Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-27

An educational test for suffrage Is I'M
possible in Russia. because 1t would de-
bar from the pods two-thirds of the
voting population There has been con-
siderable progress in education, especial
ly during the last ten years. The i'm
perial contributions to schools have more
than doubled, reaching an annual total of
about s12,O0O,OOO. and the average attend
ance has increased from 100000 to about
100000. But. in comparison to other coun-
tries Russia is very far behind, with an
iAterate population of 112OOO,GOO and a
total of about 2SOOOOOO who can read and
write For a population of 140.OOO,OO0 souls
there are less than $4,000 schools Of all
kinds, from kindergartens to universities.
making an average of one school for about
1855 people There are 30,OOO,OUO families
In Russia and only one child for every ten
families and one child tor every fifty per-
sons Is attending school, Five years ago,
before the zemstvos undertook active edu-
cational work, the ratio was less than one
child to every twenty families
The average of daily attendance OF chill
dren per school. including the universities,
which have 10000 students Is about thirty
three 1t should be said, however, that one
of the greatest educational difficulties to
be contended with in the rural districts Is
the distances that peasant children have to
travel to reach the nearest village schools.
This Is frequently SO great DIS W
It impossible for majority Of them to
reach. the school and return to their homes
In the same day. To meet this difhcury, ar
rangements have been made by the zemst-
vos and councils under which poth boys
and girls are boarded This entails no extra
expense to the parents, as each pupil brings
from home bedding, soap, towels, etc, and
a fixed contribution of meat, tea ana plack
bread for the week.
The largest proportion of schools, out
side the cities. are found among the Ger
man Professionals of the Baltic provinces
where education is practically compulsory
because no one can be confirmed as a
member of the Lutheran Church untif he or
she has learned the catechism The diner
ence in intelligence between the army re,
cruits who come from that section ana
those from other parts of Russia Is quite
remarkable. These Demonstrating Rus
slams raise the average considerably.
There has never been a school census.
Each of the several departments OF the
government has technical schools under ITS
care-the army, the navy, the department
of public works, the department OF agrlcui,
ture the holy synod etc, and they are all
supposed to be supervised by q depart
mt,lt of public instruction. The head OF
that department Is expected also to exercise
a supervisory control over local schoois.
supported by the councils and the zemstHos,
but he knows very little about them. Inc
minister of agriculture receives reports
from the schools under his care the min
lister Of marine receives returns from the
naval academies, the department OF pubic
works from the charitable institutions
where learning is taught. and the univer-
stiles report to a scientific council, sort
Of advisory body attached to the depart
ment of public instruction for the purpose
OF exercising censorship over the text
books used. There is no relationship be-
tween these various branches. and the
whole system of education in Russia Is in
a state of confusion.
Bigoted and Ignorant.
For example, there are $4,000 parish
schools controlled by the holy synod and
taught by priests who are themselves
deasely ignorant and very narrow and big
oted The instruction in these parish
schools is limited to the old Slavon'c tongue
practically dead language, in which the
catechsm and rituals of the Orthodox
Greek Church are written. The children
also get a little arithmetic and good deal
of the lives of the saints. Therefore, until
recently. and as lo'ag as none but the par
ish priests and sections were employed as
teachers. these schools existed only on pa
per, but the members of the holy synod
have recently become alarmed at the ire
ligious tendency of the young people and
the spread of agnosticsm which they are
attributing to the influence of the zemstvos
schools. In order to counteract 1t they
have secured an appropriation from The
government, with which they are employ
ing competent teachers and improving the
schools. II is almost Impossible, however,
TO obtain teachers. The pay is SO small,
the prospects so doubtful, and the hard
ships and privations of life in the country
villages during the winter seasons are SO
great that a sufficient number cannot be
obtained. Normal schools are being eStab-
lished in various parts of the country under
the encouragement of the church to pre-
pare orthodox young men and women for
the profession of teaching, but 1 am told
that they are not well attended The cler-
ical schools will find it difficult to obtain
any more teachers. and will be compelled
to depend upon the priests as long as they
pay only 81 a month for five months in
the year, with house to live in. The
Zemstvos pay three times as much for pri-
mary schools $50 month"; and $50
month for secondary schools.
Local School Systems
The zemstvos in nearly all parts of the
country have shown a great deal of enter
prise in building up local school systems,
and now over sixty thousand village schools
are supported by them. The improvement
is noticed in the army conscripts, who are
always examined when they report for
duty. few years ago % per cent were
illiterate; now more than 80 per cent of
them can read and write. The mos: in
telligent conscripts come from the Baltic
provinces and the valley the Volga. The
COisacks stand second to the German Prot
estants In the excellence of their schools
and in the low rate of illiteracy. Almost
every Jew who reports for duty in the army
can at least read and write. Most of the
latter are home-taught. because there is a
law prohibiting more than per cent OF the
pupils enrolled at the opening of any school
to be Jews. That is, if 200 people are ad-
mitted TO school. only ten of them can
be Jews. 1t IL a remarkable fact that
this cruel restriction is generally defended
in Russia on the ground that the Jews are
so eager for learning that they would MI
the schools and leave no room for Chris
tians unless they were driven away.
1t is another remarkable fact that every
Jew who is allowed to enter a school re-
mains through every form until he is grad
uated so that in the upper forms the pre-
portion of Jews Is quite large, more of the
Christian children having fallen out. 1t Is
matter OF vital importance to Jew to
get an education aside from the racial love
of learning. II he passes the final examina-
lions Of an academy, or gymnasium, as
institutions of that grade are called in Eu-
rope, he need serve only one year in the
army. If he can obtain a university de-
gree he can enter one of the learned profess
sions. and can live wherever he likes. lie
is not confined to the ghettos. And he is
not affected by the restrictions which affect
his race. Therefore university education
is practical emancipation.
Jews Treated Unfairly.
Il,,t tla fafr