vacant, a competitive examination was held; the successful candidate received his special admission—his appointment to exercise his profession in the school. For special admission as a private teacher, there was no second examination; it was in the power of the municipality, with the concurrence of the inspector, to grant it upon appli cation. Although there were no obligatory provisions in the law, the provincial and communal administrations were charged by the government to provide the means of instruction in their localities, to insure a comfortable subsistence for teachers, and to obtain a regular attendance of the children in the schools; and they did all this to the best of their ability. Free schools for the poor were provided in the towns; in the vil lages, schools to which the poor were admitted gratuitously. Every effort was used, both by the lay authorities and the clergy, to draw poor children into the schools; and the school-masters were provided with incomes much superior to what is usually paid to school-masters in any other European country. To this M. Cuvier attributed much of the success of the Dutch schools. Some of the best scholars were kept in the school to assist in the teaching; they became under-masters, and eventually masters; and thus, even before the institution of normal schools, an efficient body of teachers was provided. In the nomad schools which were afterwards established, school-methods and the prac tice of teaching formed a more prominent part of the instruction than in those of other countries. It soon appeared that the free schools for the poor in towns were giving
better instruction than could be obtained by the lower middling classes; and intermediate schools had to be established in the towns (tusschen-sehoolen), in which, for a small fee, an excellent education was provided. Above the intermediate school was the French school, in which, besides a sound commercial education, modern languages were taught; above that was the Latin school, giving a classical education, and preparing for the universities. The classical schools and the universities of Holland do not receive from foreign observers the commendation so freely bestowed upon the other parts of the educational system of the country.
Under this law, the public schools were non-denomiuntional; no dogmatic instruc tion was to be given by the teacher or in the school; but the instruction was to be such as to " train its recipients for the exercise of all social and Christian virtues." The tt religi-1 os education of the children, however, was not overlooked. The government exhorted the clergy of the different communions to take upon them the religious instruction of children of their own persuasions; and this the clergy willingly did—giving up a portion of every Sunday to thts duty. The school-master instructed the children in the truths common to all religions, and on Saturdays, when the Jews were absent, in the New Testament and the life of Christ. M. envier, in 1811, stated that lie found the educa tion religious. though not dogmatic; and in 1836, high satisfaction with it was expressed by 31.` Cousin. an earnest advocate of religious education. It was thought that the Dutch schools had proved the possibility of teaching in schools an unsectarian Christian ity. But it was chiefly upon this point that the controversy arose which led to the enact ment of 1857: and as regards it, it cannot be said that the controversy is yet ended.
There were other matters which excited a demand for the alterations then made in the law. The constitution of 1848 had granted the liberty of instruction, and was there fore in conflict with the law of 1806. The sehool-attenclanee'had been falling off.. Some of the municipalities had been evading their duty to the and the schools, It was thought desirable that the duties of the commune in regard to education should be carefully defined by law. The changes made, however, were not of much practical importance.
The law of 1857 granted "liberty of instruction:" still requiring from the private teacher the certificate of competency, it rid of the veto of the municipality and the inspector. It expressly prescribes that primary schools, in each commune, shall be at the commune's charge; they are to be in sufficient number; and the states' deputies and the supreme government are to judge whether, in any commune, they are in sufficient number or not. If the charge of its schools is too heavy for a commune, it receives a grant in aid, of which the state and the province each contributes half; but there is no fixed point at which the commune can demand this aid. The law fixes the minimum salary for a schoolmaster at 400 florins (about £34); for an under-master at 200 florins. (The schoolmaster's salary, however, is usually much higher; in towns, not 'infrequently four times as much.) It provides that when the number of scholars exceeds 70, the master is to have the aid of a pupil-teacher; when it exceeds 100, of an under-master; when it • exceeds 150, of an under-master and assistant; for every 50 scholars above this last num ber, he is allowed another pupil-teacher; for every 100 scholars, another under-master. School-fees are to be exacted only of those who can afford to pay them; and the muni cipalities are enjoined to as far as possible for the attendance at school of all children whose parents are in the receipt of public relief." The law defines the sub jects of primary instruction as follows: Reading, writing, arithmetic, the elements of geometry, of Dutch grammar, of geography, of history, of the natural sciences, and sing ing,. There is still a competitive examination for the office of public schoolmaster; a list of those who have acquitted themselves best is made up by the inspector and a com mittee of the communal council, and from this list the selection is made by the whole body of the council. For the provincial commission, consisting of the inspectors of the province, there has been substituted a salaried provincial inspector; and the provincial inspectors are assembled once a year to deliberate upon the state of primary instruction. The minister of the home department, assisted by a referendary, is the supreme authority in matters connected with education.