The sun., 1910-06-09
GERMAN SCHOOLS.
Seine Reasons for Thelr Superiority In
SehOlaFshlp.
F'On ne Educational Rsrier

Prom ne Educational Rsrier.
The schedules Oi German schools are
arranged with a view 10 changing more
rapidly from one subject 10 another, thus
providing for that variety which the youth
iul mind Graves. and also on the principle
that the harder subjects. such a. muth-
ematics and grammar. which require more
concentrated attention. are put az the
earlier hours OF the day. when the mind IL
fresh. 10 be followed by history. the read
ing Of Latin. French Or English authors,
and finally at the end Of the school day
by the wholly techhical subjects. such A.
drawing. singing and gymnastics.
The aim Of the German teacher is also
10 teach as much a. possible In class, espe-
cially In the lower forms. and TO reduce
as much a. possible all out t'ids work. he
ls assisted In this by classroom well
equipped with desks In which the boys
can keep ali their school books. together
with writing material. 10 that they can no
set 10 do written work AZ any time under
proper conditions. Il IL true that there
are not a. many blaCkboards a. In an Amer
ican classroom. but the German teacher
prefers TO appeal 10 the ear rather than 10
the eve, TO the head rather than 20 the
fingers As a result the boy Is encouraged
10 DO most Of his work In class he has 70
study at home only what In the way OF
vOcabulaFies or paradiEms he has not been
able 10 learn In class.
The curricumms Of the German schools
are largely Responsible. Of course. for their
superior scholarship. should like 60 call
attention TO the following points:
Languages are begun az . much earlier
are than with us In q gymnasium Latin
begins at the age Of nine. French at the age
Of twelve, and Greek at thirteen. In a
FealschulS French or English Il begun at
nine and the other modern languages at
twelve. these being the agea best adapted
for the study Of languages. They are
begun with a large number Of recitations
week: Latin with eight and sOmstimes
ten, Greek with six. French with Ave or four.
As the elementary study OF languages Is
largely a matter Of memory the lessons
ought to come 80 often and at such short
intervals that the child has no chance TO
forget from one recitation to another.
Then natural sciences are taught through
out the whole school course that is TO say.
in the lower forms or grades botany, EOOl-
oRy and physiOlOEy are taught by an ele-
mentary descriptive method adapted to the
age Of the child and appealing TO his inter-
eat aud imagination. the more exact study
Of physics and chemistry being begun al
the age Of sixteen. when Il can he based on
the boys greater general aud mat hematical
know ledge
History and geography generally coupled.
are credited throughout the school course
with three or four recitatiOns week.
German boys learn something about physi-
cal and political geography. about ancient
and modern. national and universal history.
whereas Il is quite possible for an Ameri-
can boy to pass through school and college
without ever having studied American his-
tory
The place Of the Nernacular in the Ger
man curriculum - well expressed by the
dictum generally acted upOn that German
is 10 be tho centre Of all instruction On
This principle German -, II possible. taught
10 a class by a man Who teaches u IN some
other important subject and nearly every
instructor Of a German secondary school
teachsA German ber ides his ma Ia subject 80
that I'll are equally interested In maintain
ing high standard In the uss Of the YER
naCu,ar Great importance i attached 20
The German rompOsit ions and themes
which by parents and teachers are rousid-
cred the hishest test of boys ability. and
10 the memoriging of long list NJ German
poems, which have also been learned hy
their parents and grandparents and which
In their entirety constitute the common
ground on which all educated Germans
meet, Just a. Latin vas the common ground
on which all educated could meet a century
ar tVO ago