Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-20
THE BEST EDUCATED PEOPLE.
How the Public Schools Of Switzer.
land are Conducted.

the world rs the Swiss. They are the Athen-
ians OF modern times-Athenians in more senses
than that OF extreme freedom. They are the
best educated people Of the world; that is, if
universal education is the best Thoroughness.
too, even in the lowest grades Of learning, IL
characteristic OF their system. There are no
| shoddy educators, there IL no superficial
examining, and tho country Is not crowded
with one-horse colleges. Compulsory educa-
ton, free schools and almost free text books
are fundamental principles of the Swiss educa-
tional system.
Everybody in the country agrees as to these
| things. The states first business 10 the educa-
ton OF the youth. Teachers must first of all,
be university graduates or else be graduates of
| high, very high class normals. They are en-
pioyed for long terms, almost for life, and are
pensioned when grown old in the public
service. The schools stand at the head Of
everything; even the army costs less than their
| schools do.
Their system contains six kinds or grades of
| preparatory schools below the university
| There are tho primary, the secondary, the re-
peatinS, the special the Real schools and the
gymnasium the last answering In rank to the
American college. The first two of these
schools are compulsory and free, but the pupil
may choose between attending the secondary
school and the repeating school. This latter is
| intended mostly for the bene fit of the very
poor, who cannot spare the children from labor
| after they have finished with the primary
school, These repeating schools. intended
simply for fixing in the child's mind what he
| has already learned are held two forenoons in
the week. Sometimes they are held in the
evening.
| The child enters the primary school in his
sixth year and attends till he is twelve. Each
three years of tho elementary school are
termed Real classes, but are not to be con-
| founded with the higher Real schools, which
are but step short of the college.
In the classes OF city and town schools the
boys and girls are usually separate There is
no study room, the studying being all done at
home. 1t is noticeable that the school opens
without Bible reading or prayer, but later in
the morning one of the town pastors will enter
the rooms of the higher classes and give half
hours instruction, mostly concerning the char
acters of the New Testament The scholars
Will be asked about the lives of Peter and Paul
and the scenes of the Holy Land, the interest
OF the pupil depending wholly on the ability Of
the teacher to entertain him. The talk Of the
half hour seems to be devoted moro to Bible
biography than to religious training. The
preachers, however, have an uphill row of it,
for hundreds Of the Swiss teachers are infidels.
The pay of these Swiss teachers, looked at
from an American standpoint is insignificant
1t averages less than 3 100 per year. and rarely
exceeds $500; but then house rent and fuel are
free, the term of service is almost for life, and
promotions for merit are constant. Here. as in
all matters of public benefit in Switzerland, the
man best fitted and trained for his place keeps
1t. There Is no turning competent men out
simply Ito give some other fellow q chance to
get in, as with us.
There are twenty-seven institutions in Swift
zerland for the education of teachers not in
GLIDING militarytraining school, where special
lists are prepared for teaching classes in gym
nastics and military drill.
gymnastics, by the way, are taught in every
SWISS school, and proper gymnasium with all
its belongings is attached to every school house.
The SWISS seminaries for the preparation Of
teachers are open to both sexes, and some of
the best teachers in the public schools are la
dies, though the number engaged is very small,
perhaps not 10 per cent of the whole. Their
pay, too, absurd though it seems, is some
30 per cent less than that of male teachers
There are no young inexperienced girls teach
ing In the schools, and no young men using
the school desk while waiting for something
better to turn up. School teaching is a serious
business there and the calling of lifetime.
The Swiss school hours are very long-twenty-
seven hours a week for the primary classes and
only eight weeks vacation in the year. The
studies IN these earlier classes comprehend re-
l8ion, good manners, German, art hmetic,
elements OF geometry, natural history, geog-
raphy, history, singing, drawing, gymnastics
and for the girls female industry. The girls
may skip the geometry class if the parents SO
choose. In the secondary schools, where tho
pupils are from twelve to fifteen years old, the
studies arc mostly a continuation and repetition
OF those passed in the primary schools, except
that natural history is enlarged upon greatly
especially in its bearings on farming and other
Industries. More attention, too, is given to
gymnastics and drill These classes are at
tended thrty-three hours u week and forty
four weeks in the year, exclusive of much time
spent il gymnastics. The course is for three
years. Text books are rarely changed. Great
care Is observed in their adoption and their
cost IS but trifiing, even for the poor. There
are, In fact, private schools in the country
where no text book at all are used and where
the PestaloZZian system of teaching by objects
Is applied to advance pupils with signal success.
The hrst class, mornings, at Swiss schools is at
2 O'Clock, an early hour for a boy to have
breakfas. over ard the school road behind him.
The long hours and the hard work of the
Swiss school are made less tedious by the many
interesting excursions taken by schools and
teachers together, where the boys, girls and
masters romp to their hearts content Another
relief is found in the music of the schools. The
Swiss all sing and master who could not lead
his school with the violin would be an anomaly.
There is constant singing and marching and
entertaining. 1t may be noticed, too, that the
many, very many hours of school attendance
are not wholly devoted to new things; the old
lessons. the old exercises. are gone over and
over and over till the boy knows them forever.
This repetition is, of course, easier than learn
ing new lessons would be; besides, the talks in
the classes, especially in natural history, by
teachers who are interesting and competent,
make the long hours seem short enough, and it
is seldom that Swiss school boy would not
rather be in the school room than anywhere
else. Playing 'truant' is an unknown vice
there. The relations between boy and master
are kindly in the extreme. The Swiss school
boys love their teachers and they love their
schools. The lessons of the text books are by
no means the only lessons they have learned in
the school room. They have been taught good
manners, respect to their elders cleanliness
neatness and how to behave on all occasions
Aside from what they have learned from their
books, they can sing well. write we'll, appear
well and are liable to be pretty expert gy m
nasts and rifemen. Whether thew enter the
university go out into the wide world in
search of a livelihood the memory and adj
| vantages Of their school days 60 with them, for
the school room in Switzerland does more than
the home to make men and women of its boys
and girls.
Once out Of the preparatory schools the in
dustrial schools are open for boys all over the
country. They are interesting in their
methods and as thorough in their advantages
| as are the ordinary schools and are of inesti-
mable benefit to the poor boy who aspres to
| get above the hard tread-mill Of day laborer
The means for pursuing knowledge among
| the Swiss youth are found i'll the IRENE ndous
| number of public libraries and reading rooms
existing throughout the country.
The country has more circulating books in
| libraries than any state Of equal population in
| Europe. Zurich canton alone has 267 libraries,
| while every cafe inn, eating house and public
| garden Is furnished with papers and maya
zines, whose contents are digested with the
| bread and cheese. OF course intelligence is
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