The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-04-16
TEACHERS MEETING.
Excellent Address by Prof. Vofgt, Of
Newberry College, on the Ser
man School System"

OF the meeClnS was an duu4eSS ny loh'
G. P. Voigt, of Newberry college, on
the German School System in
which he spoke of the excellencies OF
the system and also OF the defects, and
gave his reasons for the position TAX
en-. 1t was very instructive address
and no doubt will result in good. The
Herald and News prints in this connec-
ton synopsis of the address by Prof.
Voigt.
The next meeting Of the association
will be held at Newberry in the high
school building at il o'clock on the
second Saturday of May, which will be
the last meeting of the association for
this school year.
The German School System.
For many years the German
school system has been generally rec
ognized to be the best system in the
world The motto of the Germans has
been: "The future belongs to the best
educated nation,' and they have spar
ed neither thought nor expense nor en-
ergy in the development of their
schools. To their wonderfully eff
cient educational system, they attri-
butte the remarkable increase of "the
Fatherland' in political, commercial,
and intellectual prestige. After the
victory of Sadowa in the Austro-Prus
sian war, 1866, Prince Frederick tele-
graphed to Berlin, "The German
school master has won the battle OF
Sadowa."
American educators have incorporat-
ed many features of the German sys-
tenn into our schools, and we are cen
tinually borrowing ideas and methods
from it. Hence it is worthy Of being
studied by those who have the welfare
of our schools at heart.
The present system may be said to
have arisen in 1905, when, after the
disastrous defeat of Jena, the Prus-
sian king and his people resolved to
regain in intellectual power what they
had lost in material power. With the
aid of such educators as Froebel and
Pestalozzi, and statesmen like Harden
burg and Stein, this hope was realiz-
ed, and since then the Germans have
laid the greatest possible stress on
education.
The present system, which is sup
ported and controlled by the State and
municipal governments, consists of,
first, elementary schools-the kinder
garten, public school, and 'prepara-
tory school; secondly, secondary
schools: the classical high school,
modern" high school, and the scienti-
fic high school (Klassiches gymnas-
ium, ober-real-schule, real-gymna-
sium); thirdly, the higher institution
of Iearning-universit chronological
institute, normal school; fourthly,
special" schools-the outdoor school,
continuation school, help school, and
the business and industrial schools.
Women are now admitted to the
universities and some of the gymnasia,
Special industrial schools are main
tained for the benefit of those who de-
sire such course. But many young
ladies of the Weather class finish"
their education in private boarding
schools or "Pensionen." "The general
idea of female education is less that
of an intellectual course of training
than ethic and aesthetic"
In the elementary schools the sub
jects taught are: Religion, German,
arithmetic, singing, drawing, science,
handiwork and gymnastics. The
preparatory school consists of only
three classes, and prepares the child
for entrance into a gymnasium. The
public school consists of eight classes.
The high schools (gymnasia) have
each a nine year course. The highest
or first class is equivalent to the
Sophomore year in the American col
lege. The studies pursued are: Reli-
gion, German and history, Latin (the
chief study, Greek, French, English,
mathematics, natural science, calisthe-
mics, singing. The classical gymnas-
ium lays much stress on Greek, the
Ober-real-schule more on the French