— 37—

durchgängig und nicht selten auch in den vom Publikum unabhängigen Public Schools ist die Disciplin eine recht laxe. Wo die Kinder wie im englischen Hause in freier, fast zůgel- loser Weise aufwachsen und die Eltern sich nur zu häufig in Schulangelegenheiten von den Kindern bestimmen lassen, wie kann da der arme, geplagte Schulmeister, dem die Hände gebunden sind, seine Pflicht nach eigenem Gewissen thun?“ He tries, as much as possible, not to quarrel with his boys, and is at last obliged to make a principle of laisser faire et laisser aller. Comparing English and German schools, there is no doubt that the dis- cipline at the latter is much better than at the former. Even Mr. Raydt admits that, saying: „Ich muss freilich eingestehen, dass die Schüler trotz ihrer entsetelich nachlässigen Haltung,(trotz Hemdsärmel und) trotz gelegentlichen Schwätzens gut aufpassten und mit grosser Lebendig- keit dem Unterricht zu folgen schienen(is not that a contradiction?), mõöchte jedoch den Etoniern, und die es sonst angeht, etwas von unsrer preussischen Strammheit und guter Schulzucht auch im äussern wünschen.“²

An English boy must be treated quite differently by his Masters than we treat our German boys. We expect a boy to submit entirely to the will of his parents and his masters. The English give freer scope to their boys and educate them to act indepen- dently. As I have said in my Introduction, the English teacher lays the greatest stress upon the development of self-reliance and self-possession. The English allow their children, much earlier than we do, to behave in society in a manly, free, and independent way. Parents and Masters already treat the little boy as a person and a gentleman, and he is also considered as such. The German Teacher at an English School has, therefore, a very diffi- cult position in relation to his pupils, until he has given due regard to this leading trait of the English character.„Vou cannot treat English boys like German ones“, my first Principal said to me on one of the first days, and I very soon found that he was perfectly right. The English Teacher meddles as little as possible with the quarrels of the boys. By giving them full latitude, they are meant to feel their own responsibility and self- dependence. The independent Englishman believes that the interference of the teachers hinders the free development of the youth. It is quite true that the teacher should not- interfere too much and too often, certainly not in trifles, but, in general, a conscientious superintendence must exist to keep up discipline.

At our School, the so-called„Fagging- System“ did not exist. The Fagging-System is the great tyranny which the elder pupils of a school exercise over the younger ones, tyranny, consisting in smaller or greater services the elder and stronger boys demand from the younger and weaker ones. We need only read Tom Brown's Schooldays to get an idea of it. Nowadays, it is said not to prevail to any such extent, as it is described there,„but it exists still, though it has been modified, with its attendant evils at a large number of schools, under the sanction of the masters.“? The Head Master of the illustrious Charterhouse Public School, Dr. Haig-Brown, being asked by a Reporter of the Pall Mall Gazette“ about fagging answered:„We couldn't get on without it. Suppose I abolished it, the immediate effect would be that great, big boobies in the under school would assume authority which at present is only in the upper school, who are very jealous of their rights. I very fully recognise the social position of the sixth form. Abolish the sixth, and we should have anarchy.“ This apprehension, being, I am sure, not groundless, shows, upon what a weak basis discipline is founded at English Schools. Mr. Welldon, Head Master of Harrow, went even so far as to say to the same Reporter that he is very glad, fagging still holds its place, for„it does a pampered and petted boy no end of good,

1

¹ Die Verhältnisse etc. Page 424.

² Page 168.

See How it was done at Stow School, 2nd Edition, The School Board Chronicle of Sept. 7, 1889. December 15, 1890.