144 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Maurice P. Dunlap 



VACATION TIME BY THE SEASHORE 



The young people of Scandinavian countries have always mingled 

 more freely than their brothers and sisters of southern Europe, 

 and the famous Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus observed more 

 than seven centuries ago, that "maidens admire in their wooers not 

 so much good looks as deeds nobly done." 



lish-speaking countries. But neither the 

 Chautauquas nor the university extension 

 courses have been as far-reaching in their 

 effects as the Danish high schools. 



NO REQUIREMENTS EXCEPT THE DESIRE 

 TO LEARN 



It is understood, ot course, that these 

 schools are not, like our high schools, in- 

 troductions to college or the finishing off 

 of the education of those who do not in- 

 tend to go to college. 



Unless some change has taken place in 

 the system since I left Denmark, no re- 



quirement is necessary 

 for the student except 

 the desire to learn. 

 There are no degrees 

 given in these schools, 

 no examinations, and 

 no fixed standards of 

 scholarship. 



The teacher in Den- 

 mark has an acknowl- 

 edged social position. 

 It is understood that 

 he must be freed as 

 far as possible from 

 material cares. 



At the University 

 of Copenhagen, for 

 example, houses and 

 pensions are provided 

 for the professors ; 

 and teachers in the 

 upper schools are so 

 treated that they have 

 a comfortable life, in 

 a house and a garden, 

 of which they have 

 the tenure during their 

 professional residence 

 and a pension at a cer- 

 tain age. 



PARENTS, THROUGH 

 THE TEACHERS, CON- 

 TROL THE SCHOOLS 



The duties of the 

 government inspector 

 of schools are very 

 narrow in scope ; he 

 may report, but nei- 

 ther he nor the gov- 

 ernment can dictate 

 to persons who con- 

 sider themselves educational experts or 

 to educated parents who know them- 

 selves just what their children ought to 

 learn. 



In Denmark, it is the parents, through 

 the teachers, who control the school ; but 

 this does not in any way interfere with 

 the high position which the teacher holds 

 in a country where the education of a 

 child to the utmost extent of his ability 

 is looked on as an absolute necessity. 



No newspaper in Denmark would dare 

 to assume that an examination is neces- 

 sary in these high schools for adults. The 



