Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-06-27
THURSDAY EVENING. JUNE 81. 1918.
GERMAN SCHOOLS AND THE WAR

9# cVGc>A4>I, JUNE ~, 1910.
GERMAN SCHOOLS AND THE WAR
In response to requests for information on presen,
conditions in Germany, the Bureau of Edu.
tion. Department of the Interior, has made public the
flowing translations from an article by DR.. Paul Hide.
'andt In the Vossische Zeitung, Berlin, January %, 1913
fter reciting the early enthusiasm of German youth FOL
e war, and their activities in behalf of war measures
e article continues: -
The sixth grade pupils Of 1914 are now about to
be promoted to the upper third. They have become
accustomed to the war. Who can wonder then that
now in the fourth year of war our children exhibit
signs of change? Too many Of the restraints have
been removed which should Shape their develop
ment;-the loosening Of family ties, the father at the
front, the mother employed away from home. ana
in the lower ranks of society, doing the work Of
men: the commission Of school discipline. OF the
teachers Of the Berlin public schools, for instance,
two-thirds have gone into the army. The remainder
are overworked. Dropping class periods, or combin-
ing classes together are the order Of the day. In
the higher schools half Of the teachers are in the
army. Furthermore. standards in the higher instiA
tutions of learning have gradually been lowered until
the final examination has been pushed back fully
two. classes. All these conditions have influenced
our students and have weakened their persistence,
since they see that they can attain a scholastic stand
ing without effort that formerly demanded the sever
est application.
Young people follow the law Of their nature.
They are guided by the Impressions Of the moment
and they cannot permanently resist them. In addi-
ton, as time went on, especially in case of the stu
dents of higher institutions, and particularly in the
towns. the hardship of inadequate nourishment ap-
peared. 1t is the unanimous judgment Of medical
specialists that the children Of the middle classes
suffered most in this respect. General attention was
attracted to the fact that the children were less sens
tive to reproof, that they paid no more attention to
threats, because the school authorities had directed
that they should be treated with every leniency, and
since promotions no longer represented any definite
standard of accomplishment. This special considera-
ton for the children was most obvious in the schools
Of the large cities. Was not harvest work and the
country vacation necessary to maintain the health
of the coming generation, and was it not necessary
for a great many to be set back in their studies so
that they required repeated concessions to maintain
their rank and thereby continually lower scholastic
standards Of their classes?
That spirit of voluntary service which at the be-
ginning Of the war revealed itself in its fairest as
pect has now disappeared. Everywhere we hear la
mentations over the increasing dlstate shown for
military service. Pupils collect articles now for the
reward, not from patriotism, and the older pupils
have their struggles. Shall they take advantage Of
the opportunity to leave school with a half-com-
pleted education, or shall they avoid placing them
selves in a position where they will have to enlist for
their country? What an unhappy indecision even
for the best OF them. those who really think about
the matter.
Furthermore, in these ranks Of society which are
less Influenced by tradition, discipline, and education,
we find increasing violations of the law. At the first
this manifested itself merely in an increase Of theft.
More recently it has taken a decided turn toward
personal assaults. It is true, the latter are still neg
ligible in proportion to the total number of Juvenile
offences, but they are increasing every year. AL
ready the number Of violent crimes committed by
youths in the city Of Berlin is more than three times
the number reported in 1914.
Thus. dark shadows are falling over the brilliant
picture Of 1914. Every disciplinary influence, every
eHort,o Of the still fundamentally sound German nation
MUST be exerted to oppose this tendency. and to lead
the children back to the path OF rectitude.
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