II. SECONDARY INSTRUCTION. Secondary Instruction is imparted to 14,000 pupils, in 101 Institutions, resting on a different basis from the primary schools,—all organized on the same general plan, although varying in the number of classes, according to the locality, and of the destination of the more advanced pupils whether intended for one of the universities, or for one of the government special schools. In all, the studies are the same for two years, viz., to the end of the twelfth year, when those who are destined for the university pursue Latin and Greek, with less of history, geography and the remainder, for five years, and often even seven, for the highest classes (VI and VII) occupy each two years, before the aspirant passes the final examination. In most schools of the secondary grade, provision is made for thorough instruction in drawing, geography and history; the Swedish, German, French and English languages; mathematics, as far as algebra, geometry, trigonometry and the use of logarithms; and the elements of natural history, physics, mechanics, mineralogy and chemistry, so that the pupils can pass into the special schools of agriculture, forestry, mining, navigation and naval architecture. The school year embraces thirty-six weeks, from the last week in August to the first week in June, and each class has from thirty to thirty-two lessons per week. Besides the long summer vacation, seven days at Easter, and four days at Whitsuntide are given to holidays, which divide the year into two terms. New pupils are admitted mainly at the beginning of the school year. The head masters of the chief secondary schools are appointed by the king, on the nomination of the minister, and of the other schools of this grade, by the Consistory. The rector is charged with the administration of the programmes, is the medium of communication with the higher school authorities, keeps the records, and reports annually the condition of the institution. He presides in all consultations, of the teachers as to the internal economy of the institution and from his decision as to discipline there is no appeal except to the minister. The highest local authority in the external administration of the system is the bishop or an inspector appointed by him, whose duty it is to inspect all the secondary schools of the diocese once a year, and to transmit a report annually to the minister. In consultation, the rector of the chief school in the cathedral town and six senior professors are assigned. In the central office, the head of the Education-section is an inspector of great learning and pedagogical experience. The establishment, equipment, salaries and other expenses are regulated by law. Every city, where such school is authorized, must furnish a suitable site, together with a residence for the rector. Each Institution must have a fund, (1) for repairs; (2) for daily expenses; (3) for prizes, and books and stationery for the poor. Each diocese must have a fund for building and equipment, and for the support of aged and invalid teachers. The State is responsible for the salaries of the teachers, but collects certain fees which are applicable to this object. Several institutions possess spacious buildings and grounds for the use of the school, and for the support of the rector; many are endowed with scholarships in aid of deserving pupils. In all the chief seminaries there are collections of natural history, apparatus for instructing natural philosophy and mechanics, and libraries for the use of teachers and pupils. Studies and internal Organization. The full course of instruction is distributed in seven classes (I, the lowest, to VII)-each occupying one year, except classes VI and VII, which are divided into two sections, each section occupying a year; making the whole course extend over nine years. As the students can not enter till the age of ten, the minimum age of the graduates in full course is nineteen, which is the average age of students when admitted to the University. Many leave at the close of the fifth, or even the fourth year, to enter one of the special schools. Promotions from class to class, or school to school, take place only after a satisfactory examination, conducted generally in writing, although this method is not proscribed. The two lowest classes are taught by class teachers, the two highest by teachers in special subjects, while in the other classes the system is mixed, special or class teachers being introduced by degrees. The course and the hours are fixed, and the same programme exists for all schools, but the choice of text-books depends on the district inspector who selects according to the advice of the rector and the teacher. The following table gives the number of hours per week, gymnastics and military exercise not being included. Hebrew, English, and drawing are, in the classical division, optional, and some pupils are excused from studying Greek. Chemistry & Mineralogy 22 33 Philosophy (rudiments). History and Geography 2 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Writing and Drawing.. 