Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/535

Rh so called, including the former superior primary, as well as the schools formerly known as industrial and commercial schools. There are ten royal athenaeums, two in Hainault, and one in each of the other provinces, viz., in the towns of Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Mons, Tournay, Liege, Hasselt, Arlon, and Namur. In each of these are two courses, the one for the humanities and the other for a professional education. The professional course is divided into a lower division, comprehending a course of three classes, each of one year, and an upper division, with three sections, the commercial, industrial, and scientific, each divided into two classes, and extending over two years. In 1872 the number of students at the athenaeums was 3562, of whom 623 were in the preparatory classes, 1157 in the humanity section, and 1782 in the professional. In the state middle schools the courses are arranged so as to occupy three years. To some is annexed a prepara tory section, making a year more^ The number of these schools in 1872 was 50, with 9012 scholars. The communal middle schools are of two grades, a first and second, the former embracing 17 schools, the latter 1.6. They ought to be based upon the same principles, and teach the same branches as the royal athenaeums and middle schools. In 1872 the number of scholars in the first or higher grade of schools was 1381, of whom 239 were in the preparatory classes, 730 in the humanity section, and 412 in the professional. The number of scholars in the lower grade of schools was 1828, of whom 1274 were in the lower sections and 554 in the higher. Most of these schools have libraries, museums of natural history, and chemical laboratories attached to them. There are in addition to these 75 unendowed colleges, of which 45 are Episcopal and 1 1 Jesuit. The educational staff consists of a prefect of studies in the athenaeums, and a rector in the middle schools, pro fessors, regents, and masters. The prefects, professors, rectors, and regents are nominated by the king, and the masters and teachers by the minister of the interior. The diploma of a professor agrege of either degree is bestowed by a special jury after a searching examination. It is given without regard to the place where the candidate has studied. The prefects and rectors reside on the premises, and have the general direction and management of the institutions over which they are placed. Each has to report annually as to the state and condition of the institution under his care, and to register the conduct and progress of the scholars. The middle, like the primary schools, are subjected to a regular system of inspection. The literary and scientific branches are under the superintendence of two inspectors and an inspector-general nominated by the king. To one of the inspectors is especially confided the mathematical and natural sciences, and to the other the humanities ; the other branches, as history, geography, and the com mercial sciences, may be committed to either of the inspectors or to the inspector-general. The inspector has to examine and report upon the state and discipline of each establishment, the methods employed in teaching, the progress made by the pupils, and the merit and zeal of the teachers. The conseil de prefectionnement for the direction and improvement of middle education is composed of from eight to ten members, mostly professors in the universities, presided over by the minister of the interior or his deputy, and meets at least four times a year. A general competi tion takes place annually among the scholars of the athe naeums and colleges receiving grants from Government, to which, however, scholars from other establishments may be admitted. The examinations are both written and oral ; and the rewards are of three kinds, prizes, accessits, and honourable mention. The amount contributed by the state to the athenaeums in 1872 was 467,575 francs, to the state middle schools 418,589, and to the communal middle schools 184,079 The amount contributed by the communes to the athenaeums was 291,937 francs, to the state middle schools 169,320. and to the communal middle schools 232,359.

The superior instruction establishments are the four universities, two belonging to the state, at Ghent and Liege, the free university at Brussels, and the Catholic university at Louvain. Each of the state universities has faculties of philosophy and literature, science, law, and medicine. In each there are 8 professors in philosophy, 9 in the sciences, 7 in law, and 8 in medicine. One or two additional professors may be added to each of the faculties in case of necessity. The professors are nominated by the king, and cannot exercise any other profession without the consent of the Government. Attached to each university are a number of agreges named by the king. Their title is honorary, and they are chosen from among those students who have most distin guished themselves at the public competitions or final examinations, from professors of middle instruction, or from members of the civil or military body of engineers. They are nominally attached to one of the faculties, but are not prohibited from exercising any of the liberal piofessions, and in case of any of the professors being unable to per form his duties, a substitute is chosen from among the agrcgcs attached to that faculty. The universities are under the management of a rector, a secretary, deans of faculty, the senatus academicus, and the board of assessors. The rector is nominated by the king for three years, and has the direction of all academic matters. The secretary is appointed annually by the king from a list of two candidates nominated by the senatus academicus. The deans of the faculties are chosen annually by the professors of each faculty, and have the right of convoking the professors of their faculty. The senatus and the board of assessors are convoked by the rector ; the former is composed of the professors, under the presidency of the rector, and the latter of the rector, secretary, and the deans of faculty. Each student pays annually for enrolment 1 5 francs, and then takes out a ticket for the branches of the course in which he intends to take his examinations. For philosophy and literature, and for law, the annual ticket costs 250 francs, and 200 francs for the other faculties. The instructions are given in the French language. Subsidies are accorded by Government to the universities for the libraries, botanical gardens, cabinets, &amp;lt;tc. ; but the towns of Liege and Ghent are bound to maintain the buildings. The sum granted by the state to the two universities in 1873 was 937,919 francs. Attached to the university of Ghent is a school for civil engineers. The preparatory course extends over two years, and comprehends the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences necessary to the subsequent courses. The special course is divided into two sections, the one fur engineers of roads and bridges, and the other for architectural engineers. This course continues for two or three years. The third course, which lasts for three years, is for industrial engineers or persons engaged in arts or manufactures. They are instructed in the application of the various sciences to the arts and manufactures, particularly to the mechanical arts. Similar to the above is the mining school attached to the university of Liege. The first course is preparatory to the other two. The special course includes all the branches necessary to a mining engineer. The third course is for those desirous of obtaining a knowledge of mining, min- 