The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-13

sary insolubleness. they are directly interesting.
but ii one might ever doubt to the probable
effect of these theological questions one could
have mono OF the good effects of what's after all,
the chief and the best part of the instruc-
ton given in German schools. the learning BY
heart Of number of sayings, parallels and
Lutheran hymns | lay stress on hymns, be-
cause such hymns part of literature of
which l keenly feel the effects but OF which |
have more than once spoken disparagingly. The
German hymns are, however. better than ours
Who that watches the touching effects that come
over childrens faces could doubt that the soul and
feelings were reached in way which we cannot
attain with the programme of useful knowledge
that we have in our public schools.
1t is said that the alienation of the working
classes from Christianity proves that all in
struction IN the public schools would be of little
avail think the alienation is exaggerated
but, even admitting it to be great az anyone
supposes, feel sure that in the German Ian
guage, sentiment and religion arise with the re-
iigious instruction often and often continued,
and work after every positive element of Chris
tianity In man may become quite estranged.
1t is in the religious instruction of the German
schools that we find an educational force OF real
value. which in our schools is wanting. You
may know whether it is wanting in your schools
also But, curouslv enough, we find in France
likewise in the public schools type of religious
instruction which seems of high interest and
value. but which would also be to the pub
lie schools of England quite impossible.
Not that religion holds that place In
the programme of French public schools
which it held in those of France twenty
years ago. when I had last seen the French
schools The chaplains are gone from the pub
lie schools, and religion Is gone from the pro-
gramme. and it may no longer be taught in the
public schools at the school-houses. True, moral
and civic instruction has place in the school
programme and regulations, and high commissa-
ries say that the schools are to teach the ex
i l OF God In accordance with with
and fraud. But in Paris, that
great center of the public education which is now
going forward in France-in Paris, the munich
pality which provides the maintenance OF public
schools, will not have the name of God intro
duced in their teaching, and it has even sane
toned a school manual altogether hostile to re-
igon and contemptuous Of it. AS to the moral
and civic instruction of the French schools, 1
saw no signs Of its being taught so that the
souls and minds of those receiving it were
reached by the instruction.
Moral teaching for young people, except when
IL is indirectly taught in stories, not in religion,
is dark, and when ii is put into stories the story
may interest, but the moral Is lost sight Of AS
to the civic value, the most remarkable specl-
men which I saw l shall mention. who
gives, says the auestioner to the children, all
the benefits YOU are enjoying-these hne
school rooms, with their appliances for in
structions, this beautiful city, where you live;
everything in which the whole comfort and
security of your life consists!' / thought
surely the children must have given avn answer
as has been given regularly for centuries-"God
gives me these But the name of God must
not be used in the Paris municipality. The won
derful instruction proved equal to the occasion,
and the legitimate answer came-'It Is our
country gives it to u.s." Laughter
All this seemed patriotic, but I am bound to
recall to mind that the French training college
which found in connection with the training of
teachers what was really religious instruction
of most serious and effective kind
should be disposed to call it, in view of our
modern constitution, the best religious instruc-
ton l have ever scents at Fontleroi, near
Paris II was instituted few years ago by the
French government to train teachers for their
normal colleges-schoolmist who are now
established in every department in France. AT
enty years of age who was originally Protest
ant pastor. M. Pecault. He has the requisite
gifts to the proper filing of the position to which
ne has been called, and in the teaching of that
much taught but generally most I'M
satisfactory thing, non-dogmatic re-
hear M. Pecault you would be convinced of this.)
He is unfortunate in the quality of his pupils;
clear is he, with such presence of mind, such
keen sense of excellence. And most of the girls
at Fontleroi are Catholics. heard them repeat
ing to the director. paragraph by paragraph,
Bishop Duponts Ecole, on which their questions
were based. and really these girls were allowed
to treat them with the tolerant sympa-
teaches them himself. A German expert
who has lately been reporting to his government
on the subject of French schools, was as much
surprised with the instruction at Fontleroi as
was. Now. here we have success which in
England would hardly be possible A govern
ment setting up a training college like Fontleroi,
with religious instruction given in it like that of
M. Pecault would run the risk of being accused
OF supporting new religion. No English gov
eminent in our day would run such risk rs
that auDnosa fT.auphfar
heard lecture on electricity given to a class
Of girls in Berlin. / should call it an ambitious
lesson, namely, because it went far beyond any
thing I have heard In England in the public
schools. But what thought was: How thor
oughly the lesson was kept in the girls compre-
henson. and how thought / could have been
interested in such studies if l had been
similarly taught. But the literary. branch
naturally he called humanities--these are train
ers Of all that is humane, and I find occurring
frequently in my notes on the common schools
this. "The children humane" can best ex
plain what I mean by saying the impression
made upon me by the performance of reading
aud writing and the pronunciation Of the foreign
languages was good. 'GooG, considering the
class from which the children come-considering
they come from the uncultivated classes" have
had to say in England.
But in the public schools of the continent of
Europe have found whole classes whose reading
and reciting might be called good Without any
such allowances or reservation whatever, 1t might
called good. just as absolutely as we call the
reading and reciting of the cultivated class good
reading and reciting, with proper enuncation.
pronunciation and expression, and which it
was q pleasure to listen to- ! recall per-
fectly recitation of a part OF Lamartine in
a school of Paris. and the reading of Schiller in
a class OF primary boys in Lucerne. In the
public schools English is obligatory in Ham
burg. as owing to the commercial intercourse
between Hamburg and England, and in the
Swiss schools French and German is obligatory.
In Hamburg heard performance Of En-
glish class that considered good, without any
mental reservation. The performance was
not limited to few pages of vo-
cabulary and exercises. as in q Lon
don primary school, but the class
turned English into French and German, and
German and French into English, and they
the way of pronouncing it Finally, in literary