THE RINGSTED HOUSEMEN'S SCHOOL 77 



place was the last of the summer course. That of 

 winter begins in November. The fees payable by- 

 pupils amount to 40 kroner (under 2, 5s.) per 

 month, in return for which these receive their in- 

 struction, board, and washing. They must, however, 

 bring their own bed-linen. The sleeping-rooms are 

 arranged to hold one, two, three, or four pupils, but I 

 gathered that something extra is paid for single and 

 double rooms. 



The lowest age at which pupils are received is 

 eighteen years. Above this there is no limit ; indeed 

 persons of seventy have gone through the course, 

 which proves how remarkable is the thirst for learn- 

 ing in Denmark. I wonder whether any septuage- 

 narian has ever been known to return to school in 

 England. 



I think that I am right in saying there are no 

 examinations, a fact which deprives such an institu- 

 tion of half its terrors. In this country, as I daresay 

 may also be the case in others, we ride the com- 

 petitive examination hobby very hard, which personally 

 I think a great mistake. There are many of us who 

 even in our age would be glad of the opportunity 

 to learn something at a college let us say Egyptian 

 theology and hieroglyphics if at the beginning of the 

 business we did not find that it was necessary to pass 

 an examination in vulgar fractions or the dates of the 

 kings of England. 



I remember that this was a reflection which struck 

 me with some force when, after having been the 

 Master of the High Court of the Transvaal, the 

 guardian of all the orphans in that Territory and the 

 founder of the legal practice there concerning these 

 matters in short, a person administering considerable 



