Evening star., 1902-01-18
GERMANY VS.. u. S.
Things Wherein the Fatheriand Ez-
GELS Our Country.
SCHOOL SYSTEM And POLICE FORCE
Roads and Postal Facilities Are
Both Fine.
G E r M A N A RE TIDY
SCHOOL SYSTEM and POLICE FORCE
g E r M A n S A RE It'd Y

" IL Lt 4l "A IN ~ "a LIZ IL L ~ l.
| Written for The Evening Star by Countess Aida
Won Krockow.
The Germans have become a big nation,
! and they are full Of fight. They possess
the best army in the world; are rapidly ac-
quiring one Of the best navies; have long
| had the best universities, and, for the rest
worry along under the reign of an emperor
who must be more interesting to read about
than easy to put up with. This is about
the stock Of their views.
An advance has been made in one respect.
The old temper Of impatience over the mere
suggestion that "Dutchmen'' may be capa-
BILE of bringing forward something practical
worthy regard Is gone; not that they be-
lieve even now that Germans can give
Yankee many points. But they are willing
to listen. Here is my chance. 1t is nom
sensical to fancy we can dive into a real,
serious discussion. But bit Of stirring up
may be done specifically 1 can only hint
at what 1 consider the good things among
German arrangements, while American
readers can search their hearts to test
whether they possess neutrality enough to
reflect on them.
Let us see first what is to be said Of pub
lie institutions Of all kinds. The church
pretty uedIly dl ludl COuCSIHS II re-
iinquish boasting Of at the start. The Ger
man church Is backward institution, as
h1erarchial as the English establishment"
besides being coarser and poorer. Fashion
is middle class. The poor honor it as they
do the king The throne and the altar are
alike to their minds inasmuch as they have
to pay taxes and reverence to them both.
Just as there Is no escape from wearing the
kings coat, no matter where you move
about, SO is there likewise no escape from
paying fees to the parish, no matter where
you may choose to be baptized or buried.
Your prescribed parish church has the first
right to you, and claims and takes It. Your
selected minister has only the second right
Your freedom Of choice-and Germans le-
gally possess such freedom-amounts at
bottom to having the privilege of paying
double fees. Besides the fees, rates are as
sessed to you regularly, and the tax COL
lector gathers them simultaneously with
the town, district and school taxes
The German church, in other words, is
subregent over the people. and is maintain
ed by compulsory taxation. OF recent years
modern spirit of practical activity has be-
gun to take the place Of dogmatic contro-
versialism, and many pastors permit and
even encourage the laity to share in church
work. So a time may come when ulffer-
ent judgment will need to be made. But at
Germany cannot stand comparison with
church life in America in respect Of vital
ness and popularity. On this first-mention-
favor of Yankeeism.
Secondly, the school Here you will be
amazed probably, for in contradiction to
that they have finally acquiesced in the
truth Of the statement, not being in the po-
sition to judge for themselves, assert that
German schooling, too, is inferior to the
American. Twenty years ago matters were
different. The Yankee pedagogues VINO then
told their countrymen how much better
they had discovered German schools to be,
~fryt,% Ct,,Do $l1x,
schools have been graded and the standard
for instructors raised. Americans have
adopted with these reforms what German
educational institutions could offer. It is
now for Germany to adopt from America
the following:
l. Shorter lesson recitation periods.
2. More advanced age for compulsory be-
ginning of school discipline.
g. The effort to render learning pleas
Look at the difference in American and
German school children! The American
boys and girls are straight as arrows, fresh
complexioned, alive with energy; the Ger
man boys and girls spectacled. pale, bent,
devoid Of energy. They are overstrained hv
lessons too long in duration. presented too
DULY. School is an ogre in the lives Of most
German children whose homes are not
wretched. There is a mistake about it.
therefore. 1t lies in the treating Of chill
dren after the military system, regard
less Of differences in temperament health,
capacity and taste. What is so superior
LQdC II gives ISIHdliy d foremost place In
statistics of popular instruction is not Ger
man schools, but German police control.
The credit for the low number of anal
phabetarians in the fatherland is deserved
wholly by the police, which is employed by
the authorities to ferret out absentees The
German constabulary and police however
are not the theme Of this section of INV ar
ticle. Score one again, therefore. In favor
of American schools-not overlooking the
fact that I say schools without Including
universities and colleges.
Compared With Ours.
Thirdly, the police. We will go directly
into this subject. How do German police
compare with the American? II we are go
ing to be fair and square, and forget per-
sonal annoyances, we shall have to give
the Germans the palm. Nobody hates to
more than l. Haven't the police fined nv
husband because man-servant fired a pis-
tol at a squirrel in our park? And me for
setting a flower pot on my window sill?
And my son for stepping over strip of
grass in the public gardens? Over mind
you, not even on the grass, which, of
course Is terrible crimei And have I not
been yelled at till nearly fell off from the
shock for bicycling round a corner In the
middle of the street, instead Of the right
hand; for riding on some streets instead of
others, for going through certain railway
station gates instead Of certain others?
Have we not had to pay for harborinR
guests we forgot to notify the police were
arrived. and pay for forgetting to say they
were gone? Did not my American nieces
start out to gather experiences and run
against twenty-three things forbidden by
the Do1fca in resDect a rf7inR ou nfrooR