The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-04-20

oeption OF two OF three linoo q inquiry which
directly Affect the practice Of surgery and
medicine. and which accordingly ct BaIlin. ~
at Harvard. are attached to the msdlcafbshool.
Now. all that was asked for the nor. Hsllsnists
Of the Rsalschulen was admission 10 those
courses Of lectures embraced within the pro-
gramme OF the philosophical faculty which 70.
lated to the physical sciences. or to philosophy.
economics. and the modern languages. Az
far - tho soiontino lectures were CON-
cornsd-snd these attracted the mass OF
Realschuler-it was . - II young
American should put 10 tho modest
prayer which. a. far as We know no college In
this country would dream Of rejecting. that his
ignorance Of Greek should not DO . bar to his
admission to collateral scientific school. and
TO his ultimate attainment OF the degree OF
Bachelor In Science at the hands OF the univer-
sity authorities. A humble petition truly. yet
sanction was refused TO It BY every representa-
tive Of lnductlvo science In the Berlin philo.
sophlcal faculty In 1869: and after ten years
trial. seouredthrough the direct Interpolation
Of the Government. the experiment Of admit.
ting graduates Of Rsalsohulen II unanimously
pronounced failure.
Taking UP these documents In the order Of
time. rather than OF Importance from an In
ductive point OF view. we observe that the
opinion or report presented in 1869 By the
University OF Berlin. and In which the next
largest Of Prussian universities. viz. Bonn
and Breslau. concurred. made the point that
the directors OF Realschulon themselves. who
must be assumed to have correct conception
OF the special work OF their institutions. have.
with great emphasis. insisted that all teachers
In those schools shall be such as have been pre-
pared In tho Gymnasium. and have therefore
studied Greek In other words. tho fitness OF
the Realschule to serve as nursery for Its
own future teachers Is denied by Its own repre-
sentatives." 1t Is further noted that oven In
the circles for whose benefit tho Healschulen
were organized. viz. In tho great commercial
houses and in industrial institutions. expo
rience has taught employers to welcome those
young mon most heartily who como from the
Prima or highest class OF q Gymnasium.
Tho report goes on to aver that. In
regard to the natural sciences. the most nota-
bic OF our chemists and physicists. as we'll as
the representatives Of tho other departments.
agree that tho students from tho 0ymnasia. on
the average. accomplish more. 1t Is the gen.
erai experience that the foretaste OF these
sciences obtained In the Realschulo frequent
ly duls rather than stimulates eagerness for
knowledge Still less are the modern languages
able to take the place OF Gieek and Latin; for
since as rule the only thing aimed at in their
study 10 certain facility OF use. they cannot
serve in equal manner as an instrument OF Gull
ture." The conclusion was that. ~ has not
boon possible to find an equivalent for tho
classical languages as a centre OF instruction.
and therefore the university cannot doom 1t
advisable for the State to cease TO require q
Gymnasium training for its future function
aries"
Although these convictions wero expressed
by every scientist connected with the philo-
sophical faculty at Berlin. and although the
judgment was confirmed by the universities OF
Bonn. Bresau. and Kiel yet inasmuch as the
universities Of Halle. G0ttingen. K6nigsberg
Marburg. and Griefswald had favored the OK
pertinent on certain conditions. the Minister OF
Public Instruction decided to Professionally
allow the graduates OF Realschulen to matricu-
late for the purpose Of following certain lee
lures on philosophy and the modern languages.
and more particularly those courses OF instruc-
ton which at Harvard would be pursued In the
Scientific School. He limited the privilege.
however. to a now and special class OF Real
schulen. wherein Latin received an amount
OF attention more nearly approaching that
bestowed In the Gymnasia. and where 1t was
hoped to Offset the omission OF Crock by be-
slowing a great deal OF time upon the induc-
tive sciences.
After the expediency OF dropping Greek
from among the requirements for mntricula-
ton had been subjected to the test OF ten years
experience the philosophical faculty OF Berlin
University. on March 8. 1880. again submitted
a report on the subject to tho Prussian Minis
ter OF Public Instruction. Again the verdict
was unanimous. boing concurrsd in as before
by oil the representatives OF physical science
in that faculty or school. now speaking. howev
| with tho positiveness aud authority OF men
| A.
method to the solution Of problem. who were
| fresh. in other words. from m experiment in
| corpors noJili. There Is no allusion. be 1t OBJ
served. In this report to the rrepossossions
and opinions OF men like Mommsen and
| Curtius. whose lives have been devoted
| to classical learning. The only witnesses
| called are the professors Of mathematics.
| Of philosophy. OF tho natural sciences.
| and OF the modern languages. In whose
| class rooms and laboratories the graduates
| Of Gymnasia and OF Realschulen. that Is to
| say the Greeks and the Darbarians. had for
ten years been working side by side. Let US
| listen to these witnesses whose competence Ia
| indsputable. and whose prejudices II they had
any. must have been arrayed against the Hell
lenists. Those representatives Of the mathe-
NAUTICAL branches whose lectures are more
particularly attended by students In the FIRST
SeHtStrS. VI uuiA SoHis' SoS tuhs thoy AhNo ou-
served no difference between graduates OF
| Gymnasia and Realschulen." That was to be
| expected. or rather the RealschGler should
havo darted ahead at the first dash. seeing that
| In their training from IS to so per cont. more
| time Ia given to mathematics. But the tost OF
racing colts Is. not which gets of best. but
| which has the moro bottom and Is first under the
| wiro. As to this point tho report goes ON to
| speak: On tho contrary. both OF the full pro-
fessors who are accustomed to give instruction
| in the higher mathematics hold without change
to the verdict repeatedly given by them tina,
| tho students OF mathematics who have been
prepared in the Gymnasia. in spite OF the fact
| thnt less time is devoted to this branch by them
than by tho Renlschalen nre. nevertheless. as
II rule superior to their follow students from the
| Realschuls In scientific impulse and apprelen-
sion andi capacity for deeper understanding
| OF their science" To this efroct the mathema-
ticlnns and. in concurrence with them. tho d.
rector OF tho astronomical department. an
nounco 1t as their experience. almost without
exception. rs we'll In the observatory as In the
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