Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-07-28
GERMAN SCuoOL-LYrE.
Vow a Day Is Passed i'm a TeutOnic
Female Seminary.

ner of living. But, when she ha:
once conquered her prejudices, she en-
Joys it quite as much, il not more
than the English method. The Ger
mans are much earlier in their hour.
than We are. In most places the
schools begin at Z, some as early a.
half-past 6, but all, even the latest
by 8. Breakfast is generally served
at or half-paSt in winter and at
half-past 8 in the summer. This is nc
ait down affair. but Is taken standing
or sitting, each girl leaving the room
as soon as she has finished, without
standing upon the ceremony of wait
ing for one another. 1t consists or a
coffee and one or two of the delici-
Gus German rolls called "veck" in
South German y, and "semel" in the
north. These differ entirely from our
rolls: being crisper and lighter, and
IN shape resembling two small sausa-
ges Joined together.
Immediately after breakfast each
girl goes up to her room, makes up
her own bed, and tides her bedroom,
for the Germans do not consider a
young lady educated unless she IS in
structed in household work as well as
in languages, etc.; and 1t is the Gus
.om as soon as girl has finished with
school, before she comes out in the
world, to keep her for six months or 80
either at home or in ''pensiOn, F"
where she can help IN the house,, e., !,
learn cooking Of all kinds. superintend
the servants, and be Initiated into all
the mysteries of housekeeping.
At s 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 question OF mumbling
through the lesson half-learned, or get
ting off "wlthout being asked the things
you don't know" Either stay out of
the room or learn the lessons set, and
that thoroughly At 10 O'Clock a
quarter Of an hours grace is allowed,
when another roll is given out all
around, and every one rushes out into
open air, while the windows are flung
open to air the room. And here word
about a vice usually ascribed to the
Germans 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 libel; the Germans do not like
draughts, and would think it certain
death to sit with door and window
open at the same time; but fresh air
hax 20 Of oh fai
rs the English, and. indeed few Eng
lish girls spend so many of their spare
moments in the garjen as do the Ger
mans.
At II classes cease In winter. and a
walk Is generally taken. at O'Clock
comes dinner, of which SOUP is the first
cou$Ie. This is followed by what the
Gerinans call "rindhei sen" and the
French 'bouilli"-the meat from
which the soup is made-and is eaten
with pickles, salad, horse-radish, bran-
uied cherries, etc. This Is succeeded 10y
the roast meat or "braten," which is
veal, mutton, beef, or pork, which
latter is always eaten with the inevit-
able German dish, ''sauerkraut." The
meat is cut quite differently from ours,
and it is indeed work of some diff
Guilty to recognize leg of mutton In
the crooked, sinewy JOINT which an
swers to that name in Germany. This
meat Is eaten with potatoes and other
vegetables, as in England, and then the
dinner is at an end.
Even In private families it Is consid.
cred a luxury to have puddings; and
in schools they only appear on Sundays,
and sometimes among Roman Catho-
olics on Fridays and Wednesdays in
stead of meat. These puddings differ
entirely from ours, and consist of
kind of dumping, made Of bread or
flour, but without fat OF any kind,
eaten with stewed fruit, which is served
Glasses begin again at ? O'Clock and
last till 5, with a quarter Of an hours
at 1, when bread with
fruit in the summer. and jam or honey
in the winter, supplies the place Of the
coffee and cake taken in families.
These afternoon classes generally con-
sist of French or English conversation,
during which the girls work at all kinds
of embroidery and fancy work. The
Germans are always supposed to be
such beautiful workers; and here and
there, among girls who have attended
the work.classes, you find some who
embrolder exQuisitely. But, as rule,
their ordinary plain work by no means
exceeds that of the English in neatness
and finish. 1t is an amusing fact that
it Is the English girls who are famous
there for being such good darners and
members generally.
The pupils are then free to do their
for the next day until
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
of water in the latter, 1t Is
n ways looked toward to as treat.
After supper IN the summer the girls
90 for walk; in the winter they study
until 0 O'Clock, when they have
|. ayers, and then to bed.
Saturday Is q whole holiday, conse-
quentIy there are no lessons to pre-
pare for 1t; and Friday evening is
often spent in dancing, acting. or In
little concerts among the girls, which
make a pleasant change.
Saturday morning is given to mend
ing. unless, as Is often the case in the
summer, an excursion be made to
some neighboring place.
1t Will from this be seen that the
German girls have longer hours for
study aud work harder during the
day than the English. But although
they do more while at school they
eave much sooner than we do. At
Is q girl leaves the ''high school" and
,oes to finishing boarding-school for
languages, literature, ana history. At
l8 She leaves school, learns cooking
and housekeeping, and goes to private
societies. At II she is considered
''out," and appears at all the public |
balls, etc., enjoys every season for
three or four years to her hearts con-
tent, and then, at the age Of % or
.i, leaves off dancing. If not already |
married she settles down as an ''old |
maid" Thus it is that at German |
balls the dancers consist, except for a |
very small minority, either of uni.
formed girls just out Of the school
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