Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-16
SCHOOLS OF MEXICO
PROGRESS OF EDUCATION IN OUR
SOUTHERN NEIaHBoR.
system Owes Much to Government of
President Diaz-Help for
Lower Glasses.
From Modern Mexico.

The modern system Of education In Mex
leo is of quite recent growth. 1t is true tina
for several centuries Mexico has produced
men of noted educational attainments. bu
these were educated either privately or il
the church schools. In fact, until recently
the only schools In Mexico were those con
Quoted by the church After 800 years o.
these schools more than 30 per cent of The
people we're illiterate.
The revolutionary wars and the constant
unsettled conditions of the country fol-
th1ee-euarters of a century told strongly
against the education of the masses II
Mexico. Several rulers made attempts te
give Mexico something like an educatioEa
system, or at least to make some provision
for educa ting the people But these EFFORTS
proved futile owing to number of causes
One of these was the constant revolutions
already mentioned which kept the country
in a perpetual state of confusion bordering
on anarchy Naturally the church threw its
influence strongly against the seciar1Zat1or
of the schools. The mass of the people were
completely Indifferent to education. Inc
lower classes were SO low that they could
see actually no benefit in having their chill
dren educated, and so they hid them away
from the officers appointed by the govern
ment to see that children under a certain
age attended school.
President Diaz.
The government of President Porf1rio Dla2
has done great for the education of Mex
leo. Now there is scarcely any part OF
the republic where public free school is
not TO be found When take into con-
sideration the material with which the gov
eminent has had to work these schools re-
fleet credit on country, and they are
getting better steadily.
The schools of Mexico are divided into
primary, advanced primary and prepare
tory The work of the primary covers from
four to six years, the advanced primary
two years and the preparatory school SIX
years. making il all from twelve to four
teen years OF this only the work of the
first primary is compulsory, but those de-
string to enter the preparatory school must
take all the work below that school The
work of the first primary comprises ari n
metic, grammar, composition, spelling. die
tation, drawing, geography, penmanship
civil laws and customs. the duties of a
citizen, physics, Mexican history and gym
naStics
The advanced primary begins where tho
first primary leaves off. 1t carries on all
the subjects of the latter. In addition the
pupils are given useful notions of accoun s
business letters, etc, French. general his
tory, physics. chemistry. zoology, botany
mineralogy, geology and physiology, po!t-
ical economy and topography, all of which
are compulsory to those who wish to get
credit for having done the work of these
years.
National High School.
The National Preparatory School is the
highest institution of learning of the pub
lie school system in Mexico. 1t is not a
university, for the reason that it's courses
comprise nothing but the arts work; but
so far as this course goes it is quite com
plete
The curriculum of studies of the prepara-
tory school is intended to be a preparation
for entering upon the work Of the profess
sional schools.
Hence its name. But the order of studies
is somewhat surprising to one who is used
to the universities of Anglo-SaXon coun
tries. The first and second years are de-
voted almost exclusively to mathematics
Spanish and French. Then follow in the
remaining four years. rhetoric, gymnastics
German and Spanish and Mexican liter.
allure, all of which are compulsory. One
thing that calls attention is that nowhere
do either Latin or Greek appear upon the
curriculum of the National Preparatory
School. This Is the more curious as the
history and progress of the Spanish Lao
guage is so intimately bound up with thai
of the Latin language and the learning Of
the latter is so comparatively easy fol
people speaking Latin tongue.
University Nucleus.
Mexico possesses the nucleus OF good
university in the National Preparatory
School and the many technical colleges OF
the capital, If these could only be brought
to work together. But SO far they have all
pursued Independent lines. and the pupils
OF one college very seldom know those OF
another.
In Mexico City there are fine art schools
veterinary, dental medical technical min
ing and engineering colleges, most of which
have national reputation. On the stan
of these schools are professors who hav1
an international reputation The only
thing required to make of these schools a
great university is bond of union and d
scheme of education whereby they can be
made to work together as one institution
each college aiding and supplementing the
others. But that bond and curriculum a:s
still wanting, though there are not lacki as
signs of the tendency of these schools tC
draw closer together When the time comes
the making of university out of all these
primary elements should not be difficult
for all these schools are government col
leges
All the schools of the republic are govern.
ed from the capital, and the curriculum col
the public schools below the National Pre-
paratory School is arranged by the educa.
tional department. The work for the rura
schools in certain of the backward districts
is not 50 heavy as that Of the city schools
but yet 1t is intended to cover the knowl.
edge required by the average child of the
Mexican peasant, for only children of the
lower classes attend the primary and ad
vanced primary schools Of the government
This is because the schools are free, and
the middle and upper classes do not care &c
have their children associate with the
lower classes. This makes the task OF
building up great national system of edu.
cation in Mexico very difficult, but the gov.
erEment has laid its hand to the task anC
1t has done wonders in score OF years
and with the same progress. determination
and good judgment 1t will. doubt solve
the problem. difficult though it undoubtedly
Is, within the next score of years