PRUSSIA.
'rile school system of Prussia may be divided into three departments. elementary. secondary. and higher. The elementary system is designed to educate children of the lower classes whose school training is completed with them. The secondary schools are intended to prepare pupils for the universities or professional sehools. which :Ire for the most part flossed as superior schools. The elementary schools may be grouped under five classes: ( I 1 in font schoak. These are not supported by S1:110 funds. nor are the teachers required to have State cent ifientes of eapiteity. They are. however, under the super vision of local school boards. Their purpose 19 141 111 l'e for children whose parents are obliged to no ottl to work. C'hildren are admitted ordinarily only in their third year. but in some eases even younger children are eared for. (2) The Po/ks schn/e. This takes children between the ages of six and fourteen, and during this period attend ance is ounpulsory for all whose education is not otherm ise provided. In the larger communi ties the sexes are taught separately, but in the country districts this is usually impossible. on account of the lack of teachers and facilities. The school work occupies six hours a day and about forty-two weeks a year. There are three grades and six though the work occupies eight years. The subjects of study are, in the lowest grade, religion, German, arithinetic, sing ing, gymnastics, and needle-work; in the middle grade, drawing, science, history, and geography are added: and in the upper grade, geometry. This course is prescribed by law, but within its limits selection and arrangement are left to the school board of the district, subject to the ap proval of the general board of the royal Govern ment. (3) The conti»nolion schools. These are usually evening schools, giving instruction to pupils between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. They review the work of the Volksschule, and give sonic additional work with special reference to trade or industry, or, in the country districts, agriculture. Tuition is charged, but provision is made for those who cannot pay. With the continuation schools may be classed various in dustrial and trade schools which are day schools, and devote more time and effort to prepare for specific vocations. (4) .111d,//c schools. These sprang from the old burgher schools of the Mid dle Ages. They aim to prepare the children of people with more means for a commercial life, although sometimes they are attended by pupils preparing for the secondary schools. Tuition is charged. Nearly twice as many of these schools as are public are private. A considerable pro portion of them are mixed schools. They take the place of the Volksschule, but sometimes continue instruction until the seventeenth year. (5) Nor mal schools. In these there is a preparatory course of three years to which children of four teen arc admitted. This is followed by a two years' course in the women's normals, and a three years' course in men's normals and the one for governesses. In 190n there were 12C of these insti
tutions, of which all hut about twelve were for men exclusively. Students are admitted on examina tion and the attendance is limited to from thirty to thirty-six in each class. While in the school students receive their support. On graduation, they are placed on the list of available teachers, and required to take what is given them, or pay back the expenses of their education. Before re ceiving permanent appointment. however, a pro bation of from two to five years is required, and an additional examination on educational matters must be passed. The normal school course con sists of pedagogics, religion, history, arithmetic, geometry, geography. drawing, writ ing. music, and a foreign language.
The secondary schools in Prussia, as in Ger many generally, are the various classes of gym nasia and Rea Isehulen. The gymnasia are the classical schools, and have their origin far back in the Middle Ages. They were Modernized dur ing the nineteenth century by the introduction of science and modern languages, although they have always retained the humanistic quality as against the Realschulen, which emphasize the sci entific studies and modern languages, and omit the classical languages altogether. The gymnasium has a nine years' course. To enter it the pupil must he nine years of age, and have had three years of elementary instruction. The pro-gym nasia give a shorter course, usually only the six years necessary to gain for their graduates from one year of the volun tary service in the army. Occupying a position the gymnasium and the 14-n1,4.11,de is the llealgymnasium, which omits Greek and gives more attention to sciences, ete. There are also real pro-gymnasia. The lIealschnle proper only a six years' course, but the higher Beal schulen have nine years of work. As a result of a conference on secondary schools that met at Berlin in 1900, the three (lasses of schools having a nine years' con•se are declared to be equal from the point of view of general culture, uud Greek was made optional in the gymnasia. The pro gramme of studies was somewhat revised, and greater latitude allowed the masters in adapting their work to partienlar needs. For the profes sional training of secondary teachers there are twelve State seminaries, which admit only a few candidates. There are also connected with many of the gymnasia seminaries conducted by the prin cipals and leading teachers. These institutions all give a one year's course. There are also a number of higher schools giving instruction to girls from six to fifteen years of age. They are supple mented by gymnasia having a four years' course. These institutions, however. are not recognized as preparing for the universities, and the higher schools are controlled by the department for pri mary education.