Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/724

* CHILE. 628 CHILE. controlled by the President. Tlie departments constitute one or more municipal districts, whose allairs are administered by a council of si. alder- men and tliree alcaldes, presided over by the in- tendentes, governors, or snbdelegales, who pos- sess a veto power. No one may be a member of the council who is connected with the State eitlier as employe or as a contractor for the ]H'rforniance of some public service. The au- thority of the raxinicipality extends over the matters of police (in the capitals of the de- jiartments the police are under the control of the Tresident), sanitation, primary instruction, and the regulation of agriculture, industry, and eonunerce. The expenses of government are met partlj- by direct and indirect t;xation and part- ly by subsidies from the general Government. The council is responsible to the popular .ssem- bly, composed of all registered ele<tors, whose sanction is required in such important matters as the negotiation of nmuicipal loans, the incep- tion of important public works, or the alienation •of the public domains. The popular Assembly, too. votes the annual budget and audits the municipal accounts as submitted by the alcaldes. .Justice is administered in the first instance by district judges in petty or civil disputes and misdemeanors, and by justices of subdelegation in more important civil suits and minor crim- inal offenses. Cases of greater consequence are tried, in the first instance, before the judges of <le|)artment. Appeals from their decisions lie to the courts of ai)peal, six in number, located permanently in the chief cities, and exercising jurisdiction over groups of provinces. The tri- bunal of last resort is the High Court at San- tiago. Education. Public instruction, though gra- tuitously provided by the 8tate, is still in an unsatisfactory condition. Some advance has been made in recent years through the efforts of the progressive element among the peo[)le. A large number of teachers have been brought over from Gennany. and not a little has been done toward reorganizing the educational system on the most modern principles of [ledagogj' and school administration. Primary instruction is provided in elementary and graded schools, con- trolled by district visitors and inspectors. In 1000 there were 1547 public primary schools, with 114,410 pupils and 2(502 teachers. Second- ary instruction is afforded by the Instituto Xacional ; also by the lycees. of which there is one in every provincial capital and in the chief towns of the principal departments; in 1800 the number of students in the secondary schools was 7278. The State University at Santiago gives •courses in law and political science, medicine and pharmacy, the physical and mathematical sci- ences, and fine arts. There are. besides, schools of agriculture and mining and other technical in- stitutions, a pedagogical institute, normal schools, an academy of painting and sculpture, a con- servatory of music and oratory, and military and iiaval academies. In every bishopric (here is a seminary for the training of the Catholic clergy. Kvery year the State sends to Europe, to be edu- cated at the national expense', such students as may have distinsruished themselves in the institu- •tions of higher learning at home. Upon their re- lurn they are required to render some service to the State for a certain period, in whatever calling they may have chosen. The num!)er of students in private institutions of different grades was 50,500 in 1000. Poi'i:l,tiox. The population of Chile, accord- ing to the census of 1885, was 2,527,320 ; but these figures are regarded as too high. In 1805 the population was 2,712,145, and at the end of 1000 it was estimated at about 3,100,000, or about 10.7 per square mile, a ratio three times as great as that of Argentina, and two and onfebalf times as great as that of Brazil. The immber of foreigners in 1805 was 72,812, as against 05,000 in 1885, and included 820(i Spaniards, 7800 Frenchmen, 7040 Germans, 75SG Italians, G241 Englishmen and natives of ten more European countries, 13,005 Peruvians. 6(154 r)olivians, and only 701 i)ers(ms from tlie United States. About one-fourth of the native population is of pure Spanish origin, wliile the remainder are either mixed or of pure Indian origin. Im.migh.^tion, notwithstanding the energetic efforts of the Chilean Government, has been rather light, and attended with little success. One of the most promising colonial ventures is the German colony of 'aldivia. Its success, however, has been due to the exceptional character of the colonists, as well as to the comlitions under which they came. When the Chilean Govern- ment, encouraged by the exami)le of the Valdivia colony, began to encourage colonization on a larger scale, by means of foreign agencies and free passage to the country, the immigrant popu- lation became less desirable in character, and only a smalT proportion became permanent set- tlers. Still the foreign popiilation has played not a little part in the development of the country. Throughout Chile, nevertheless, the natural increase of population is small, owing to the utter disregard for life among the natives, and to the high rate of infant mortality, amount- ing to about 59 per cent, among children below the age of 7. Keligtox. The Roman Catholic faith is the religi(m of the State, and is maintained by the general Government, which lias the right of nom- ination to the archie|)iscopate and to the three l>ishoj)rics into which the country is divided. Keligious instruction is compulsory in the pub- lic schools, and the clerical institutions are al- lowed full freedom of education. The congrega- tions are formed by the State, and the constitu- tional limitations on their rights to acquire property are disregarded. The priests possess an inmiense infhieiice over the people, who look to them for guidance in ])iilitics as well as in matters of faith. Though the Constitution pro- hibits the public exercise of any other religion than the Catholic, the clause has been so inter- preted as to afford the fullest measure of tolera- tion to dissenting creeds. Marriage was made a civil contract by the law of 1888. Army .Nn Navy. ]ililitary service is obli- gatory on all citizens. The army, of which the maximum strength is 0000 men. ranks in im- portance below the navy, which, after that of Argentina, is the most powerful in South Amer- ica. The national guard comprises all citizens between the ages of 20 and 40. See Modern Armies, under .AiiMlES: and Modern Navies, under Navies. HISTORY. The .•raueanians were the most important of the Indian tribes living in what is now Chile,
 * letters, of whom there is one at least in every