St. Paul tidende. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1902-1928, 1912-04-12

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from a mere economic impetus
it was due to a mental quicken
ing among the agricultural pop
ulation. An awakening indeed
has taken place, and the foil
high schools have contributed
their great share in rousing /;
healthy selfreliance among thu
peasants.
It is a significant fact that the
one-and-seventy folk high schools
that now dot the map Of Den:
mark, have grown out Of {
positive demand, and owe their
existence to no endowment. ]
have no doubt that the explain.
alton may be fully expressed in
the words of Ludwig Schroeder
The school is where the faculties
of the teacher meet the wants Of
the pupils. This assertion is true,
! and it was worth a mans long
continued effort to discover it.
You cannot grasp this principle
too firmly, for its application may
be followed even as far as the
relations between the peasant
and the government. Now
adays, Danish farmers exercise
a strong control of government
affairs. and two of Grundtvig's
circle of followers hold cabinet
portfolios. But it deserves men
ton that the ability of the farm
err did not come forward and
assert itself until lawyers and
political dialecticians, together
with the titled nobility, had found
their efforts at a sane govern
mental management futile. In a
population of less than three
million, about 1000 young men
and women attend every year the
70 high schools in Denmark.
The average age of the pupils is
between IS and IS years. Less
than 500 come from towns and
cities. During the school year
of 19o5-oo, nearly one-half OF
the total number of pupils were
children Of well-to-do farmers,
some 1900 were from small
holdings C"housemen''), about
200 came from the group OF
laborers generally, and 700 were
artisans of various classes. This
goes to show that one Of every
four people between IS and Is
attends some high school during
longer or shorter period. The
mems course lasts five months !;
the girls seek the same schools in
the summer months.
Nearly all OF these pupils come
from some rural occupation and
return to it after their school
course is closed. Rich and poor
meet on equal terms and live on
the same footing. The govern
ment gives Individual support to
the poor by providing a little
over one-half OF their school
expenses, and by granting aid to
the schools themselves. But
the government exercises no
control over the courses. No
credit is given by professional
schools for courses in the folk
high schools.
l quote these statistics with
a thankful mind, for they. will
show that | am not attempting
to depict a Utopia, but to set
before you a living reality. |
wish to demonstrate that it is
possible to assemble the country
bred youth, to share in a school
life free from examinations, text
books and specialization, when
these things-excellent though
they be for different purposes
are not wanted.
The schools naturally have
been located in the open country,
away from the cities. | have
already mentioned that they are,
as a rule, not endowed with
material funds. The local inter
est attaching to. them as centers
of mental life, lecture-centers and
culture-centers-this is their en-
dowment. If this interest were
lacking, no amount of material