The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-26


Some remarkable statistics have lately
been published in France, showing the con
dition of popular instruction in the several
European States. BY their aid we are en-
ahlcd toan-wor many interesting questions
rs for instance, in what countries the system
OF compulsory education obtains. where and
to what extent the means of learning are
offered gratis. and how far intellectual
tuition is dissociatcd from religious teach
ing. The ratio of school children to the
total population in the various countries
Will also deserve attention.
The regime Of compulsory attendance Is
vigorously maintained in most ~ eilr States
which make up the German empire. viz, in
all the provinces Of aggrandizcd PRUSSIA. in
Wurtembcrg, Bavaria Saxuny. and the
grand duchy Of Baden. We may here mem
ton that the system has been received with
favor 10y tlsacc and Lorraine. which some
years before the Franco-ticrinan war had
pctltiOncd NAPOLEON H. for its introduce
ton The same rule OF absolute compu,.ion
Is carried ont 10y Scandinavian nations
Denmark, Sweden, and Norway; in Swift
erland and Austria Hungary; and it exists
on the statute book, Whatever may be said
Of it, execution, in Italy, Turkey, and
Greece. On the other hand the count rics
wherein the obligation rests not on indivd-
uals. but on communities; whore In other
words, public schools are supplied 10y the
districts containing them, AZ in the United
States. comprise the Netherlands. France.
and Belgium. Nominally. Spain and Portu-
gal may bc casscd in the same category
The sole country wherein there is no legal
coercion either Of the citizen or the cuinnu-
nifty in the interests Of education is the en-
pirc Of Russia.
Instruction, wholly free Of cost to the
pupil, exists by law and in fact in sweden
and Norway, in Denmark. in several swiss
cantOns, and in Italy. Two other States be-
long IN the same list. One, We need not
state, Is our own republic, and the other
strange to say, is Turkey. In Prussia
gratuitous education WAS prescribed by the
Constitution Of 1880, and its expenses were
made local charge. The law however. has
never received general application, and at
present tuition can hc had gratis only in
certain number OF towns and rural districts
The same thing may bc said Of the other
German States Throughout the empire.
however, while a small fee is still eXactcd
from those allo To pay il, the poor are
everywhere exempted from contribution.
Obviously, such exemption IS the insopara-
bic conconitant Of compulsory attendance.
In France, which, in respect TO primary cd
uration, Is ina state Of transition, public tut
tion IS cheap, but not gratuitous. The aver
age annual dues collected from each child
range, according to the district, from two
10 about four dollars. Passing from this
topic to the elimination Of religious teach
ing from public schools, We find that
purely secular instruction obtains in the
Netherlands, and is to certain extent es-
tabishcd III Prussia and some other German
States.
So much for general data, and wc NAV
now glance briefly at several countries In
detail To begin with France, we note anil
prcssive progress there since the overthrow
OF the empire. Thus the State subvcntion Of
two million dollars allotted to primary edu-
cation by the OLIVIER Ministry Is aug
mcnted In the budget for 1878 TO five and a
half millions. The example of the Govern
mcnt has been so cordially followed by the |
departments and communes that the total |
outlay for the above purpose is computed to
have tripled since 1869. We have not been
able 10 ascertain the precise number Of pu-
pills now taught in French primary schools, |
but it Is certain that there is no longer |
foundation for the statement made byJULEs |
SIMON in 1864 that only two-hfths of the |
children in France between the ages Of eight |
aud eleven passed through the elementary |
course, while upward of million failed to
receive the first rudiment of instruction.
The stipend OF French school teachers.
however is still extremely low. 1t appears
that some twenty thousand instructors are
paid less than $40 year.
In the Kingdom Of Holland, with n popu-
lation of less than four millions, and whcro
primary education, rs we have seen. is gra-
tuitous, secular, and compulsory, there are
1868 free schools OF an elementary grade
maintained at Il cost of 81 100000 The an
nual complement of pupils registered In
these institutions is not less than 432OOO;
aud the proportion of illitcratc persons in
the whole population falls short of eighteen
per cent.
If We turn to the Scandinavian States
we find Sweden, with 4 2oO,OOO inhabitants,
supporting moro than 1900 primary schools,
at an expense of Sl,lOoOOO Here the total
number of school children is close upon six
hundred thousand. In other words, there is
one pupil to every seven Inhabitants. an
NH''''U ii"i" l" p"l"I'l III b'llHhNy' |
Sun more noteworthy is the case of Nor
way, where a struggling population of
million and thrce-quarters dcirays the cost
OF G,3i5 elementary schools. Out of the
whole number of children of the prescribed
age only two per cent. fail to receive in
structon. Denmark, too, may DO rcckoned
among the countries in which cduca-
tion is well distributed Hero IL people Of
l,s7i,OOO souls support upward of LOO
schools, frequented by 100000 scholars,
which represents ratio of ninety-four pu-
pills to the one thousand inhabitants. 1t is