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the languages of these countries. Moreover, the social position of teachers in England seems, at last, to have somewhat improved generally. The profession of teachers at Middle-class Schools was and in many places may still be regarded as a very low, not to say, despised one.

What are the reasons that teachers in England are held in so low an estimation? Because of the difficult position of a teacher at Middle and Higher Schools no examinations, qualifications, or preparations are required by the English Government. We see that all classes of society, even the lowest, have entered into this career, very often after having failed in another or several others. Thus, we find among these pedagogical adventurers late itinerant-singers, waiters, tailors, cobblers, watchmakers, clerks who have been discharged or who cannot find a situation, etc.„Unter englischen Lehrern,“ says Mr. Weber,“ „werden wissenschaftlich durchgebildete Männer nicht eben häufig angetroffen.— Bis zu welchem Grade aber die meisten von ihnen Ignoranten sind, davon hat man bei uns in Deutschland keine richtige Vorstellung.“ And further on? he says:„Ein englischer Lehrer muss als Nichtgentleman bezeichnet werden. Für ihn ist die Lehrthätigkeit nur ein Notbehelf(makeshift), aus der er bei der ersten besten Gelegenheit herauszukommen hofft.“ A severe, but just criticism on this sort of Masters! I will give you an example from my own experience: A tall watchmaker was often passing our playground with his wallet on his back, and sometimes told me of his pedagogical experience and success. He informed me he had formerly been an Assistant Master at a Middle-class School, in Vorkshire, but had given up his situation and returned to his former trade, because he could earn much more money as a watchmaker than as a teacher, and, moreover, he had not such heavy work to do.

It must be obvious that such people do not at all contribute to the credit of a profes- sion, nay! that they make it despicable. We find the very same thing with the Foreign Masters, among whom a great number are not teachers at all, but mostly clerks who cannot find a situation. Such people do a great deal of harm to the credit of English Teachers, as well as to that of their own nation.„Grade durch das Eindringen unberufener Elemente in das Lehrfach,“ said Dr. Rolfs at the first German Teachers' Meeting in London,„ist die Stellung der deutschen Lehrer eine so schlechte geworden und das Ansehen derselben so gesunken.“ The Head Masters of Private Schools who employ such sham Teachers, and Agents who recommend them, are to be blamed very severely. The following is another example from my own experience: A young merchant of Bremen, provided with the best. recommendations, had come over to London, in 1878, to seek a situation as a clerk. He lived in the same family with me. He did not succeed, in spite of his endeavours and his ex- cellent recommendations. So, he took the fatal resolution to look for a situation as an Assistant Master— he had passed the„Unter-Secunda“ of a Gymnasium. He applied to several School Agencies and, indeed, after a short time, got a vacancy at a Private School at Saltburn, at a salary of£ 30. He was to teach Latin, French, Mathematics, etc. He only stayed one term, and, after his return to London, is said to have related the most, shocking details of his pedagogical tricks. ³

With such incidents as are nob at all rare, we cannot be astonished to find that the profession of teaching is not highly esteemed in England. Many Assistant Masters are indeed bad men, and a great number of them are drunkards. In England where a great spirit of caste prevails, even a shopkeeper will have nothing to do with an Assistant Master. A common shopkeeper, who was living opposite our school, thought he did me a great honour, when, at the end of the„half', he at last condescended to converse with me, after I had always purchased my tobacco at his shop and vainly tried to enter into conversation with him.„Gegenwärtig,“ says Mr. Lange,„achtet England allerdings nur—

¹ See Zeitschrift für das Gymnasialwesen. Juli--August, 1890. ² Page 506. „ See other examples of that kind in: Hummel, Eine englische Schule. Jahrbücher für Philologie und Pädagogik, herausgegeben von Masius, 1877. Page 549. 6*