Dr. Friedlander's Sketch of the Poor, SfC. in Germany. 



214 



by ennobling him, and adding to his 

 name the title of Sclmlstein (the foun- 

 dation-stone of schools); she even 

 levied, in favour of these kinds of 

 primary establishments, a moderate 

 fee on all estates whieh exceeded the 

 sum of 300 florins. At the period of 

 the establishment of these schools, out 

 of 200,000 children susceptible of re- 

 ceiving instruction, there were only 

 14,000 who received it effectively ; in 

 1789, they already reckoned 158,767 

 out of 250,000 ; and 1 love to believe 

 that it is to these precious institutions 

 that is due the moral superiority of 

 this province of Austria over many 

 others, — a superiority recorded by a 

 statistical table, containing the extract 

 of crimes committed in the various 

 parts of this vast empire. Similar 

 schools have however been established, 

 ■with more or less zeal, in the other 

 provinces. At more recent periods 

 the Austrian government have also 

 created chairs for the instruction of 

 children in various universities, and 

 in the seminaries of bishops, in order 

 to form institutions, and fo diffuse the 

 progress which the divers methods of 

 instruction have made, so as to avoid 

 the reproach which is made to the 

 institutions of this country for remain- 

 ing stationary. 



Primary schools of industry, similar 

 to those which I have just cited, were 

 established in 1784, by Professor Sex- 

 trole, and, above all, by M. Wage- 

 mann, pastor at Goltingen ; and were 

 soon spread into the other small towns 

 and villages to the north of Germany. 

 It is to be remarked, that there was 

 introduced into this establishment a 

 true method of mutual instruction. 

 This respectable pastor began at first 

 to form, among the children who enter- 

 ed into his school of industry, live boys, 

 to whom he added others by degrees, 

 in proportion as tlie first were capable 

 of becoming masters themselves. 



The people of Hajjover, Mayencc, 

 Munster, Fuld, and Salzbourg, soon 

 followed this example; and the Prince 

 and Bishop of Wurzbourg and Bam- 

 berg, Francis Ludwis, principally 

 distinguished himself by his enlighten- 

 ed zeal, and a very remarkable system 

 of tolerance. Every thing which could 

 contribute to the amelioration and 

 the education of the poor in his states 

 was instituted after the wisest and the 

 most elevated i)rinciples. He pro- 

 posed a prize, in 1789, on this qiics- 

 liou— " What arc the duties of ccde- 



[ April!, 



siasties in relation to their parishioners 

 in general, and to the poor in parti- 

 cular?" Forty-six answers to the 

 question arrived from all parts, show- 

 ing the zeal which the ecclesiastics 

 displayed to contribute to the prize. 

 Two essays were crowned. The same 

 prince founded another prize, on the 

 means of establishing the administra- 

 tion of the poor in the duchy of Bam- 

 berg; and he reserved for himself, 

 besides, the faculty of bestowing in the 

 country, encouragements to those 

 persons who, without the talent ne- 

 cessary for contending for the prize, 

 should have contributed to the good 

 of their communities. The result of 

 this excellent administration was, that 

 from 1769 to 1778 there were reckoned 

 1,523 criminals; and from 1789 to 

 1798 only 765. In the Magazine of 

 M. Wagenian, which is particularly 

 directed to these matters, the most 

 ample information is to be found. 



In other places, enlightened philan- 

 thropists promoted and seconded, also, 

 with all their eflorts, every thing 

 which could contribute to the educa- 

 tion of the poor; and Prussia cites 

 honourably M. de Koehow, who at an 

 early period established schools, better 

 organised, for the poor of his village ; 

 an example which was propagated, not 

 only in various private domains, but 

 also in all places where there were 

 soldiers in garrison: this establishment 

 of schools for the children of soldiers 

 dates its origin in Prussia from the 

 year 1692. 



Poverty and mendicity have at all 

 times called forth attention ; but this 

 subject has never been examined with 

 more impartiality and humanity than 

 since the epoch indicated in this 

 memoir. The public are not merely 

 occupied with education, properly 

 speaking ; the Societj* for the Propa- 

 gation of Arts and useful Trades, at 

 Hamburgh, has excited attention on 

 every thing which concerns the increase 

 of industry, and the shackles which it 

 has experienced. They have after- 

 wards examined the means employed 

 for remedying misery, and have seen 

 the ineflicacy of ill-collected and ill- 

 distributed alms; they have endea- 

 voured to find out what were the 

 duties of states towards the poor, and 

 innumerable projects have been pre- 

 sented on this subject ; they have, in 

 short, distinguished the means suitable 

 for great or small towns. Messrs. 

 Busch, llcinnuus, Gunther. andVoght. 



at 



