ratory school for three years. His work there is entirely academic
in character. At seventeen he enters the normal school and has another
year of academic work, after which he begins his technical work. His
normal course is three years, the last year being given almost entirely
to professional work. Each class in the normal school contains from
thirty to thirty-six students, thus making the total number of students
in a German normal school about one hundred. As only about thirty can
enter from the whole district, it will appear that the opportunities for
children to extend the common school course are very limited.

After completing the normal course, the graduate is provisionally
appointed to a position for three years. He is now under the oversight
of his former principal, as well as of the district inspector. If he
proves successful in teaching, he is required to pass a final
examination, chiefly on pedagogical questions, and then has a life
tenure, and can be removed only on the ground of inefficiency or
immorality. The average tenure of office with teachers is twenty-five
years. The salary is often very low, but with free rent, fuel, and
light, the schoolmaster's income is by no means inadequate. His salary
increases with the years of service, and his prospective pension also
increases year by year.[175]

The German schoolmaster is a state officer. He commands, by virtue of
his position, the respect which his character, his self-sacrifice, his
efficiency, and the great work that he is doing deserve. "It is the
schoolmaster that has won our battles," said Von Moltke; and it is he
that is preparing Germany for the arts of peace as well as those of war.

The Prussian school system is the most efficient in the world, at least
so far as the education of the masses is concerned. It has practically
obliterated illiteracy in the kingdom, more than 991/2 per cent of the
recruits received into the army in 1893 being able to read and write.
Many countries have materially improved their school systems by adopting
some of the lessons taught by Prussia.

The three most important features of the German school system are:--

1. _Only professionally trained teachers can be employed._

2. _Such teachers are appointed to permanent positions._

3. _The attendance of every child during the entire school year is
compulsory._

FOOTNOTES:

[171] It will, of course, be impossible within the limitations of this
work to give more