he general system, far from being regi mental in any sense of exclusiveness toward those with no distinct intellectual inheritance, has rather encouraged the instincts for social rise through education and transition from the lower grades to the higher, so much so that the system has frequently been criticized for producing a surplus for which it is difficult to provide the kind of livelihood to which from the mere point of education these vnew-arrivals* would be entitled. (Note the term academic proletariat in modern analysis of the country's social conditions). With the growth of in dustries, however, and in view of the fact that the educational requirements insisted upon even by private concerns (such as banking institu tions, large farming concerns where there are sugar-refineries and chemical laboratories for the testing of seed produce, etc.) have con stantly been raised, the output of graduates from the schools of the higher order has been bound more and more not to exceed the de mand. It might be expected that after the heavy drain caused by the war the "surplus problem" will have ceased to be serious. To sum up: The present system of the schools of the higher order in its essential aim to be of greatest possible service to the nation through the privileges which it grants to its graduates both by the so-called °one-year-certificate" and vthe final certificate" (opening up the gates of every thinkable career, especially admission to the universities and institutes of technology), is unquestionably in a most vital co-operation with every phase of actual life of the nation; it is by no means a system for its own sake, nor hampered in any way by the weight of its own interests and tradition, however indispensable such specific interests and traditions might con tinue to be per se.
The gymnasium, the realgymnasium and the ober-realschulen widely differ among them selves as regards the curriculum. The chief characteristic of the gymnasium is that Latin is taught throughout the entire nine years' course; whereby a weekly total of 68 periods of instruction, approximately one hour each, in Latin (covering all classes of the school) is reached as against 49 in case of the real gymnasium. The corresponding figures in arithmetic and mathematics are: for the gymnasium 34, for the realgymnasium 42, in natural science for the gymnasium 18, for the realgymnasium 29. The third type of the schools of the higher order, the ober-real schule offers no Latin at all, but instead the curriculum contains 47 periods for French (gymnasium 20, realgymnasium 29) and 25 periods for English (gymnasium until recently only a total of six periods in the three upper classes OH, UI, OI ;— which, moreover, are °optional," like Hebrew, with the same total of six periods — realgymnasium, English 18). The total for arithmetic and mathematics ex cels that of the realgymnasium 'by five periods, 47 as against 42, while in natural science the total is twice the figure of the gymnasium (18 X 2) ; i.e., 36 as against 29 periods in the
curriculum of the realgymnasium. The sum total of all periods of instruction per week in these three types of school differs but slightly, the gymnasium having but three periods less than the other two which carry on instruction during 307 periods per week. There are ap proximately 280 days throughout the year during which the schools are in session. In all the larger cities the classes dissolve in the early afternoon (at 1.30 or 2 o'clock) while in smaller communities, especially in country schools, the time-sanctioned custom of Wed nesday and Saturday half-holidays is still kept up. Most of these latter regulations hold also for the schools of the lower order (yolks schule) and also for girls' schools of both orders. The figures given above plainly indi cate that the gymnasium can safely be re garded as the chief guardian of Latin, or, if Greek be also considered (36 periods as against none at all in the curriculum of real gymnasium and ober-realschule), the gym nasium is guardian of the classics, and is carrying out distinctly the ideals of the period of Humanism (15th and 16th century). Hence, its most frequent name, the humanistic gymnasium; while the two other systems have obtained their popular name, realgymnasium and ober-realschule, on account of their carry ing out the ideals which were elaborated by the philosophy of realism. They can be traced back to the very cradle of modern science, i.e., to the influence of Bacon and Descartes upon German educators (Comenius 1592-1670), and thus are by no means void of traditional values which to the superficial observer often seem to be claimed solely by the gymnasium. As a most striking example of the period of transition from the time-sanctioned type of the humanistic gymnasium to realism in the sense just described there should be mentioned the far-reaching work of the German educator, August Hermann Francke (1663-1727). A quotation from Cotton Mather may indicate the scope of hopefulness to which the educational enterprise of Francke gave rise in those days to an American: °The world begins to feel a warmth from the fire of God which thus flames the heart of Germany, beginning to extend into many regions i the whole world will ere long be sensible of (A.D. 1715, pamphlet bona ex term longinqua,' Boston, S. Gerrish). Originally intended to be a model asylum for orphaned children, the Francke Institution at Halle-Saale developed into a marvelous educa tion plant representing even to-day a little world of its own from which may be studied most advantageously all the principal forms of school from volks-schule through the inter mediate (six-year course) schools to at least two of the schools of the higher order (gymnasium and ober-realschule).