Evening star., 1922-12-10
SWISS EDUCATION.
Miss Breithaut Tells of Girls
Training.

IT is very Interesting that Lausanne.
i Switzerland. which at present is so
much in the public eye because of the
conference being held there. is also
the educational center of Switzer-
! land and is noted for the excellent
boarding schools which are attended
by many American as well as Euro
pean girls. The public school system
there is also very progressive. and.
according to Miss Marguerite Brett
haut, secretary to the Swiss minister.
who spent the summer at home in
Switzerland. the girls of her country
are given every possible opportunity
to develop efficiently in any trade or
profession they may wish to enter.
There are many girls of Switzer-
land who are preparing themselves
! for positions in different lines of
commercial work and also for many
other trades and professions.
"If you go into drug stores in our
country sou will see woman phaI1na :
cistS, too." said Miss Erciihaut. ",rhe
girls who are qualified to act as
, pharmacists are allowed to put up
! the prescriptions just the same as the
and nurses. OF course. Switzerland.
being the home of the Red Cross. is
/ quite logically the country to de-
velop a desire among girls for taking
, up nursing as Il profession.
1t seems rather odd to an American
| to note the reverse method of the
Swiss in numbering their school
grades. Instead of beginning with
! the first grade as the lowest grade in
| educating the children. they begin at
, the other end. and the lowest grade
; is the seventh.
| Miss Breithaut says that the one
| thing she regrets in the educational
/ system of her country, and which she
| hopes will be changed in III" future.
is the fact tina; the universities of
! Switzerland do not have the school
life that the colleges and universities
in this country have. The students
! go TO school as day school from the
i kindergarten through their untvers!-
! ty course, and do not have the dorm!-
A.. tory life that is such an enjoyable
/ part of college and university life for
/! both the girls and boys in the United
; States
Similarly. the girls Of Switzerland.
and also the boys. do not have inter
but the games are under municipal
rather than school auspices. The only
! form of athletics given in the schools is
| the required amount OF gymnastic work
once or twice a week.
Tn lie other hand, the private board
ing schools which have proved so eN-
c,...dingly popular with American girls
whose families wish to live in the coun-
, try Of the Alps FOR Il while, have every
facility for enjoying all kinds of sports
as Well as cultural subjects. They even
give courses in gardening, SO that the
| pupils may arrange their own private
! gardens later if they desire to do 50.
Some of the best known Of these pri-
| vate schools for girls are the Institution
| Heubi. Brllantmont, Haute Lampe. and
| Pensionyat de Jeune Files. Lausanne.
| Il think the chief difference between
our girls and those of your country"
! said Miss Breithaut. 'iS that the Swiss
(! girls wish to stay young-that is. really
/ little girlS-;S long as possible. whereas
! tn. American girls seem to want to be
considered grown-up young ladies' when
! they are only thirteen or fourteen years
! old. II is the thing that impressed me
T: the most deeply when I came to thu
! United States.
In reality. young girls stay young
loag.r in til.. United states .haE. il: t;u