10 62 Land Settlement in Denmark. [feb., 



So long as the loan from the State amounts to more than 

 one-half of the original lendable value of the property, no other 

 mortgage can be raised upon it. The ordinary banks, the 

 savings banks, and credit unions lend money on the security 

 of land and stock. 



There is no provision for compulsory purchase : the land 

 must be bought by voluntary agreement with a willing seller. 

 A Bill at present before the Danish Parhament seems to aim 

 at the expropriation, on the basis of taxation value, of glebe 

 lands, entailed estates, and the largest farms, for division among 

 small holders. In this way it is hoped to secure about 100,000 

 acres, which will be parcelled out during the next 16 years. 

 Parcelling-out societies formed to counter the activities of land 

 speculators have been in existence for some years. 



2. Practical Experience. — ^An applicant for a small holding 

 under the Act (who may be a woman), must be a Danish subject, 

 be over 25 and, as a rule, under 50 years of age, and must be 

 unable, without financial assistance, to acquire a small holding. 

 He must be of good character, sober, industrious and thrifty, 

 and for the five years immediately preceding his application 

 must have had practical agricultural experience. 



3. Education. — The scheme of education for farm life in 

 Denmark includes — 



(1) Rural Elementary Schools. 



(2) Folk High Schools. 



(3) Agricultural Schools. 



(4) Rural Schools of Household Economics. 



(5) Special Schools for Small Holders. 



The Rural Elementary Schools are 'very similar to the parish 

 schools in Scotland. They are attended by children of all 

 classes of the community. Education is compulsory from 

 7 to 14 years of age. There are no fees. The management is 

 in the hands of the local communes or parish councils under 

 State supervision. The teachers are well trained and exercise 

 considerable local influence. The usual fundamental subjects 

 aif^ taught, together with nature study and a language other 

 than Danish — usually English or German. Danish and bible 

 history, songs and hymns, gymnastics, etc., hold high place in 

 the school curriculum. The children are bright, healthy, 

 courteous and less self-conscious than our rural children. The 

 school week is a six- day one, but as a rule the older children 

 spend more time in school in winter than do the younger ones, 

 while the reverse is the case in summer. During the busy 



