20 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
but competent teachers, prescribing’ the course of studies, an<l 
watching over his habits ami morals: It is to do that for every 
child winch a wise and pi udent parent would wish to do,nd ought 
to do, for Ins offspring. Popular instruction is recognized as a so¬ 
cial duly, imperative on all for the sake of all. Some insist, that 
it would be an infringement of constitutional right, to make the 
educating of their children a compulsory duty of parents here. i> 
may be so: but it may be urged on the other hand, that education 
is an obligation which the parent not only owes to ihe child, but 
to the state; and that if he has a natural right to bring up his 
child in ignorance, it is like other na'urat rights which he is bound 
to give up, and which he does give up, upon the altar of public 
goo I. It cannot possibly work an injury to the child. It may be 
said that a'l children belong to the state, and that their education 
devolves on the state, whenever parents fail, for want of ability or 
inclination, to fit them to become wholesome and useful members 
of society. We consent to give up personal rights, and to perform 
personal duties, for the common good. We contribute to build 
jails and poor-houses, to punish vice and alleviate want, both of 
which would he materially lessen' d by a seven years’ instruction 
of our youth in a good school. But we are wandering from our 
object, which is to give some of the prominent features of the 
Prussian system of education. This we can only do in a Uriel 
manner at. present. 
Duty of Parents. —The law compels all parents, or those on whom 
children are dependent, to keep them at school from ilieir seventh 
to their fourteenth year. Children must be put. to the school of 
the parish, unless the parent, shows t hat he is educating them at 
some other school, or giving them private instruction. Incase of 
neglect, admonition i> first, employed, and if this fails, coercive 
means are resorted to. The child is taken to school by the police, 
and the parent may be punished by lint, imprisonment and disqua¬ 
lification for local office. ‘-Clan, is to betaken every whereto 
furnish necessitous parents with the means of sending their chil¬ 
dren to school, by providing them with the things necessary for 
their instruction, or with such clothes as they stand in need of ” 
Adequate means are provided for enforcing these regulations. 
Duly of the Parish, <SfC. —Each parish is hound to maintain a pri¬ 
mary school; each town at least one burgher or middle school ; 
6mall villages, not able to maintain a primary school, may associ- 
ate with the surrounding district for this purpose. The children 
must not. exceed one hundred to a master. The lawdeclar. s what 
is required for the complete maintenance of a school, in order that 
it may answer its end, 
“I. A suitable income for masters and mistresses, and a certain provision 
for them when they are past service. 
“2. A building for die purpose of teaching and of exercise. 
“ :5. Furniture, hooks, pictures, instruments, and all things necessary for 
the lessons and exercises. 
“ A. Pecuniary assistance for the necessitous scholars.” 
The school committee are charged to make the salaries of teach¬ 
ers as high as p >ssible, arid a minimum is fixed, below which the 
salaries shall not be reduced, in order to command the best talents 
and qualifi ations. The school-house is required to be placed in a 
healthy situation, to be roomy, well aired, and kept with the great¬ 
est neatness. 
“ Every school in a village or small town shall have a garden, cultivated 
according to the nature of the country, either as kitchen garden, orchard, nur- 
sury-garden, or laid out for raising bees; and this garden shall be made availa¬ 
ble for i he instruction of die scholars. 
“ Whenever die nature of die spot will admit, there shall be a gravelled 
plain or court, in front of die school, for die children's exercise. 
“ The materials necessary fir instruction consist, above all, in a sufficient 
collection of hooks for the use of the school. 
“ I’here shall he, according to the degree of every school, a collection of 
maps and geographical instruments, models (or drawing, writing, music, &e., 
the instruments and collections necessary for studying matin modes and natu¬ 
ral history; lastly, according to the extent ol the system of instruction, there 
shall he the apparatus necessary fir gymnastic exercises, and th“ tools and 
implements suited to the teaching of the mechanical arls or manufactures in 
the schools in which that branch of know ledge is introduced. 
“ Moreover, every school is bound to furnish gratuitously to poor scholars, 
books and other necessaries. 
“ That on occasion of any division or allotments which the parishes may 
make, sufficient land shall be allotted lo the school-master for the cultivation 
of his vegetables and the feed of a cow; about two acres of good land, or more 
if the land is bad.” 
No master is allowed to collect the school moneys. These must 
be collected by the school committee, who pay the teachers. The 
teacher is not permitted to follow other business for profit, lest it 
should abstract his aiteiitn n In rn lnsi-chi o), or hwtrhts d'jnity 
or morality. The orphan children of school-masters Jiavt a spinal 
right to all the benefit of establisl tin nts lor (dotation, ai.e pen¬ 
sions are gran'td to widow s and orj bans of school masters. 
