— 36—

beitet,“ sagen die Verteidiger dieses Preisschwindels.“! As far as Mr. Raydt has been able to judge of the success of prizes, he is of opinion that they tend to establish a laudable rivalry, and he thinks they cause the pupils to devote themselves with a greater zeal to their favourite scientific subjects of instruction. He gives us the list of prizes distributed annually at an old English School; their number amounts to 40. I agree that these prizes may excite a great rivalry among the boys, but at the same time I am firmly convinced that this rivalry may in many cases have its ugly sides, especially in the case of young pupils.

Notwithstanding these means of instigation, there is no doubt that the actual Knoꝛo- ledge of an English schoolboy is much inferior to that of a German one. I here compare the boy of a Public School(not of a Private School) to the pupil of a„Gymnasium“ or of a „Realschule“. The reason for this is to be found in the school-arrangements and in the character of the English, and is by no means due to any inferiority of their intelligence, for as to intelligence, English and German boys are equal.„Of the general ruck,“ says the above-mentioned Berlin Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph,„both countries are much of a muchness— it is about six of one and half a dozen of the other.“ But the Englishman is not at all inclined to develop his intellectual abilities, when a boy, which is not the consequence of well calculated reflection, but of his disinclination to inconvenience himself in this respect and also of his love of sport. He generally begins to work earnestly and seriously when he is 17 or 18 years of age. The German boy is also very fond of play, but, un- happily, he has not the same chance as an English boy. He isy in general, serious, diligent,

and tenacious. The English pupil, altogether, is lazy— a consequence of his great love of convenience— he is inattentive, and the arrangements of many Schools support this inclination.

I do not intend to repeat here the prominent qualities of the English character, which may be clearly observed at school in the upright little Englishnman. According to his national vanity, this little Englishman considers one who belongs to another nation as an inferior being, whom he may treat as badly as possible. I am speaking generally, for I have also found exceptions, but very few. I could mention many examples of the former. I will only mention a very striking one: At the beginning of my English pedagogical career, I used to employ the interrogative„so“, which is not used in the same sense in English. After a very short time, the little word„so“ was to be heard day and night, at all times and at all places. All the punishments I gave were of no use— and certainly they only increased the evil— and the mockery of the youths did not cease, until I had spoken, in a very energetic manner, to my principal, who, by the bye, was much amused at this nice„fun. — Another instance: The pupils sometimes knocked at the door of my bed-room, but I took no notice of it and soon fell asleep again.

The impositions which we usually gave to our boys, consisted in copying 30, 50, or more lines from the History-Book during play-time. It happened sometimes, not often, that a boy jumped out of the window and escaped. Bodily punishments were very seldom given by the first Head Master, but when he did so, he thrashed soundly with the strap. I once saw him thrashing his own son hard, but justly. This very proper punishment of his own offspring made a very good impression on the other boys. I sometimes gave a box on the ear, and my Head Master, in whose presence I did so, did not interfere. But when one of the boys whom I had punished in this manner, complained of me to him, he told me, in future cases to inform him, and he would give the blows. Little by little, I gave fewer punishments, and, I daresay, found it was better for me and for the boys. At the end of the„half“, I was on very good terms with my pupils, and I am still to this day in cor- respondence with one of them.

In all, the discipline at our School was good, for an English School, thanks to our first Head Master, who was a severe, but just man to his boys. It seems, however, that at most English schools the discipline is very bad. Mr. Baumann says:„In den Privat-Instituten

1 Page 32— 33.