Slate Education in Prussk.
In all the Protestant states of the school -system in its main features is the same. The Prussian system—more celebratel, more extensive, more practical and thorough than the system of the minor states—always powerfully influencing these, and now likely to influence them more than ever. is that which must be selected for descrip tion. About system, M. Cousin, by strange confusion between it and a project of law—a mere scheme;draNVII up by minister, Von AltenStein, never even proposed for legislation—spread misconceptions throughout Europe, which have scarcely vet been dispelled. It has been greatly changed, greatly improved since Cousin wrote in but it does not vet in symmetry and completeness approach to what he described.
In Prussia, there is a minister of public worship and instruction; but the officials who under him carry on the government of education are the officials of the department of the interior, At the head of the government in each province is a president; over mien Of the departments into which the province is divided there is a prefect (bah*); erch of these officers is assisted by a council, of which one section, called echulcoligium, forms a separate council for deliberating upon the local school affairs. One member of the school (sallied, called provincial school-councilor, is associated with the president for administrative purposes: the prefect has attached to him two departmental school-coun cilors, one Protestant, one Catholic, to advise with him, and to adminster the school affairs of their respective communions. There is practically a division made of educa tional affairs between the officials of the province and those of the department. The provincial school-councilor takes the charge of secondary education within the mqvince; the departmental school-councilors the charge of the primary schools of the department.
Over each of the circles into which the department is divided is an office, tot red landrath, who reports to the prefect of the departments. With the landmth, in the man
agement of primary schools, is associated the eiperinteizdent, the church dignitary or the circle. The superintendent is ex-officio inspector of the primary schools within the dis trict. The parish clergyman is local inspector of primary schools within his parish. There is also for the school or schools of each parish a board of managers, the composition of which varies in different provinces. The clergyman is always a member of it: he is usually chairman. In country places, the whole powers of the board are often left in his hands.
In the '• exterior" affairs of the school—passing school-accounts, visitation of school premises, control of the school estates, adjustment of the school-rate, etc.—the landriith is associated with the superintendent. Its interior" rffairs, all that concerns its teach ing and discipline, are subject to the established regulations, under the superintendent's control; but, in practice, they are more under the influence of the departmental school councilor. The superintendent, however, is required to visit the school. and to watch over the conduct of the local inspector, 811(1 he reports annually to the government of the department. The local inspector's province is the interior affairs of the school. Ile is expected to visit the seheols diligently, and to be active in the supervision of them. The religious teaching of the children is almost entirely- done by him, it being his duty to prepare them for confirmation, which comes at the cud of the school-period. To qualify them for the duty of scbool-inspection. the candidates of theology are required to attend for six weeks as auditors at a normal school, and to have attended a course of iiieage)gik, at the university. Nevertheless, it appears that many clergymen are very ill fitted for this work, and that their powers of interference are oft n exercised in ways annoying to the master, and detrimental to the school. The "exterior" affairs of the school of a parish belong to the board of managers.