he is bound not to let his popularity
suffer among villagers and common people; it is 200,000 francs a year
which he abstains from taking from them; but here his liberalities in
behalf of primary instruction stop. Let parents and the communes take
this burden on themselves, pay its expenses, seek out and hire the
teacher, and provide for a necessity which is local and almost domestic.
The government, which invites them to do this, will simply furnish the
plan, that is to say, a set of rules, prescriptions and restrictions.

At first, there is the authorization of the prefect, guardian of the
commune, who, having invited the commune to found a school, has
himself, through a circular, given instructions to this end, and who
now interferes in the contract between the municipal council and the
teacher, to approve of or to rectify its clauses--the name of the
employee, duration of his engagement, hours and seasons for his classes,
subjects to be taught, the sum total and conditions of his pay in money
or in kind; the school grant must be paid by the commune, the school
tax by the pupils, the petty fees which help pay the teacher's living
expenses and which he gets from accessory offices such as mayor's clerk,
clock-winder, sexton, bell-ringer and chorister in the church[6205]--At
the same time, and in addition, there is the authorization of the
rector; for the small as well as the average or larger schools are
included in the University;[6206] the new master becomes a member of
the teaching body, binds himself and belongs to it by oath, takes
upon himself its obligations and submissions, comes under the special
jurisdiction of the university authorities, and is inspected, directed
and controlled by them in his class and outside of his class.--The
last supervision, still more searching and active, which close by,
incessantly and on the spot, hovers over all small schools by order
and spontaneously, is the ecclesiastical supervision. A circular of the
Grand-Master, M. de Fontanes,[6207] requests the bishops to instruct
"messieurs les cures of their diocese to send in detailed notes on their
parish schoolmasters;" "when these notes are returned," he says,
"please address them to me with your remarks on them; according to these
indications I will approve of the instructor who merits your suffrage
and he will receive the diploma authorizing him to continue in his
functions. Whoever fails to present these guarantees will not recei