can only say, let doubters go and inspect for themselves, and I am convinced they will own, that I have not said nearly so much as I might have done, in favor of the wonderful efforts the people and the governments are making to advance the great cause of popular instruction.

Each child buys its own books and slate. Those children, however, who are too poor to pay the small school-fees, and who are consequently sent to school at the expense of the town or parish in which they dwell, are provided with books, &c., by the town or parochial authorities. The children generally carry their books home with them; and every morning at a quarter to eight o'clock, a traveler may see the streets of a German town or village filled with boys and girls, neatly dressed and very clean, hurrying to school; each of the boys carrying his school-books in a small goat-skin knapsack on his back, and each of the girls carrying hers in a small bag, which she holds in her hand. The cleanliness and neatness of dress which I generally observed among the children very much surprised me, and always served to convince me how the educational regulations were tending to civilize and elevate the tastes of the lower classes throughout Germany. At first, I was often disposed to doubt the veracity of my companions, when they assured me that the children I saw were the sons and daughters of poor laborers.

The very way in which children of different ranks of society are to be found mingled in the same school, serves to show how superior the civilization of the lower orders in Germany is to that of the English peasants. With us it would be impossible to associate, in the same school, the children of peasants with those of even the lowest of our middle classes. But in Germany, I constantly found the children of the highest and of the lowest ranks sitting at the same desk, and in almost every school I saw the children of the lowest and of the middle classes mingled together.

In Berlin, one of the teachers, on my asking him whose sons the boys at one of his forms were, requested them to tell me in what occupations their fathers were engaged. From these boys I learned, that one was the son of a clergyman, another of a physician; that others were the sons of small shopkeepers, and others the sons of errand-men and porters. Now, were not the children of the errand-men and porters very much more civilized, polished, and, if I may use that that much abused word, more gentlemanly than the same class of children in England, such an association would be totally impossible. And yet this to us incredible state of things, exists with infinitely less discontentment and social disturbance than we find among our laboring classes in England.

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But it must not be imagined that the educational system is in a stationary state, that the people and the government are resting upon their oars, or that they now think that they have done enough, and that they can let the stream bear them on without further exertion. Far, far otherwise; on every hand extensive improvements are going on, as if they had only commenced last year, to take any interest in the question, and as if they were only now beginning the work, like fresh laborers. Here I found a new and handsome school-house just finished; there, another one in building; and here, again, old houses being altered and enlarged. In one town I found them preparing a great building for a normal college in another, I found them preparing to remove one of these noble institutions to a more commodious and larger set of buildings; and wherever I traveled, I found the authorities laboring to establish infant schools, as well as to perfect the educational institutions of their several localities. It sometimes appeared to me as if all the resources of the government must be devoted to this object; whereas my readers must recollect that, except in the cases of the normal colleges, this great work is effected by the people themselves; and that the enormons expenditure, by being divided between all the different towns and parishes in the kingdom, is scarcely felt. Since 1816, every year has witnessed a further progress: old schools have been pulled down, new ones have been erected; the old and less efficient teachers have gradually died off, and their places have been supplied by excellently trained masters who now direct the schools; the young men who are about to enter holy orders have been obliged to study pedagogy, in order to fit themselves to be inspectors; the regulations respecting the factory children, which I have given in an earlier part of this work, have been put in force;

the minimum of the teachers' salaries has been considerably raised, and the system of teachers' conferences has been perfected, and put into operation.

