The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-08-18
French Teachers.

Female lay teachers in France are, It
must be acknowledged, very greatly in.
ferior to the teachers in the United
States. 1t is said that in England when
a mar. has failed at everything else he
becomes a coal merchant. We should
not dream of applying this remark to
French ladies as regards school teach
ing. At the same time, 1t is an estab
lished fact that the French girls schools
which are managed by nuns, and espe-
cially those of the Sisters of st. Vincent
de Paul, are far above the other female
educational establishments. Most of the
male lay teachers are appointed from
the primary normal schools which exist
in the chief town of every department
and it is noteworthy fact that the ma.
jority of them are ardent republicans,
notwithstanding the fact that during the
empire every effort was made to win
them over to the imperial side. In
every normal and primary school was
the bust of Napoleon, and liberal dis
tribution took place of the famous
"Jorunal des Instituteurs, "every para
graph OF which, political and education
al, was dressed up in Napoleonic attire.
Possibly some OF the lay primary school
teachers may have adopted republican,
ism out of spirit of natural opposition
TO their old adversaTies and competitors
the instituteurs congreganistes. OF
these, too, a word must be said. While
in the secondary clerical schools most
of the instructors are Jesuites, in the
primary schools most of the teachers be-
long to the confraternity of the "EcOle
ChI etienne," the members of which,
without taking the VOWS and assuming
a life long engagement, agree, never~
theless, to remain single, to submit to
the discipline of the society, and to wear
| tho ecclesiastical dress. Strict ultra
montanists, these brethren have been
somewhat unjustly nlcknamed the ''fre-
res Ignorantins." Living as they do in
common, with but few wants, and re-
ceiving. whenever they require it, pecu-
mary aid from the wealthy party to
which they belong, they are satisfied
with rate OF pay less than one-half
that of the lay teachers, and are thus
preferred in large number of COM
munes on the simple ground of econo-
my. The plan of instruction Is the
same as that adopted in the secular pri-
mary schools, except that religious in
structiOn and exercises, of course, play
a larger part with them than with their
lay brethren. The ultra radicals, who
in large measure control the educa-
tional appropriations in the town cOun-
Gil, are opposed to any portion of the
public instruction remaining in the
hands of the clerical element, and their
most strenuous efforts are used to have
all these congregational schools Of both
sexes closed. They would concentrate
the entire national educational system
under the control of a body of lay
teachers to be paid by the towns and by
the state. In these views they are sup
ported by the republican party, while
the clergy have on their side the major
ity of the senate. Whether the absence
of clerical competition would be likely
to prove advantageous or not to tue sec
ular educational establishments, we
shall not attempt to say, but certain II
is that the long continuance OF this Bit
ter feud between the two parties has
been anything but conducive to the ed.
ucatioual progress Of France.-Llppin-
colts Magazine.