A DANISH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 161 



is divided into four " families." One of these families 

 does the cooking, another the washing-up ; another 

 the sewing, and another the washing of the linen. 

 The general idea is to instruct the children in the 

 various duties of an average household. 



Near to this kitchen are the class-rooms for 

 drawing, one for boys and one for girls, and the 

 carpentry shop with its accessories. This car- 

 pentering is compulsory for boys of the fifth classes. 

 The time given to it is three hours a week. 



In all there are thirty class-rooms in this school, 

 each arranged to accommodate thirty children at a 

 time. Those of the youngest class are taught from 

 eight to twelve, or from one till five. The second, 

 third, and fourth classes, that is children from eight to 

 eleven years of age, from eight to twelve and from ten 

 to three, or from three to five. The fifth, sixth, and 

 seventh classes from eight till one, or from ten to six, 

 mostly from ten to six. The reason for these varied 

 times of teaching is that there is not room for all 

 the children to attend the school at once. 



Out of the eight schools in Frederiksberg, six are 

 what is called (( whole-day schools," this being one of 

 them, while the remaining two are " half-day schools." 

 In a half-day school no pupil works for more than 

 half a day, but in a whole-day school some of the 

 pupils work for the whole day. Pupils must attend 

 school until they are fourteen years of age ; they are also 

 required to pass examinations every year, but these 

 are very easy. After the age of fourteen no examina- 

 tion is necessary to free them from their attendance. 



On my way to the gymnasium across the asphalted 

 play-yards, I met hundreds of the afternoon pupils 

 pouring into the school in orderly troops. They 