I shall now show what restrictions exists on the free choice of books by the teachers. The Prussian government has here had two evils to guard against: one of these was the retarding of the gradual reform of school-books, which reform will always take place, when the teachers themselves are learned men, when they thoroughly understand the theory and practice of pedagogy, and when they are not fettered by unwise restrictions; and the other was, the admission into the practical schools, of books of an irreligious or immoral tendency. These two evils are guarded against in the following manner;

No book can be used in any school of the provinces, until the authorities composing the provincial Schulcollegium, which has the direction of the higher schools and gymnasia, as well as of the normal colleges of the province, have licensed it, or sanctioned its admission. Any book which has been so sanetioned, can be employed by any schoolmaster of the province in which it was licensed. There are, in every province, a great number of works on religion, history, science, &c., which have been thus licensed, and from which the teachers are at liberty to choose. But, if a schoolmaster writes a book, which he deems better qualified for school use than those already published, or if he desires to employ a work written by some one else and which is not licensed, he forwards a copy of it, through the inspector, to the provincial authorities, in order to obtain their consent, which is only refused, where the book is positively imperfect or unfit for the young. In the schools, which I personally inspected, I generally found the school-books very excellent, and written either by teachers, or by some person engaged in the educational profession. Coming as they do from men of very long experience in the practice of pedagogy, they are generally well adapted to answer the wants, which the writers themselves have experienced, in the exercise of their professional duties. With the above restrictions, the choice of books is left entirely to the schoolmasters,

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The character of the instruction given in all the German schools is suggestive; the teachers labor to teach the children to educate themselves. There is little or no crain" about it, if I may use an old university phrase. In most of the best primary schools of England, the teacher still contents himself with the old cramming system; that is, he tries to crowd the memories of his scholars with facts, and continually exercises their memories, without ever attempting to develop and strengthen any of their other intellectual faculties. Now, we know but too well, that a man may have the most retentive memory, and the best stored mind, and yet remain as incapable of reasoning, as improvident, and as irrational as ever. He may be full of facts; but may be as unable to make any use of them, or to turn them to any good account, as one bereft of the faculties of speech, sight, and hearing. If a man can not use his reasoning powers, he is much better without knowledge; to impart facts to a fool, is like intrusting fire to a madman. The great desideratum for the poor, as well as for every one else in this world, is a capability of using the reasoning faculties; not that this will always save a man from false ideas and from irrational conduct, but that a man who possesses it will be more likely than any other, to take a right view of his position in life, his duties, and his advantages, and will be more likely to understand the best means of improving them.

Next, then, to implanting good principles in the child, the first object of every system of instruction should be, to teach it how to use the high and important faculties, which Providence has given it, as the means by which to insure its temporal happiness and continued self-improvement. Facts are necessary, but facts alone are not enough to cram a child's mind with facts, without constantly exercising its reflection and its reason, is like feeding it with quantities of rich viands, and denying it all bodily exercise.

The German teachers are, therefore, taught that their duty is to awaken the intelligence of their children, far more than to fill their heads with facts, which they would not know how to use, unless their reasoning powers had been first cultivated. The schoolmasters do not therefore hurry over many facts in one lesson; but endeavor to make them think and reason about the subject of instruction.

The method of instruction is left to the unfettered choice of the teachers, so

that it is impossible to speak with certainty of the methods pursued in the majority of the schools; but in all that I visited, I invariably found the simultaneous method pursued. By this the scholars are divided into different classes, and each class is instructed separately. This is not done on the old shouting plan, where one or two clever boys give the answer, and all the others follow in the same breath, and often without having known what the question was. Not so: the class under instruction first reads a section or chapter from the school-book, relating to the subject of instruction; the teacher then endeavors to illustrate what the children have been reading, to make them clearly understand it, to assure himself that they do understand it, and to impress it more clearly and firmly upon their memories. All this he does by suggestive questions, which he himself does not answer, until he has first tried whether any of the children can answer them for themselves. When a question is put, all the children, who are prepared to answer it, are told to hold up their hands, and the teacher then selects one child, who stands up and gives what he conceives to be the answer; if he is wrong, another is selected to correct him, and so on in like manner; but until the teacher has called upon some one to answer, not a single word is allowed to be spoken by any member of the class. If no one can answer the question, the teacher, before answering it for the children, excites their curiosity about it by questions and hints, and stories illustrating or partially explaining the subject under discussion; and when he has succeeded in interesting the whole class in the answer, he then gives it, but not before. By these means, the reflective powers of the children are exercised and trained; they are taught to think, to inquire and to reason, and their minds acquire strength and activity. During every lesson the teacher stands, and the children sit before him at their desks. The most perfect silence is observed, except when broken by the answer of the scholar fixed on to reply, or by a question made by a scholar seeking explanation, or by a laugh at some amusing story or joke of the teacher. No lesson is continued long. The subjects of instructions are changed about three times in every two hours; and, at the end of every two hours, the children of all the different classes meet in the play-ground, under the charge of one of the teachers, to get some fresh air and a little exercise.

