Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/534

518 consistory of nine members, six of whom are appointed by the central, and one by each of three first-class synagogues. The grand rabbi, who is at the head of this body in Belgium, is, ex officio, a member of the consistory.

The Belgian Government has shown itself thoroughly alive to the great importance of a general diffusion of education among the people. Numerous public schools and literary and scientific institutions are established through out the country, supported out of the communal, provincial, or Government funds. Different classes of inspectors are appointed to visit and report upon the state of education in their various districts. Prizes, scholarships, and other rewards are bestowed upon those that distinguish them selves most in the prosecution of their studies. Religious and moral instruction is under the direction of the sect to which the majority of the pupils belong ; but those con nected with other sects may be exempted from attendance on this course. Normal schools have also been established for the purpose of securing trained and efficient teachers. The schools are open to all, and gratuitous instruction is provided for those who may not otherwise have the means of acquiring it. Yet, with all these advantages, there are still many among the lower classes growing up in ignorance. According to the census of 1866, out of a population of 4,827,833, only 2,279,891 were able to read and write, giving, if we exclude all of seven years of age and under, only 58 per cent, of the population. This proportion varied considerably in the different provinces, being as high as 77 in Luxembourg and 71 in Narnur, and as low as 48 in East and 51 in West Flanders. In 1843 only 49 per cent, of those who took part in the balloting for the militia were able to read and write; in 1853, 56; in 1863, 62; and in 1873, 74. Out of 42,313 in 1873, 8678 were un- uble to read or write, 2027 could read but could not write, 13,887 were able to read and write, and 16,836 had re ceived a superior education. This shows that it is not enough merely to provide the means of education in order to secure an educated population. In the industrial locali ties the parents are generally anxious to get their children admitted as soon as possible into workshops and manufac tories, and in rural districts they are engaged in tending cattle or in field labour. The educational institutions may be divided into four classes, viz., primary, middle, superior, and special.

A law passed in 1842 enacted that there should be at least one primary school in every commune, except in certain cases where primary education is already sufficiently provided for by private schools, or where one school may serve for several neighbouring communes. The communes may also adopt one or more private schools, possessing the legal qualifications, to occupy the place of the communal school. The branches taught are reading, writing, and the elements of arithmetic ; the rudiments of the language spoken in the locality, French, Flemish, or German ; moral and religious instruction ; and the legal system of weights and measures, in most schools taught practically. In many of the schools gymnastics, music, the elements of drawing, the outlines of history and geography, and the rudiments of the natural sciences, are also taught. The communes are obliged to afford gratuitous instructioa to all the children within their bounds whose parents are in poor circumstances or are otherwise unable to educate them. iary The primary schools are under the surveillance of the communal authorities and Government inspectors ; and the imparting of moral and religious instruction is superintended by delegates from the religious bodies. Each province has a general inspector of the primary schools, who is appointed by the king, and inspects, at least once a year, all the communal schools in his district. Under him are the cantonal inspectors, who must visit the schools in their dis tricts at least twice a-year. In 1872 the primary schools sub mitting to inspection were communal, 3949 ; adopted, 469; private, 18; and boarding, 22; besides which there were 990 private schools and 230 boarding schools not under inspec tion. Of the inspected schools 1353 were for boys, 1284 for girls, and 1821 for both sexes; and of the non-inspected 267 were for boys, 693 for girls, and 261 for both sexes. The total number of primary schools was 5678, giving on an average 2 21 schools to each commune, and 1 13 to each 1000 of the population. The total number of scholars attending these schools was 618,937 (or 12 3 per cent, of the population), of whom 313,165 were boys and 305,772 girls; 518,141 were at inspected schools, and 100,796 at non-inspected. The number of scholars attending the communal schools was 449,940, of whom 325,432 were instructed gratuitously; and attending the adopted schools 63,594, of whom 42,521 were receiving gratuitous instruc tion. The total number of teachers and assistants was 10,629, of whom 5394 were males and 5235 females; of these, 4656 males and 2977 females were in the communal or adopted schools. The teachers in the communal schools are appointed by the communal councils, which have the power of suspending them for a period not exceeding three months, the Government decreeing as to their absolute dis missal or reinstatement. They are required to have at tended, for at least two years, the classes of a normal school. Besides the primary schools properly so called, there are in many localities other establishments where primary instruction is communicated, as the infant, adult, manu facturing schools, &c. The infant schools are for children between two and six years of age. There were in 1872, 780 of these schools, of which 212 were communal. 220 private but under inspection, and 348 private and non- inspected. The total number of pupils was 78,181. In the adult schools the branches taught are generally the same as in the communal primary schools. The com munal councils are invited to establish such schools, and of late years considerable progress has been made in this direction. In 1863 the number of adult schools was 1194, within all 188,890 scholars; and in 1872, 2351, with 199,957 scholars. In the latter year 1454 of the schools were con.munal, 74 private inspected, and 823 private non-inspected. Of the scholars 98,558 were males, and 101,399 females ; 56,880 were at communal schools, where 54,630 were receiving gratuitous instruction, and 7362 at adopted schools, where 7179 were gratuitously instructed. There are also primary schools annexed to prisons, hospitals, and depots of mendicants, and reform schools. The number of these in 1872 was 97, and of scholars 6485. Consider able sums are given by Government for providing food, clothing, and other necessaries for the poor children attend ing the primary and infant schools. The expenses of public primary education fall in the first instance on the commune ; and in case of insufficiency of funds, the province, and finally the state, come to its assistance. Each commune, however, must contribute a sum equal to at least two per cent, upon its direct taxa tion before being entitled to claim any assistance from the province or state. The total expenditure for public primary education was, in 1843, 2,651,639 francs; in 1853, 4,465,411; and in 1863, 9,372,259. In 1872 it was 16,200,843 or 648,033, of which 1,326,659 francs were school fees received, 506,512 public or private donations, 5,863,561 .vere contributed by the communes, 1,584,010 by the provinces, and 6,643,415 by the state.

The middle schools are divided into two classes, those supported by the Government, and those maintained by the communes. The former are of two kinds (1), the royal athenaeums, called also the middle superior schools ; and (2), the middle inferior schools, or the middle schools properly 