Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 May 1878 — Education in France. [ARTICLE]

Education in France.

They may well say in France that the schoolmaster is abroad—in Germany, probably. The recent reports presented to the Assembly show that in full sight of Paris is a town only one of whose Municipal Councillors can read; of 1,200 inhabitants in another in Charente-In-ferieure only six can spell and four read writing; only a few rich landholders in another of 2,000 souls in Vienne can read, and so on. Before compulsory education can be attempted to be enforced, it will be necessary to build 17,320 parish schools, to enlarge 5,458, to repair 3;781, and to put ordinary furniture into 9,857. Of the existing schools thousands are literally hovels and caves in tne earth. Some have no light save what comes in at the door; in one of these it was impossible to hold recitations on thirty-nine days in a session of fifty. Another had to be entered on allfours; a third had earthen seats and desks. In another case, not even a cavern being handy, the master used to lead his flock across the line into Spain, where an eligible nook existed. There are schools kept in wineshops, police stations, dancing-rooms, under a church porch, in a stable (held there for warmth), in a kitchen. In one case the schoolmaster’s wife had been confined in the sole room, which was academy and dwelling; in another his pig occupied part of the apartment. And yet ia grande nation wonders why Germany beat her I