CHAPTER IX SCHOOL DISCIPLINE THE discipline of the primary schools is certainly of a very high order. The attention given to the oral lessons, which follow one upon the other, struck me as being remarkably well sustained. But when work was given to the children to be done by each, individually, in writing, there was not, except in rare instances, that hush of intense individual application which is so often found in our own country. In one respect the kind of discipline was unexpected. Judging from the schools one would suppose that England were the military nation and not Germany. For their drill is not military, and the marching in and out of school and class-room is not nearly so precise as with us. But the pupil's respect for his teacher is great, and is shown by many external marks of politeness. Very probably this attitude is largely a reflection from the general respect which is paid throughout Germany to the teacher. It is not easy for a foreigner to gauge accurately the attitude of parents towards the schools and the teachers; but, on the whole, there is little doubt that there is more active co-operation on the part of the parents than obtains here. German compulsory education, it must be remembered, is mostly about a century old, and this may account for much. The law as to compulsory attendance is rigid and strongly enforced. The law-breaker cannot expect to have public opinion on his side. I was assured that the progress cards which were forwarded at regular intervals were really of considerable interest to the parents generally, and that this interest was frequently shown by visits to the head teachers, who, as I have mentioned elsewhere, had a special time, usually some one hour in the morning, in which visitors could receive attention. I more than once noticed, in girls' classes under male assistant teachers, some amount of tittering. Teachers who have had experience of mixed schools will know what defects in discipline this indicates. On the other hand, in the great majority of such schools, the discipline was unexceptionable; though, in my judgment, there was a lack of that sweetness and gentle yet insistent constancy which characterise the relation of the best women teachers to their pupils. The discipline in secondary schools did not impress me so favourably; entries and dismissals were confused and noisy, and the self-control, which one would expect from children of this age and class in place of the more rigid system suitable for younger and rougher children, did not seem to me to have developed. At a secondary modern school in Hamburg, when the front doors were opened, a violent rush took place along the beautiful corridors and staircases. During the recreation intervals, however, certain teachers were in charge of the corridors and stairs. A list of teachers responsible was hung up in the rector's room. Still, the discipline generally was of a high order, and insubordination almost unknown. Notwithstanding the training of the schools, juvenile criminality in Germany, where discipline is strict, is on the increase, as it is in France, where discipline is relatively mild, and as it is, according to Mr. Morrison, in England also.1 Corporal Punishment In Frankfort a book was kept, in which entries were made of cases of corporal punishment. In Leipsic an assistant mistress told me that teachers were allowed to use moderate corporal punishment. Some directors wish the cases to be entered in a book, but this is not general. The teacher must provide the cane herself. The assistant teachers, as we should call them, in Hamburg are permitted to use corporal punishment. They are limited to the infliction of three stripes, which must be administered in the presence of another teacher. In secondary schools the teachers are not absolutely forbidden to use corporal punishment, but they are expected to use little; if not excessive, no notice is taken. The law, as with us, puts the teacher in loco 1 Juvenile Offenders, by W. D. Morrison. 'According to the official returns of every civilised state, offences against the criminal law are steadily increasing in number; it is sometimes maintained that they are diminishing in seriousness, but the apparent diminution in this direction arises from alterations of judicial procedure of a mitigatory character, and from a growing unwillingness among the public to prosecute.” parentis, and the rector has very full powers of administering corporal punishment. Home Lessons In the German secondary schools, as in our own, home lessons play a most important part. With some thirty-seven hours per week of school instruction in addition, there is little doubt that over-pressure is a very real thing in Germany. The school authorities are alive to it, and psychologists are giving their attention to the matter and endeavouring to find a method whereby fatigue and over-fatigue can be objectively measured, so that some definite guidance may be obtained as to the work which can be done without injury. In the primary and higher primary schools again, home lessons are the rule. In the Berlin time-tables the subject of the day's home lesson, together with the time to be given to it, is definitely set out, and though I did not see this in any other town, yet home lessons are obligatory in all. Some teachers did not think that the home lesson usually amounted to much, and said, that where overstrain existed, it was the fault of the parents for insisting on too much home lesson. This kind of fault would be a joyful surprise to many of our town teachers in primary schools, for there is very little doubt that, in many cases, the antagonism of the parents makes home lessons ineffective if not impossible. In a Berlin primary school the home lessons, one evening, for the second class boys (ages twelve to thirteen) were— 1. An exercise on the parallelogram. 2. Three problems from the arithmetic books. 3. The study of Spain and Italy. A School Festival The following is an account of a celebration in a middle school, at Leipsic, on Sedan-day, September 2nd. The commemorative gathering was held in the large hall of the school (Prüfungs-Halle)—a fine, lofty room, bare as to pictures, but with busts of the Kaiser and Bismarck. The upper classes, boys and girls, were present, all the teachers, and about a hundred of the children's parents. A long address was read lasting thirty-six minutes, and was listened to with solemn silence, after which recitations alternated with songs of a patriotic kind. The recitations, of which there were six altogether, were splendidly rendered, except, perhaps, for what might be regarded as a slight excess of emphasis. The part songs were sung extremely well. The folk songs were, of course, simpler, and here the singing was so vigorous that it often bordered on the coarse. The conducting would have delighted any one who knows what conducting a large mixed choir of boys and girls involves. One recitation was Der König von Preussen, another Gerettet das Vaterland. There was no applause, but quiet satisfaction shone on every face. Then the director gave a short address : "Why are we here? We are here in thankfulness," and so on. "Now what have we to do to express E |