The great object of all this is to make the lessons as interesting and attractive as possible to the children, to keep up their attention, and to gradually develop all the powers of their minds.

This system enables the German teachers to watch and tend the progress of each individual child. No child can screen idleness or ignorance, behind the general shout of the class. The teacher sees instantly, if a scholar fails often to hold up his hand; and as he questions those, who do hold up their hands, by turns, he soon finds out if a child is really attending or not.

One thing which greatly surprised me in all the German and Dutch schools was, the great interest the children evidently took in the subject of instruction. This is to be explained entirely by the manner, in which they are treated and instructed by the teachers. The teachers address them as intelligent, rational beings, and in a conversational manner, as if they expected them to listen and to understand. The teachers further excite their interest by showing them, in all their lessons, the practical use of the knowledge they are acquiring. Constant references are made to the different pursuits, in which the children will be engaged after leaving school; to the commerce of the country, and the way in which it is supplied with the various articles of foreign produce which it requires to the duties of citizens; to the history of the country; to its produce, its physical chacteristics, and its political relations; to farming, in its various branches; to the great inventions and vast undertakings of the day; to the wonders of foreign countries; and, in fact, to all the newspaper topics of the day.

I have myself been obliged to answer questions in the German and Dutch schools about the navy of England, the wealth of England, our metropolis, our colonies, and the miseries of Ireland.

Instruction, or amusement which will excite the scholars to seek instruction, is sought from all the subjects and allusions started by the lesson. The children are made to see the end of instruction and the object of schools in every lesson which is given them. The teachers encourage them by words and looks of approval,

A few words, such as "that's right, Charles," "that's a very good answer," 66 you have explained very well," ""well done indeed," and such like explanations, stimulate the children as if they were at a game. Added to this, that the teachers are so admirably drilled in the art of teaching, that they perfectly understand how to make every thing clear and comprehensible to the least intelligent scholar of the class, while they are so well educated, that they are able to illustrate each lesson by a hundred interesting stories or descriptions.

The subjects of instruction in the primary schools vary in the different classes. In those for the younger children, who have only just entered the school, they are confined to Scripture history, reading, writing, arithmetic, and singing; but, in the classes for the elder children, not only are higher and more advanced exercises in the above subjects given, but the scholars learn also German history, geography, drawing, and mental arithmetic. In this last subject of instruction, I sometimes found astonishing progress made. Besides the above lessons which the schoolmasters are obliged by law to teach in all schools, the children learn to recite the most beautiful of the Psalms and the finest passages of Scripture, as well as the most celebrated national melodies. In the higher elementary schools, or, as they are called, the higher burgher schools, which are open to all the children who like to enter them after leaving the elementary schools, and which are attended by the sons of small shopkeepers and of laborers also, the course of education is much higher, embracing not only a continued exercise in the different subjects of instruction which I have enumerated, but in addition to these, geometry, universal history, and the French language. No child is obliged to attend these schools; but all are admitted, who wish to continue their education there after leaving the primary schools. These schools are only to be found in towns; but each town is obliged by law to support at least one of them. They are generally very well attended by the children of small shopkeepers, and contain also many children from the poorest ranks of society.

