communistic
arrangement that has proved satisfactory to parents and children alike.

An evidence of the inadequacy of the present school system--it is
unable to fulfil even the moderate demands made upon it--is the fact
that thousands upon thousands of children _are unable to fulfil their
school duties by reason of insufficient food_. In the winter of 1893-94,
it was ascertained in Berlin that _in one school district alone 3,600
children went to school without breakfast_. In such shocking conditions
there are hundreds of thousands of children in Germany to-day at certain
seasons of the year. With millions of others the nourishment is utterly
insufficient. For all these children public alimentation and clothing
also would be a godsend. A commonwealth that pursued such a policy and
thus, by the systematic nourishing and clothing of the children, would
bring humanity home to them, is not likely to see the sight of
"penitentiaries." Bourgeois society cannot deny the existence of such
misery, which itself has called forth. Hence we see compassionate souls
foregathering in the establishment of breakfast and soup houses, to the
end of partially filling by means of charity what it were the duty of
society to fill in full. Our conditions are wretched--_but still more
wretched is the mental make-up of those who shut their eyes to such
facts_.

The system of reducing so-called home school work, and of having the
same done at school under the supervision of a teacher is progressing;
the inadequacy of home facilities is realized. Not only is the richer
pupil at an advantage over the poorer by reason of his position, but
also by reason of his having private teachers and such other assistance
at his command. On the other hand, however, laziness and shiftlessness
are promoted with the rich pupil by reason of the effects of wealth,
luxury and superfluity; these make knowledge appear superfluous to him,
and often they place before him such immoral sights that he easily
slides into temptation. He who every day and every hour hears the
praises sung of rank, position, money, property, and that they are
all-essential, acquires abnormal conceptions regarding man and his
duties, and regarding State and social institutions.

Closely looked into, bourgeois society has no reason to feel indignant
at the communistic education, which Socialists aim at. Bourgeois society
has itself partly introduced such a system for the privileged classes,
but