Religion and There is com plete religious liberty in Switzerland. Accord ing to the last census there were 2,107,814 Prot estants, 1,593,538 Roman Catholics and 18,465 Jews. The order of the Jesuits is not allowed within the confederation. In 12 of the can tons the Protestants form the majority; the Catholics in 10. The latter have the larger number of clerics, some 6,000, under five bish oprics, those of Basel and Lugano, Chur, Saint Gallen, Lausanne and Geneva. The Protestant Church is Calvinistic in doctrine and Presby terian in form; it is under the supervision of the cantonal magistrates. No one is called on to pay taxes specially appropriated for the sup port of a creed which he does not adhere to. The foundation of religious orders or new con vents are prohibited.
The Swiss educational system is both gen erous and practical, with compulsory attend ance at nine years) enforced and free instruc tion, books and materials provided. The ele mentary school classes are mixed and contain up to 45 children. The curriculum assures to boys and girls a general elementary education including a knowledge of French, while con siderable time is also devoted to physical exer cise, carpentry, needlework and cookery. After a four years' course the scholars enter the sec ondary schools, where they remain till 15. After a five years' advanced course in the sec ondary school the scholars have the option of ultimately entering the gymnasium or the in dustrial and commercial schools. Up to the age of 15 instruction is free; after that the an nual fees amount to 60 francs ($12). There are great universities in the chief cities, which are much frequented by foreign pupils. The Swiss technical schools are second to none in the world; they teach everything, from waiting at table to watch-making and science. In mountain villages the schools are kept open only during the long Alpine winter. All through the summer the boys work in the fields, while the masters and teachers attend to their own farms. From the primary schools to the universities there are splendid facilities for learning. In the 4,690 primary schools there are about 530,000 pupils annually under 12,023 teachers. The cost of these institutions is lit tle over $10,000,000 a year. In the 642 higher schools there are about 60,000 pupils annually under 2,000 teachers. The cost of these is about $1,500,000 a year. Besides these there are schools of agriculture, dairying, commerce, etc., while continuation commercial schools give further instruction to some 10,000 pupils yearly, who attend vacation and evening classes. In the seven universities, Basel, Zurich, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg and Neuchatel, there is an average of 9,000 students a year, of whom fully a third are foreigners. An aver age of 15,000 children a year are treated in the correctional schools, and some 1,300 in 28 schools for the feeble-minded. There are 14
special schools for deaf-mutes, with an average of 700 pupils a year. Special attention is paid in all Swiss educational Snstitutions to gym nastics and physical culture.
already stated, Switzer land is a confederation of 19 entire and six half cantons, which have been united for fed eral purposes since 1848. The present constitu tion, which dates from 29 May 1874, vests su preme legislative and executive authority in two chambers —(1) a State Council (Standerath) of 44 members, chosen two for each canton and one for each half-canton for three years; and (2) a National Council (Nationalrath) of 167 delegates of the Swiss people, chosen also for three years by direct manhood suffrage, one deputy for every 20,000 of the population. Among the various forms of government de veloped in Europe that of a federal republic has been achieved by Switzerland alone. That country may claim to possess the only truly democratic government in the world. The Swiss have produced great results with small resources; they have shown what the plain man can do in the way of government without the help of a ruling class, of gentlemen of lei sure, of millionaires or of professional politi cians. An ideal democratic constitution should make it impossible for political representatives to impose on the country laws which the people do not want. It should also be difficult, if not impossible, for a small majority to impose con stitutional changes to which nearly one-half of the electors are opposed. Yet these obvious re quirements are conspicuously absent in demo cratic countries, for it is often uncertain how far laws, which are easily carried through a parliament or congress, are really wanted by the people, and whether, if put to the popular vote, they would have even a bare majority in their favor. The expression of the will of the people as an aim of government is altogether lost sight of and party necessities become the sole motives' of political action. Another re quirement of democratic government is that the political machine should •vork as smoothly as possible, and for this end care should be taken so as to constitute the legislative and executive bodies as to avoid as far as possible the polit ical crises consequent upon sudden changes of government and to minimize the turmoil and excitement produced by elections. The Swiss have solved these difficult problems with inge nuity and originality; they have evolved a polit ical machine in which the frank and sure ex pression of the popular will and the smooth working and stability of government are ob tained to far greater extent than in any other country.