GERMAN SCHOOLS. There is a somewhat perplexing puzzle which confronts the foreign students of the German educational systeM, especially the students of the lower and intermediary (secondary) schools. The puzzle consists in the seemingly irreconcilable conflict of two principles; i.e., the principle of uniform ity, often referred to as almost regimental, expressing itself in the unity brought about by the effective measures of universal state control and the principle of almost bewildering variety and individualism within the vast range of the different schools themselves. The abundance of different types expressed by the very names of the schools existing within the frame called tSystemP; i.e., the occurrence of such widely different types as volk-schule, mittel-schule, real schule, oberrealschule, gymnasium, progym nasium, realgymnasium, prorealgymnasium, re form-schule, fully suggest the need of inter fretation, not alone of the individual mean ing of at least the principal types but also of their correlative meaning and of the part which they play within the total of the national edu cational system. As a general guide this defi nition might be descriptive: Variety in its ultimate aim which is common to all its mani fold forms has been organized into Unity, while Unity finding its essential vigor in widest pos sible differentiation of its individual constituents should be regarded merely as a safeguarding principle guaranteeing the unhampered develop ment of the parts.
Historical Synopsis.— The growth of the leading ideas governing the system of the Ger man schools of to-day is best shown by way of a brief historical synopsis: As in the case of other European nations the beginnings of Ger man public instruction must be traced back to the early functions of the Catholic Church. In the case of German public instruction there has been an early blending of the interests of the latter with the interests of the state. Al though rather a short-lived experiment the rule of Carolus Magnus with its unmistakable tend ency to create a uniform social order has left its trace; it has once for all times firmly estab lished the business of public instruction as one of equal importance to both state and church.
Even in the case of municipal care, rivalling as it were in course of time with state and church officials, the fundamental principle governing matters of education was never lost sight of : schools should train the children to be intelligent and moral members of the com munity. The sole reward of the national edu cator even in the earliest days has been to produce good and valuable citizens. The reign of Charlemagne has remained substantially pro ductive and suggestive in still another direction: it has clearly pointed out the road which Ger man public instruction was to follow, namely, in exploiting the intellectual treasures of an cient Roman civilization. Ever since the war filled period of the migration of the peoples the Germanic people had benefited substantially from contact with other peoples; under Charle magne, instead of chaos, a highly organized form presented itself which was readily ac cepted and which remained a shining light and guide for well-nigh 800 years. The higher goal was the world of the scholar whose intellectual interests throughout the greater part of the Middle Ages expressed themselves in Latin. Public education, although changing in the course of time its chief protectorate as well as many of its original features, never lost its ad herence to the classical ideal. Intellectual activity of this kind has accordingly produced a rather high class of national educators and must be looked upon as one of the chief sources of high ideals governing the education of the broad masses of the people. As has been in timated, the highest authorities of church and state were early rivals. Ambition and competi tion above all other things led to the general acceptance of one principle of highest import ance, namely, that each community should pos sess a school as good as that of every other.