The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-12-03
Communication
TLc Clly school of Iremcn.

The salaries of The teachers Of the
Bremen City School, are mainly paid
from the funds of The institution, SO that
the charge for tuition is low. Children
are not admitted til!they are able to read
The course Of instruction embraces the
various branchesusually taughtin the best
schools, including the Latin, the Greek,
and several modern tongues.
The pupils, lothe number of seven or
eight hundred, are divided into classes OF
thirty members each. There are as many
teachers as there are classes, and every
class occupies separate room. Each
teacher. as general rule, gives instruc-
lion in but one branch. One man. for
instance, deyotes himself entirely TO the
teaching of arithmetic, and another to the
teaching of penmanship. The Latin
language is the exclusive province of a
third, and the French of fourth, &c.
Each recitation occupies one hour
AT the end Of each hour bell rings, which
is The signal for the simultaneous suspen-
sion of the exercises of all the classes.--
Aftera recess ofa few moments, upon
the repetition Of the signal. the scholars
resume their places, when the teachero Of
geography who spent the preceding hour
in Room No. l, for example, will pass TO
Room No. 2, to spend the next hour in
teaching geography to another class
while perhaps The teacher who spent the
previous hour in Room No. 9, in teach
ing history, will, during the following
hour, give instructionn the same branch
to the class in Room No. l. Hence, one
teacher will in the course Of the day,
visit six or eight different rooms, ployi.
ded there should be so great number
of classes engaged in his particular de-
partmem of study.
In the classification of the scholars,
those are placed together who are equal
ly advanced in all studies to which
they may be attending; SO that the schol-
ars who form class in one recitation
recite together throughout the day, and
throughout the year.
1t will be perceived that according Il
these arrangements, all the scholars whc
are at any time present in room engage
at the same time in the same exercise
and that every class, and every member
of The schools continually lectured ant
drilled throughout the entire course o.
the school hours. Those lessons, there
fore, which require previous preparation
must necessarily be studied at home.
My object in presenting the preceding
sketch is to contrast the perfection of or
der and system which exists In the Ger
man schools with the chaotic state O
things in our own. would almost dis
dain to stoop SO low as to notice our dis
trict schools, excepting those of certain
localities which Ishall here after pointou
To describe the condition of our selec
schools and academies is task sufficient
Ily humilating. Ofthese classesof schools
nine -tenths are mere humbugs; and The
remaining tenth, though conducted b.
worthy teachers, are nearly worthless fo
the reasons which shall proceed to Sc
forth.
Our select schools and private acade
mics, as matter of course, are altogeth
er unfinished with apparatus, libraries
museums, and otEer facilities; for these
things involve heavy expenditure which
The limited means of teachers canno
meet, and which The revenues of thu
most prosperous school could never re
fund.
But the absence of these facilities j
not confined 10 private institutions. Gu
incorporated academies, with few excep
tions, exemplify, in all their appurtenan
ces and arrangements, the miserable pc
nuriousness that characterizes our pee
pie. A school that would disgrace re
spectacle country district, without Ii
brary of two Volumes and without sin
gle philosophical imple ment, not unfre
qnently boasts of chartered privileges
More prcjudicial, however to the in
tcrests of education, than the want {
the advantages just named,.is the war
of proper classification of the learners
and the want of asystematic division {
labor among the teachers Of our school
In the best German schools, as hay
Just shown, every scholar receives dali.
lin connexon with his class, from six
eight hours of the teachers direct attel
ton. Now can say from my own es
perience as teacher, that if parer
sends his children to school where the
cannot daily enjoy atleast two hours il
s;ruction and expects that they shall b
greatly benefited by their attendance
he expects an impossibility. can ais
assert that full justice cannot be done
any regular recitation. or other exc
else Of class or individual scholar
a shorter space than half an hour. Mar
lessons, as those in the languages al
; mathematics, cannot be dispatched in lie
than an hour. The average length
! time in which tolerable justice may
done to an exercise is three quarters
, anhour. One teacher may therefore he
about ten recitations in day. Eve
r scholar should daily participate in at lea
three or four exercises. Hence, wh'
i the recitaiions are attended to individu;
i ly, no one teacher should take charge
: more than,four pupils, And even in
school ofonly four pupils, each pupil, u
onthe plan of separate recitations, wou
receive but fourth part of the attenti
which boy receives in the Brem
Schnnl l. -lN-a- \.