Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/42

 30 HISTORY OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE income of the architect of Frankfort Cathedral, which did not exceed from ten to twenty florins a year, or with that of the first chamberlain of the mother of the Elector Palatine (Philip von der Pfalz), which was thirty florins a year. 1 'The instructors of youth,' says the ' Seelenfiihrer ' ('The Soul's Guide'), 'should be as highly honoured as the highest of the land, for it is hard work and labour to bring up children in Christian discipline and order. If they do this you must honour and love and befriend them.' Albert Diirer, in some verses to one of his woodcuts in 1510, gives us some idea of the nature of this ' Christian discipline and order.' The picture repre- sents a teacher holding in his right hand a rod, while his left hand rests on an open book. In front of him, on stools, sit several eager-looking boys, each with an inkstand hanging to his belt. In the accompanying rhymes are the following precepts amongst others : — ' If thou wilt be clever and wise, pray to God all the days of thy life ; if thou wishest to be recompensed, avoid all evil. Prevent others from thinking evil of their nei'dibour. This frees the heart from all bitterness, drives away all hate and envy, and disposes thy hearers to listen to thee favourably. Say what thou thinkest quietly ; hold fast to the truth, lie not, and do not try to appear to men other than thou art.' 2 1 See Hautz, Urkundliche Geschichte der Stipendien und Stiftungen am Lyceum zu Heidelberg (Heidelberg, 1850], where abundant details on this subject are to be found. 2 Heller, pp. 683-685 ; Thausing, Diirer's Letters, pp. 155-157. The principal defects in the school system of the day were the too frequent changes of teachers, and the existence of what were called ' travelling students, bacchants and shooters.' (See Nettesheim, pp. 113-131.) The