West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-03-05
GERMAN SCHOOLS.
An American Farmers View of Educ,
uonal Methods in Germany.

! An American Farmers View OF EducN.
uonal Methods in Germany.
The patcmal form of government.
/ that seems so To emaSculatc the men
and make them dough in the hands of
the rulers causes the schools to bc the
very ideals of what they should be-
was delightfully."- impressed with the
I first visit, and thomore see of them.
the impressions grow deeper To meet
/ the director. | was sent TO "A lcnu.
/ cheerN room, where was table the
i entire length, covered with all sorts of
/ literary matter, in that delightful con
/ fusion so attractive TO "A lover of books
/ seats comfortable arm-chairS, placed
. regularly showed il was the cabinet,
so TO speak, ~ the chief. and here the
( professors were gathered for their eN-
| animation of exercises, consultation
I and relaxation; some were passing
, their pupils exercises under cNamina-
/ tion. with that rapidity so surprising to
layman doubtful of his own p'S and
! 9'S; two were enjoying. evidently,
! letter written to one of them by an cN-
| aSperated mother; others were evident
! ly newly arrived from Berlin. and "A
chatter of gossip went ON. while the
! lN examined; others only came i'm to
deposit books, aud departed with a
salutation to all, not even forgetting
me. who sat with my tongue i'm a
double twist To encounter the German
| language. Almost all were SMOKING.
| all were I'm the prime of life. Younger
than | expected, nervous, intellectual
| 10y far the finest collection of men |
had vet seen.
When the director was at leisure. |
was invited to his study, where | met a
| genial, thin student, with capability
written in strong characters all over
his face. To my great relief he had
one of his 'stail, "a charming Young
man and fluent English scholar, who
bridgcd me safely over the interview
| The principal was as interested in my
plan as If the six hundred other bows
IN the gymnasium were never on his
mind. He examined my children fully.
TO see whcrcthcy could enter SO rs 10
| preserve their scli-respcct and not bc
in classes with companions too small:
suggested in what branches they had
best have private instruction to hasten
them ON, and made them, as well as
me, feel that every consideration
would be paid. As every class has "A
| special guardian, appointments were
made where ] could meet and consult
with them, so that ] felt | had about a
! dozen private teachers, instead of
dropping them into sort of mael-
strom, aS one feels in leaving boys at "A
large school with US.
This feeling of personal interest i'm
! the pupils increases rs the system be-
comes more familiar. At every hol-
| day "wednesday and Saturday after
nOQns) when suitable weather. the
boys 90 TO one of the commons and
have royal games of football One of
the professors is always there, who
! generally enters into the game on the
weaker side, TO add Interest," keeps a
! general supervision, and thus the play
never Oversteps the bounds of safety or
temper. One day the pupils of this
and the other large college had a grand
sham battle a few miles from town:
there were captains, flags, "A regular
| field OF battle, and do not know what
| all-Only ] know the faces were flushed
with healthy excitement when they
came home. and all were full of their
| prowess, their struggles and final vic
tory or defeat.
The satisfaction that one has, To see
studies so administered that all the
scholars enjoy them thorough to the
last degree, but gradual, gentle, per
sistent! No boy is made 10 feel that he
| Is expected 20 cram two years study
into one. Yet, to show how thorough
| IT Is, my boys said one day-"We are
far ahead Of the class in Cesar. but all
the boys can talk in Latin just rs easily
as in German. IL is not a dead Ian
| guage 20 them, but live one; and so
I'm whatever is taught.
So absorbing is the desire to have
the whole nation educated. that it, has
changed the natural habits Of man
for no adult Of his own free will, would
start the wheels of life at five a. mn. 4:
yet here, for half the year, schools be-
gin at seven; for the excellent reason
that two hours iu the morning are. for
| instruction. worth four later i'm the dav.
Every thing bends TO this. All places Of
amusement begin at half-past six, out
at nine, and we 90 TO bed at ten with
out blush wish / could say we rise
at five with alacIity; but as / see the
advantage to the children ] must adj
| NIT that i'm every way we should find il
well 10 adopt IL az home. Think Of the
J wasted morning hours, and the horrible
suffering our children endure i'm sum
mcrl II they were over the worst of
the days studies at eleven. think Of the
relief, the vast Improvement in their
health. what q different thing study
| would be! And, quite as important.
/ the pressure here is gentle; the children
| take To study about a- willingly as To-
| play, the teachers are separated by no
| gulf they arc familiar 90 the verge Of
impudencc; but their power being
| autocratic the line is always clearly de-
| fined. ! wish all our school trustees
| (for remember, these are all public
/ schools could bc impressed with these
facts and that parents would support
the teachers in carrying such reforms
into practice. - BrUnsEick (GcrmuutO
Cor. C0uHiry GcuticuUH.
Valuable Sweepings.
10 b, estimated that the value of the