THE ASKOV HIGH SCHOOL 



Bidding farewell to Ladelund, we drove on to the 

 Askov High School through a pretty, prosperous- 

 looking country, dotted everywhere with clean and 

 comfortable farmhouses situated amidst well-tilled 

 fields of rather light land. As we drew near to Askov 

 we overtook or were overtaken by numbers of people 

 travelling thither, on foot or upon bicycles. All of 

 these were well-dressed, and with the usual Danish 

 politeness saluted us as we passed. At first I thought 

 that they must be bound for some festivity, until it 

 was explained to me that this festivity was nothing 

 more gay than an afternoon lecture upon a subject of 

 historical interest. 



Here perhaps I should explain that Askov is one 

 of the most famous of the People's High Schools, 

 which are, I believe, peculiar to Denmark, where 

 about eighty of them exist. These schools are 

 patronised by young men and women of between 

 seventeen and twenty-five years of age. To a certain 

 extent they are under Government inspection and 

 receive Government aid, while the necessary capital 

 appears to be supplied privately. Their object is 

 education in its highest sense, and the strangest-^ 

 thing about them to an Englishman is that about 

 ten per cent, of the population of Denmark passes 

 through these High Schools at its own expense.^! 

 Especially is this so if he chances to be a magistrate 

 whose frequent duty it is to inflict fines upon parents 