The method of teaching these subjects generally, has already been given under the head of Primary Schools in Germany, in the language of Prof. Stowe and Mr. Mann. We will now give from Prof. Bache, and other authorities, the organization, study table, and methods of instruction of several schools of different grades.

BURGHER SCHOOL AT HALLE.

The series of schools, which now cluster about the Orphan-house of Halle, are called after the name of its founder, the Franke Foundations, and embraces the whole range of public instruction. It begins with the common or elementary schools, in which the instruction terminates at the age of twelve or fourteen years; contains a "higher" or middle school, called, also, a "burgher school," the courses of which end at fourteen or sixteen years, and where the pupil is prepared to enter life as a tradesman. Also, a "real school," its courses ending at sixteen or eighteen, and intended to prepare for the higher mechanical occupations; and a classical school, or "gymnasium," retaining its pupils until eighteen or nineteen years of age, and fitting them for admission to the university.

The attendance on these schools varies from year to year, being made up of pupils from other parts of Prussia, as well as from Halle. The attendance, at the date of Dr. Bache's visit, was as follows:

In the establishments for education there were at the same time, in the orphan house, 114 boys and 16 girls, in the boarding school 230 boys, and in the pædagogium 80, total 436.

The school which the boys of the orphan-house in general attend, is that called the "burgher" or citizens' school, sometimes also called middle school. Its objects are thus defined, first, so to train the sons of citizens by instruction in useful science, that, at the age of fourteen years, they may be in a condition to begin a handicraft, or other trade;" second, "to prepare the pupils for the lower classes of a gymnasium, or for the classes of a real school, to accomplish which latter purposes Latin and French are taught."

The lower classes are, in fact, those of an elementary school, and the boys who leave the orphan-house at fourteen, are instructed exclusively in this establishment. The few who are selected to remain after fourteen go to the Latin school; Latin and French both are, however, studied in the upper classes of the burgher school, and the aptitude of the orphan pupils for language, is thus put to the test. The school is divided into four classes in reference to the progress of the pupils, and each is subdivided for convenience, with a teacher to every subdivision. Thus the same teacher gives instruction in all the subjects of study, to a class of boys numbering, on the average, about fifty.

The branches taught are: Exercises of speech and thought. Bible history. Religious instruction. Mental and written arithmetic. Elements of geography. (Knowledge of home.) Reading and writing taught together. Reading. Calligraphy. Stories from history. German grammar. Composition. Geography of Germany. German history. French grammar. General history. Higher arithmetic. Elements of geometry. Bible lessons. Christian morals. Christian doctrines. Elements of Latin.

There are teachers of singing and drawing, besides the regular class teachers. The pupils are examined privately once every six months, and publicly at Easter, when the change of classes takes place.

The exercises of speech and thought, the first subject on the above list, constitute the breaking-in, as it were, of the child, and being at the very threshold of instruction, try the teacher's skill more than many a learned branch. He must teach the pupil to think, taking care that his thoughts are expressed in appropriate words. Pestalozzi, who first practiced upon this idea, drew the child's attention to the human frame, as the subject of contemplation; others have preferred to bring him in contact with nature, in general, by making simple natural phenomena the basis of the inductive lessons; others, not surrounded by nature, made man and his dwelling their theme; others introduce simple lessons on objects of nature and art, which can readily be presented to the child for his examination, and on which, as a basis, to rear the superstructure of natural history, physics, and technology, in his advanced course. All these are good in their way, but such as I saw tried seemed to depend for their efficacy upon the circumstances of the school, and to be better or worse as the child found means to apply his newly acquired powers of perception, to observe for himself. Of all the plans, when the school is rightly situated for it, a reference to nature produces the best training of the heart, as well as the mind of the child. It would be impossible to present, here, even extracts from the numerous works which contain the methods employed in these exercises.

The Bible history and religious instruction next referred to, are principally given orally, the morals of the Bible and the events which it describes, being put into such a form that when the sacred book itself, at a later day, comes into the