SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 705 



mitted to work out its ideal along its own 

 particular line, provided that the aim is to 

 produce cultured citizens. Graduates of 

 the Real Gymnasium and the Ober Real 

 Schule, however, are debarred from the 

 study of theology, and graduates of the 

 latter are further debarred from the pro- 

 fession of medicine. In addition to the 

 exclusive rights possessed by these three 

 schools as feeders to the university, they 

 also have the privilege of furnishing candi- 

 dates for a majority of civil service posi- 

 tions. 



After a three years' course in a Vor- 

 schule, or equivalent work done with pri- 

 vate tutors, the average boy enters these 

 schools at the age of nin^, and may accom- 

 plish the work in nine years, being eighteen 

 years of age when ready to enter the uni- 

 versity; but so extensive is their study, 

 and so closely are they held to their work, 

 that the graduate of these schools is con- 

 sidered by many to be prepared to enter 

 the junior year of our colleges. 



This thoroughness of instruction is due 

 to the fact that in Germany teaching is a 

 profession, and is invested with all the 

 dignity of custom and authority. The 

 teacher must be a university graduate and 

 a specialist in those subjects which he 

 expects to teach. After having completed 

 a three to five years' university course, a 

 year is taken for the teachers' examina- 

 tions. The applicant must qualify in at 

 least four subjects (two major and two 

 minor), and may teach only those subjects 

 in which he has qualified. 



His examination consists of two parts: 

 written and oral. In the first he is as- 

 signed topics upon which to prepare theses, 

 and is given six weeks to prepare each 

 topic. His doctor's dissertation may be 

 offered as one of these. If the written 

 examination is satisfactory he is orally 

 tested to determine his readiness in com- 



manding his specialties. If successful, he 

 is given a certificate from the examining 

 board, which is composed of university 

 professors. 



After securing this certificate, a year's 

 course in theoretical pedagogy must be 

 taken at some seminar. Then follows the 

 Probe-jahr, or year of trial teaching under 

 criticism. If he is finally declared profi- 

 cient, his name is placed on the service list, 

 and he ultimately secures a position, some- 

 times waiting six or seven years for an 

 appointment. 



Adding the year of army service, the 

 candidate is at least twenty-five years old 

 (most of them are thirty) when placed on 

 the list. Considering the thoroughness of 

 preparation, and the depth of German 

 scholarship, the statement that Germany 

 has the best trained teachers in the world 

 is, therefore, not surprising. 



It should also be noted that' all schools 

 must come up to a certain definite stand- 

 ard. The government has a thorough sys- 

 tem of inspection (as a matter of fact, too 

 much bureaucracy), so that for a given 

 type of school certain courses are uniform 

 thrcughout. 



For comparison the following outline of 

 the course in mathematics in the Cassel 

 Real Gymnasium is given. The period 

 chosen corresponds most closely to that of 

 the average American high school course.' 



OBEESECUNDA (age, 15-16 years) 

 I. Geometry and Trigonometry, 3 hours.* 

 Plane geometry and trigonometry re- 



° The nine years of tlie German high school 

 course, beginning at the lowest, are called, respect- 

 ively, Sexta, Quinta, Quarta, Untertertia, Ober- 

 tertia, Untersecunda, Obersecunda, Unterprima 

 and Oberprima. See Russell's " German Higher 

 Schools." 



' Since 1901, forty- two week-hours are devoted 

 to mathematics in the Real Gymnasium, a week- 

 hour being one hour per week throughout the 

 year. 



