292 EDUCATION IN A SWISS CANTON. 



The " Knabenarbeitschulen " (Boys' Work Schools) were 

 founded for the purpose of withdrawing" uncared-for boys of 

 the middle schools from the streets and giving" them an oppor- 

 tunity to occupy themselves in a suitable way during the free 

 evening" time from about fiVe o'clock to seven. The course of 

 instruction covers cardboard work, carpentry, wood-carving, 

 and metal work. They have now developed into a recognised 

 institution, giving a regular course of manual instruction to 

 boys and receiving State assistance in an ever-increasing" 

 degree. 



The shelters and work schools have proved very beneficial to 

 the community. At present about 1,800 children are being 

 cared for in the former, and about 1,700 bovs trained in the 

 latter. 



Morally-neglected boys and g'irls, and youthful criminals are 

 placed in special reformatories, but at present, out of a total 

 of 24,000 children, there are only between 40 and 50 inmates 

 of these. 



In the development of the social side of the pupils' lives 

 little assistance can be derived from their svstem of physical 

 education, which is confined chiefly to drill and gymnastics. 

 In the higher schools, however, there are swimming", rowing, 

 and shooting" clubs, orchestras, botanical and geological excur- 

 sions with teachers, sketching" tours (sometimes of two or three 

 days' duration), and holiday colonies in the summer vocation. 



Kindergarten teachers receive their theoretical training in a 

 special course of one year at the Tochterschule. For their 

 practical work they visit the Kindergarten Schools four times 

 a week with the lady inspector. For the Primary Schools 

 women get a complete training at the Tochterschule, where 

 their is a Pedagogical division with a three-years" course. The 

 men are trained in a special normal college, the work of which 

 is supplemented by University lectures. The University pre- 

 pares for Higher and Middle Teachers' examinations. 



The Basel authorities do not believe in co-education, but 

 they employ many male teachers in the girls' schools. The 

 proportion of male teachers to women teachers in the Girls' 

 Primary Schools is roughly one to two. In the Girls' High 

 School, with 1,700 pupils, there is a staff of 60 teachers, of 

 whom 36 are men. With regard to relative merits of men 

 and women teachers, the Rector of the school stated that he 

 found the lady teachers, on the whole, more conscientious in 

 the discharge of their duties, but possessed of less initiative 

 in introducing improved methods of teaching". 



In these days of changes in the domain of educational affairs, 

 a certain steadfastness in any school system is desirable, but 

 on the whole the system of Basel seems, in some respects, to 

 be rather rigid. For instance, the time allowed per week to 

 the various studies, though not the actual time-table itself, is 

 fixed for all the schools of any particular class. Again, with 

 the exception of the Kindergarten Schools, there is the same 

 length of lesson for each subject, namely, one hour periods, 

 including" a ten-minutes break at the end of each. An adverse 



