776 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 594. 



formulated what seems to be the central 

 aim of the entire agitation, to secure recog- 

 nition, in theory and in fact, of mathe- 

 matics and the natural sciences as of equal 

 culture value with the linguistic and his- 

 torical subjects. 



It may not be out of place to state in a 

 few words the conditions as they exist in 

 Prussia to-day. It has been stated above 

 that the Prussian secondary or higher 

 schools have a course of nine years to which 

 boys are admitted at the age of nine. This 

 makes the normal age of graduation about 

 nineteen. There are three classes of these 

 institutions, the Gymnasia, with Latin and 

 Greek, the Bealgymnasia, with Latin but 

 no Greek, and the Oberrealschulen, with 

 neither Latin nor Greek. Except in small 

 cities, these are always separate institu- 

 tions, and the choice of the type of educa- 

 tion to be given the boy must be made at 

 the age of nine. The curriculum for each 

 type of school is entirely prescribed. A 

 type of institution also exists known as 

 Beformschule, which proposes to give the 

 three types of education in the same insti- 

 tution, basing all on the same work during 

 the first three years, and then branching 

 off into one or the other line. The idea has 

 been favorably received, and the number 

 of institutions carrying it out is growing, 

 but this reform is still experimental and 

 the chief problems of instruction relate to 

 the three standard types of institutions to 

 which the commission confined its work 

 exclusively. 



The curricula of 1901 distribute the 

 work of the nine years among the different 

 subjects in accordance with the following 

 table, the unit being one hour per week 

 throughout one year.* 



' For more detailed information concerning the 

 German schools see: 



Russell, '■ German Higher Schools,' New York, 

 1898 (Longmans, Green & Co.). 



Gym- Realgym- Oberreal- 



nasium. nasium. schule. 



Religion, 19 19 19 



German, 26 28 34 



Latin, 68 49 — 



Greek, 36 — — 



French, 20 29 47 



English, — 18 25 



History, 17 17 18 



Geog. (Pol. & Phys.), 9 11 14 



Mathematics, 34 42 47 



Natural Sciences, 18 29 36 



Writing, 4 4 6 



Drawing, 8 16 16 



Total, 259 262 262 



The marked preponderance of the lan- 

 guages will be noted even in the Oberreal- 

 schule. Classifying geography in the his- 

 torical group, where the character of the 

 work done would place it, the distribution 

 may be summarized : 



Linguistic— Historical, 

 Mathematics and Nat. Sci., 

 Writing and Drawing, 



Total, 



The commission recognizes the high cul- 

 ture value of the linguistic-historical stud- 

 ies, but asserts an equally high culture 

 value for mathematics and the natural sci- 

 ences, and in view of the great and grow- 

 ing importance of the second group of 

 subjects in the culture of our times, it 

 denies the necessity that every type of 

 liberal education should be preponderating- 

 ly lingiiistic. In this it voices a sentiment 

 that is widespread and deeply felt among 

 the German people. It may be noted that 

 amidst all this there is not the slightest 

 tendency towards an elective system. The 

 diversities of human aptitudes are recog- 

 nized, and the commission urges that there 

 are types of minds and careers in life 

 whose needs would be met best by a cur- 

 Young, 'Teaching of Mathematics in Prussia' 

 New York, 1900 (Longmans, Green & Co.). 



Bolton, ' German Higher Schools,' New York, 

 1902 (D. Appleton & Co.). 