3 3 2 Total per week 30 30 32 32 32 32 32 32 30 30 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 Although the above programme of lessons is prescribed, modifications are tolerated to suit the circumstances of different localities. The exercises of the day begin at half past six in the morning with prayer, singing, and reading from the Bible. On Sundays and all religious festivals, pupils and teachers attend church together. Religious instruction, as will be seen from the lesson-table, is prominent. Scripture history, selected portions of the psalms and gospels, and Luther's catechisms are committed to memory, and in the sixth and seventh classes, the general principles of Lutheran theology with the scripture proof-text are studied; and by the classical pupils, in the original Greek. The conflict between the old and the new in subjects of instruction has reached the schools of Sweden, and now the claims of modern science and languages are recognized in all schools of the secondary grade. French, German and English are studied in reference both to their grammar and literature, and to their uses in business, and the sciences are pursued in their applications to the great national industries. The examinations at the end of the spring and autumn semester for promotions from class to class, and the final examination, are conducted with great strictness; and the latter especially, by a board of censors chosen by the minister of education from the university professors. These examinations, which are both oral and written, bring the attainments and discipline of the secondary schools up to a high uniform standard, and make the Universities and Special schools truly valuable. The salaries of the rector ranges from two thousand to four thousand Swedish dollars, with a residence. The professors begin with one thousand five hundred or two thousand, and a few rise to a salary of four thousand rix dollars. After thirty-five years of service the teacher receives a retiring pension, which is paid by the State-the fund having been partly constituted by a regular deduction from the annual salary. The tuition fee ranges from nine to twelve rix-dollars for the school year, and even this small sum can be earned in the shape of scholarship and prizes by meritorious pupils who may be poor. There is no special course or seminary for the training of teachers of secondary schools, but all candidates must have passed the final examination at one of the Universities, and are subject to a rigid examination by the Consistory. Two or three teachers are designated every year by the minister to visit other countries for inspection of schools of the same grade with their own, and are required to report on the results of their visit. In this way the high-schools of Sweden have kept pace with the most advanced of Europe. Teachers' conventions have recently been inaugurated, and quite recently the rectors have held conferences under the presidency of the minister, which will hereafter be continued at intervals of three years. This class of institutions, although some of them rest on ancient endowments, are now regulated by the provisions of the law of 1859, as part of the system of public instruction. Upsala..... 232 51,736 314 188 53,578 183 61 184 166 33 119 164 50,525 44 Wisby ....... 74 7,312 74 1 21 10 10 1 18 Total. 81 298 399 19 02 218, 452 33,667 4,956 20,911 18,084 16,636 19,863 6,484 8,357 7,972 2,878 19,516 19,882 12,275 9,174 1,735 892 1,847 1,168 8 7 88 88 61 128 SCHOOLS. (Stift.) II. SECONDARY SCHOOLS, By secondary schools, we understand here, those schools which stand midway between the elementary school on the one hand, and the University and similar institutions on the other; and which are distinguished from the highest grade of the former, by providing instruction in at least one foreign language, and are connected more directly with the latter by furnishing the preparatory training. I. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT. The existence of this class of schools in Wurtemberg can be traced back to the earliest mention of the country in authentic history. This name (Wirtinesberk,) is first mentioned in a document dated 1098, when monasteries, still within the present limits of the kingdom, had schools of higher learning; and these schools (Lateinisch stadt-schulen,) are mentioned in the 12th and 13th centuries, the teachers of which (generally clergymen, and styled pædagogus, rector scolarum, rector puerorum,) not unfrequently filled, at the same time, some municipal office, which required a knowledge of the Latin language, and which was the most important study in all schools of this period. The use of the German tongue was interdicted in the school. The first mention of Greek as a study is found in 1520, in a programme of the school at Ulm, where a pupil of Melancthon gave instruction in that language. Besides Latin, the language of the church, of science, of the state, of records of all sorts, reading, writing, singing, and very rarely arithmetic, were taught, and considering the wants of the age, the studies were eminently practical. The Reformation of the sixteenth century transferred all schools, then in existence, and all matters relating to instruction, to the state, whose ordinances and the consequent action of ecclesiastical and municipal authority, brought them into a more uniform system. The organization in Wurtemberg is based on the "Grand Ecclesiastical Order," so called, and issued by Duke Christopher, May 15, 1559, and which, sanctioned by the Dict, in 1565, and mended by successive revisions, remained in force down to 1803. The preamble to this Order sets forth its purpose: "To carry youths from the elements through successive grades to the degree of culture demanded for offices in the church and in the state." Latin Schools. Two peculiarities of the Wurtemberg system of public schools, viz. the many small Latin schools, and the numerous seminaries for Protestant theological students, and the small number of gymnasiums of the highest grade, are doubtless due to this Order. By ordaining a Latin school "in each and every city, large and small, as well as in the principal vil * Prepared by Dr. Hirzel, Rector of the Gymnasium at Tübingen. |