, 1886-08-12
GERMAN S%CHOOL-LIFE.
HOW A DAY is PASSED IN ATEUToNiC
FEMALE SEMINARY.

Two Breakfasts, n Dinner, a Lunch, and
n supper-six Hours and n Half Passed
In Glasses A Girl Leaves School
at 10.
1t takes some time for a girl just fresh
from an English home to get accustomed
to the German manner OF living. But,
when she has once conquered her preJu-
dices, she enjoys 1t quite as much, II not
more, than the English method The
Germans are much earlier in their hours
han we are. In most places the schools
begin at 7, some even as early as half past
o, but all-even the latest-by s. Break
fast is generally served at 7 or half-past in
winter and at half pas @ in the summer
This is no sitdown affair, but is taken
standing or sitting, each girl leaving the
room ms soon as she has finished, without
standing upon the ceremony Of waiting
for one another. 1t consists of a cup OF
coffee and one or two of the delicious Ger
man rolls called week In south Germany
and "semel" in the north. These differ en-
tirely from our rolls, being crisper
lighter, and in shape resembling W
small sausages Joined together.
Immediately after breakfast each girl
goes up to her room, makes up her own
btds aih tidiCb < AOOLir " II Q
mans do not consider a young lady edu-
Gated unless she is instructed in house
hold work as well as In languages, etc;
and 1t Is the custom as soon as a girl has
\ finished with school, before she comes out
in the world, to keep her, for six month";
or SO either at home or in a "pension, !"
where she can help On the house,. G.,
learn cooking OF all kinds, s%uperintend the
servants, and be initiated into all the
mysteries of housekeeping.
NOR IN THE CLASSES.
AT 5 O'Clock the classes begin, each Of
which lasts an hour, and frequently takes
the form Of a lecture. In the finishing
schools no one need take them who does
not wish to, but when once in the room
they must pay attention. There is no ques-
ton OF mumbling through the lesson half
learned, or getting Off without being
asked the things you don't know" Either
stay ont of the room or learn the lessons
set, and that thoroughly At 10 O'Clock a
quarter of IN hours grace Is allowed,
when another roll is given out all round,
and every one rushes out into the open
air, while the windows are flung open to
air the room. And here a word about a
vice usually ascribed to the German which
they do not possess. They are generally
supposed to be fond of sitting in stuffy
rooms and to have a general objection to
fresh air. Now, this is a libel; the Ger
mans do not like draughts, n would
think it certain death to sit with door and
window open at the SAM time; but fresh
air they are quite as DESTROYS of obtaining
rs the English. and, indeed, few English
girls spend so many of their spare mo-
ments in the garden as do the Germans.
At l2 classes cease in winter, and a walk
is generally taken. At l o'clock comes
dinner, of which soup is the first course.
This is followed by what the Germans call
"rindfiei sen" and the French "bouilli"-
the meat from which the soup is made
and is eaten with pickles, salad, horse rad
ish, branded cherries, etc. This is sue
ceeded by the roast meat or "braten,'
which is veal, mutton, beef or pork,
which latter is always eaten with the in
evitable German dish, "sauerkraut." The
meat is cut quite different from ours, and
1t is indeed a work of some difficulty to
recognize a leg of mutton in the crooked,
sinewy joint which answe to that name
in Germany. This meat is eaten with
potatoes and other vegetables, us in Eng
land, and then the dinner is at an end.
Even in private families it is considered
n luxury to have buildings; and in schools
they only appear on Sundays, and some
times among Roman Catholics on Fridays
and Wednesdays instead of meat. These
%puddings differ entirely from ours, and
consist of a kind of dumping, made of
bread or flour, but without fat of any
kind, eaten with stewed fruit, which is
served separately.
LABoRs OF THE AFTERNOON.
Glasses begin at 9 O'Clock and last till 3,
with n quarter of an hours interruption
at 4, when bread with fruit in the sum-
mer, and jam or honey in the winter, sup
plies the place OF the coffee and cake taken
in families. These afternoon classes gen.
orally consist of French or English con-
%versation, during which the girls work at
all kinds of embroidery and fancy work.
The are always supposed to be
such beautiful workers, and here and
there, among girls who have attended the
work classes, you find some who embroi-
der exquisitely. But, as a rule. their or
binary plain work by no means exceeds
that OF the English in neatness and finish.
1t is an amusing fact that 1t is the Eng
lish girls who are famous there for being
such good darners and mende gen.
orally.
The pupils are then free to do their
preparation for the next day until Z
o'clock, the usual hour for supper. which
consists of meat and vegetables or salad,
or else bread and butter with so-called
"tea." In spite of the large proportion of
water In the latter, it is always looked for
ward to as a treat.
After supper in the summe the girls go
for a walk; in the winter they study until
o O'Clock, when they have prayers, and
then to bed.
Saturday Is a whole holiday, conse-
quently there are no lessons to prepare for
1t; and Friday evening is often spent in
dancing. acting, or in little concerts
among the girls, which makes a pleasant
change.
Saturday morning Is given to mending,
unless, rs is often the case in the summer,
nm excursion be made to some neighbor-
ing place.
1t will from this be seen that the Ger
man girls have longer hours for study
and work harder during the day than the
English. But although they do more at
school they leave much sooner than we
do. At 10 a girl leaves the "high school"
and goes to a finishing boarding chool for
language, literature and history. At 10
she leaves school. learns cooking and
housekeeping, and goes to private socie-
ties. At II she is considered "out," and
appears at the public balls, etc, enjoys
every season for three or four years to her
hearts content, and then at the age Of %
or "a leaves Off dancing. II not already
married she settles down as an "old
maid. English Paper.