The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-17 00:00:00

EDUCATION IN GERMANY.

We mentioned on Friday week the early date of
Normal schools in Hanover, and stated that the
Clergy there began as early as the middle of the
sixteenth century, and have ever since unceasingly
continued to promote the rational school education
of the people. The same fact is true of Prussia and
of all the North of Germany. " There is not,"
says M. Cousin, in his Report on Public Instruc-
tion in Prussia, p. 107, Mrs. Austin's translation—
There is not perhaps a single article of this long law
(of 1819), to which numerous anterior regulations did not
serve as a ground work ; and in a paper on the history of
primary instruction in Prussia, inserted in the first number
of the second volume of • The Journal of Primary Instruc-
tion,' by Councillor Von Beckedorff, I find rules as old as
the years 1728 and 1736, which comprise a number of the
provisions of the law of 1819. The obligation of parents
to send their children to school is of great antiquity in
Prussia. The powerful and active superintendance exercised
by the Church over the education of the people dates from
the origin of Protestantism, of which it is an inherent charac-
teristic. The boldest measure was the establishment of a
grand primary normal school for each department ; but there
were already similar establishments in most of the old pro-
vinces of the monarchy. In short this law does little more
than methodise what already existed not only in Prussia
but throughout Germany.
M. Cousin gives a list of all the great primary
normal schools of Prussia, and there are many
lesser ones, which shows that they are neither of
very modern origin, nor hidden in obscure places.
The number of great primary normal schools is
28; they are placed in the different towns of the
monarchy, and were established at different periods;
as for example, those at Kcenigsburgh, established
in 1701, reorganised in 1809 ; Kleindexen, esta-
blished in 1772 ; Alt Stettin, 1735 ; Breslau,
1768 ; Magdeburgh, 1790 ; Weissenfels, 1794.
Thus for upwards of a century, normal schools
for teaching schoolmasters have been known in
Germany ; and for more than half a century have
attracted public attention. If the Anglican clergy
had been animated, as they pretend, by a desire to
improve the education of the people, would they
not long before now have introduced such schools
into every part of her Majesty's dominions ? They
have had ample funds and ample leisure. They have
wanted nothing but good will. To them has been
confided the control of education, and they never
made an effort to improve it till they were alarmed
by the exertions of others. Now when the Government
proposes to establish such a school--Tory Govern-
ments having been as negligent as the Tory priest-
hood—the Anglican clergy, dreading the beneficial
controul of the secular authority, shove forward a
normal school of their own, arid furiously oppose
that planned by the Government. Their single
object now, as in past times, is to rivet their yoke
on the neck of the people, and to attain that end
their hypocrisy does not shun misrepresentation
and calumny.
One part of their system has been to persuade
their dupes that the people of England under their
guidance are more moral than the people on the
Continent. Our criminal annals give no counte-
nance to their self-praise. The horrible state of
destitution of the Irish and of many of the English,
while the State clergy-riot in opulence and extra-
vagance on wealth extorted from the industrious
classes, demonstrating a terrible degree of public
immorality, is the condemnation of their hypocritical
system. There is great difficulty, we are aware, of
ascertaining the relative morality of different nations,
because there is no positive standard by which
all can be measured. At the same time
it can be distinctly proved that in the na-
tional schools of the Continent great pains are
taken to teach religion and morality. The people
do not certainly go to church three times on Sun-
day, they believe they can do something better than
listen to political articles full of calumny and
abuse spouted in the pulpit. They would turn
with disgust from the savage instruction to hate
their neighbours, because they are not Churchmen,
such as is too frequently given by our ultra Church-
men. They are taught to love, not hate, their Ca-
tholic, Jewish, and reformed countrymen. They
hear little or nothing of contradictory dogmas ;
Christianity is not made to them a religion of strife,
or a foundation for securing a large revenue to one
class of religionists. The wealth of • their clergy
does not increase fanaticism by' cupidity, and en-
courage fraud by rewarding it with princely revenues.
The religious' nstruction combined with their sys-
tem of education is hiStOriCal and moral. Chris-
tianity is an historical religion, and the Germans
are carefully taught its history, 'and the hiStory of
the Jews. It is also a code of morals, which is
carefully impressed on youth. In England, both
rational relzion and morals are neglected at school,
and the first is only taught within the limits of the
Catechism and the Prayer Book, and the latter is
picked up from every-clay practice. That religion
forms part of the school education of the '
Germans is well known. M. Cousins' Re-
port states of different schools, " that the objects
of instruction are religion," &c. ; that " six hours
every week are given to religious instruction ;" that
" the number of lessons in religion are four in the
week ;" that " a religious instruction is laid down
in the school instructions, is the first want of a
people," &c. In the Report on the primary school
at Potsdam, is this passage :-
1. Religion. To awaken and fortify the religious spirit
and the nv)ral sentiments. For this purpose the histories
and parables of the Bible are very useful. Frequent
reading and accurate explanation of the Bible are neces-
sary. The pupils should be able to explain the articles of
faith, and the most important duties as laid down in the
catechism. Many sentences, whole chapters and parables
from the Holy Scriptures, hymns, and verses should be
known by heart ; they should be able to give answers on
the most interesting points of the history of the Church
and the Reformation.