*• Masters and inspectors,” sajs the law . “ must most carefully avoid every 
kind of constraint or annoyance to the children, on account ol their j annular 
creed. A c. 
“ In towns, public education and the maintenance of it are not to be post¬ 
poned to any oilier of the parochial rn ccssities or claims w ha ever, i In j uie 
to tie reckoned among the objects to be provided for in the first plme. 
“ iVo erne slmll refuse lo pay it e inie levied upon him tun i r \ r< text that 
the school of his parish, or of religions persuasion, ore fumbling, since it is 
necessary lo po vide for the general celnc .lion ol ihe polish,and all scl.oolsare 
open lo all. ai d may 1 e equally pri filahle to eve ry indiviuual.” 
General objects and different "rada/ions of primary instruction .— 
There are two stages ot g rubai ion in primary instruction, element¬ 
ary schools and burgher schools. 
“ The elementary schools have fur their object the regular development of 
the ficiihit s of man, hy r more or less instruction in the branches of knowledge 
indispensable lo the lower classes, both in town and country. 
“ The burgher schools bring the child to that point at which peculiar apti¬ 
tude for classical studies, properly so called, or lor some particular piofessioir, 
may manifest nscll. 
‘' 2 lie ] ateruat attachment if the masters, their affectionate kindness U wards 
all their pupils, will he the most pi.uerfnl means of •preserving them from humeral 
influences, am/ of inciting them to virtue. 
“ No kind of] vnishment which has a tendency to weaken the sentiment of hener, 
shall, on any ] retrace, be inflicted ; corporeal puntsf merits, in case ll.e\ shall 
lie necessary, shall he devoid of cruelty, and on no account injurious to mo¬ 
desty or to health.” 
Incorrigible scholars, cr who persist in bad habits, may be ex¬ 
pelled. 
“ Primary' instruction shall have for its aim lo develop the faculties of the 
soul, the reason, the senses, and the bodily strength. I shall comprehend re¬ 
ligion and morals, ihe knowledge of size and numbers, of nature arid man; 
corp real exercises, singing, and lastly, imitation of form, by drawing and 
writing. 
I ‘ In every' .school for girls, without exception, the works peculiar to the sex 
shall he taught 
Every complete elementary school necessarily comprehends the following 
objects;— 
"I. Iteligious instruction, as a means of forming the moral character of 
children according to the positive truths of Christianity'. 
“2. Tile German language, &c. 
“ 3. The elements of geometry, together with the general principles of draw¬ 
ing. 
“4. Calculation an ' practical arithmetic. 
“ 5. Tue elements of physics, geography, general history, and especially the 
history of Prussia 
“ Care must be taken to introduce and combine these branches of know¬ 
ledge w ill the reidinc and writing lessons, as much as possible, independent 
of the instruction which shall he given on those subjects specially. 
“6 Singing, with a view to improve the voice of the children, 'o elevate 
their hearts and minds, to perfect and ennoble the popular songs, and climch 
music or psalmody. 
“7. VV ruing and gymnastic exercises, which fortify all the senses, and es¬ 
pecially that of sight. 
“8. The simplest manual labors, and some instructions in husbandry, ac¬ 
cording to the agriculture of the respective parts of the country.” 
“Every scholar, on leaving school, receives a certificate of his 
capacity, and of his moral and religious disposition, signed by the 
masters and the school committee. 
Evety burgher school shall afford instruction in religion and 
morals, the German language, Latin, mathematics, drawing, writing, 
singing-, gymnastics, and 
“ Physical science, so far as is sufficient to explain the most remarkable phe- 
homena of nature. 
“ Geography and history combined, in order to give some knowledge of the 
earth, of the generil history of the world, of the people who inhabit it, and 
the empires into which it is divided.” 
Masters are charged to study the particular character and quali¬ 
ties of each pupil. No special books are prescribed, that no shack¬ 
les may be imposed to improvement. Masters are to adopt, ihe 
methods which gradually and constantly enlarge the understand¬ 
ings of the children, arid not. such as instil mere mechanical know¬ 
ledge. Examinations must be public. The authorities, the clergy 
and the masters are required to uni e their efforts to strengthen 
the ties of respect and attachment between the people and the 
school. 
We have gone thus far in explaining the organization, objects 
and gradations of elementary schools, and in particularizing the 
studies and exercises which are pursued in them. In o r next 
number, we intend to give some account of the normal schools, 
that is, schools for the education of masters, to teach in the ele¬ 
mentary schools. In this branch of instruction, we have hitherto 
