Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-04-14
The German Schools.
[For the. Shenandoah HERALD

tIOnal matters, and Tor years 10 come
other nations must be content to sit, at
her feet and study her Incompatible
system. The most ardent admirers OF
this system will see in it some omis-
sions and lnperfections arising from
the peculiar temperament and circum-
stances of the German people, but CON-
pared with its excellencies the defects
seem trivial.
The present school laws and methods
of Germany in general, and Prussia IN
particular, are not the product OF a
single genius, nor the result of single
century Of experience. They are the
crowAing work Of over three centuries
of systematic education, and the ac-
cumulated wisdom Of the deepest
thinkers from Martin Luther. the foun-
der Of the German common schools, TO
Froebel who inaugurated the kinder
garten system forty years ago. The
German school system is a growth, the
germ of which may be seen in the
dawn of the Reformation. Luther
made an epoch ID public education only
less marked than that he made in
church history. A hundred years later
lived John Comenus who did most to
shape German education between
Luther and Pestalozzi. 1t may not be
amiss to state some of his principles OF
educatl lion, First. instruction should be-
Gin in early youth and should advance
step By step from the easy to the diff
cult, Second, instruction will be light
task if the methods Of nature are fol-
lowed. Third, examples must pre-
cede rules. First the thing, then the
word. Fourth, one should first learn
what lies nearest to him. Fifth, read
ing and writing must be learned to-
gether. Sixth, the pupil must learn
nothing by heart that he does not under
stand. Seventh, affectionate parents
and teachers, good school furniture and
Fairgrounds, and natural methods OF
teaching must all work together to
make learning agreeable. Comenius
first introduced picture illustrations in
school books.
Perhaps no one has enjoyed more
lasting and illustrous fame as an educa-
tor than Pestalozzi, who was born,
lived and died in Switzerland. He be-
came famous chiefly by his school at
Nerdon,' on Lake Neufchatel, to which
young teachers were sent from all
parts Of Europe, and by his two books,
Leonhard and iGertrude," aud How
Gertrude taught her Children" In which
Pestalozzi's views on teaching are fully
set forth. This was about eighty years
ago. The works were published in
German, the native speech Of the
author, and from the first exerted the
greatest influence among the German
Schools. Pestalozzi's system was SIM
ole enough. He emphasized the i'm
portance of the mothers influence and
Of home teaching. He held that in
teaching the thing itself should first be
presented 10 the child, next the picture
Of it, then an outline sketch, and lastly
the word to represent it. There should
be no tear of punishment, but kindness
and love should always rule.
The last epoch in the German school
system was in 1S40 when school sys-
tenn was in 1910 when Fredrick FroeDel
introduced the kindergarten. Since
then there has been q gradual improve
ment in school buildings, school furni.
ture. school books, school laws, aud
most of all in school methods. So that
now IN some provinces the number OF
those who can neither read nor write IS
reduced TO one or two per cent.
BY glancing over the history OF the
German schools, and looking into the
nature Of ihe system, VIC can easily dis
coyer some features that would hardly
succeed on American soil. Take, for
instance, the compulsory attendance OF
pupils. 1t is one Of the most valuable
helps in the German school policy
There are no truants. In the streets Of
Berlin, or Dresden or Vienna you see
no children during school hours. But
it would be premature to try to enforce
compulsory school law IN most parts
os this country. In many other re-
spects there is surrendering OF chill
dren into the hands of the school
authorities that American parents
would not submit to. Again, it is very
doubtful whether religious instruction
in the public schools OF the United
States can long be maintained; while
is Germany public sentiment requires a
law making religious instruction obli-
gatory and of the first importance. In
both the theory and proctice of the
German schools there are features that
are impracticable in our free school
system. Our American minister in
Berlin, Hon. A. d. White, said to the
writer few weeks ago that he had no
doubt the German school system was
far superior to our own as a whole but
that we needed men who have studied
the German schools long enough to
see their defects as well as their advan-
tages. Most Of the chief merits Of the
German schools we can easily avail
ourselves OF; aud indeed We are intro
ducing them in may places. In many
of our large cities the kindergarten has
become fixed Institution. The meth
Ods ofPestalozzi are gaming ground,
and the philosophy OF education is
being made study. Until few years
aco there was no systematic method OF