In another part of the Report there is also this
passage :
What struck me the most was the courses, called in
Germany courses of 211(thodilz and Didahtik, as also those
designated by the name of Padayogih : the two former
intended to teach the art of tuition, the latter the more
difficult art of moral education. These courses are more
particularly calculated for the acting masters, who come
back to perfect themselves at the normal school; for
which reason they are nut entered in the table or pros-
pectus, which exhibits only the regular studies of the
school. These courses are almost always given by the
director, who also generally gives the religious instruction,
which here comes in its proper place—that is, first. There
are many examples in Germany of laymen who teach reli-
gion. As all schoolmasters who are of necessity generally
laymen, are bound to give religious and moral ►nstruction
in their several schools, it follows of course that the teach-
ing the art of giving such instruction cannot be confined to
ecclesiastics. Nevertheless such lessons can come from
no one with more fitness and authority than from an eccle-
siastic; and fur that reason most of the directors of normal
schools are either Catholic cures or Protestant pastors, or
persons who, after having gone through a regular course of
theological study, devote themselves to public instruction.
Thus, in spite of what our Parsons tell us about
the Germans being an irreligious people, it is plain
that religion forms a principal part of the instruction,
and so far as teaching can make a people reli6ous,
the Germans are religious. We are, however, in-
duced to suppose that religion, being rather a
sentiment or emotion—the last and final conse-
quence of all knowledge, rather than any facts,
cannot be taught and communicated like the sci-
ences. To form that sentiment preaching and
teaching seems vain, so that we pay a priesthood for
doing that which, probably, is like pouring water
into sieves. True religion is the natural and neces-
sary result, the ultimate result, of civilisation, and
we believe is not to be taught. The Germans,
however, take great pains to teach it, and we shall
now give our readers a specimen of the modes they
adopt

What is taught the children (says the author of Travels
in the North of Germany), under the term religion is very
generally morality. It is fc,und principally in the cate-
chism, and a variety of books called the Chrildren's
Friend. Of course, the commonly received principles of
Christianity are taught; but as these are not susceptible
of continued exposition to children, much of the catechism
illustrates the duties of life. I transcribe a portion from
where chance has led me to open it.
" Instructor.---The world must have an author, by whom
it has been created; why do you judge so?
" Pupil.—The smallest house must have a builder;
how then can the world, this great and beautiful dwelling-
house for innumerable creatures, exist without a wise and
powerful author ?"

. .
Another place, p. 94, treats of attention to the body, of
a good name, &c.--

I.—Can we promote the perfection and felicity of
the soul, when we take no care of our body ?
" P.—No ; God has so united soul and body, that
through a careful attention to the body, the perfection
and felicity of the soul is grounded.
" I.—What sort of care are we indebted to the body ?
" P.—The care for life and health, and a proper use of
its members.

" I.—Why for our life?
" P.—Because God has given it to promote our own and
our neighbour's welfare.-1 Pet. iv. 10.
" I. —What is opposed to industry and economy?
" P.—ldleness, extravagance, and avarice.
" I.—Are idleness and extravagance pernicious?
" P.—They bring want and contempt, and, at the end,
induce to steal and cheat.
I.—What is avarice?
4, P.—An immoderate desire for riches without properly
using them.