Germany's Educational Reforms Under Emperor William
In 1890 the present Emperor William called a congress of educators in Berlin, and directed it to prepare a schedule for the high schools of Germany, which would make the pupils “not good Greeks or good Romans, but good Germans.” The immediate result was a reduction of the Latin course by twenty per cent., and of the Greek by ten per cent. The emperor would not send the crown prince to a classical school, but sent him to a technical school. And now the young man is to enter the University of Bonn, “without any knowledge of Greek, and with but little of Latin.” And finally, up to date, only a short time ago two conventions were held in Germany, “attended by the leading schoolmen from the whole of Germany,” both of which demanded that graduates from the high schools and the scientific schools shall be admitted to full university privileges and examinations without classical standing, and even without any knowledge of Latin or Greek, except candidates for the theological courses. “Thus,” says the Independent of August 30, from which this information is gathered, “practically the entire educational world of Germany, at least officially, favors a more or less radical innovation in the direction of non-classical preparatory work for the universities.” If only people would observe and think, they might without much difficulty detect the secret of Germany’s clear and powerful leadership among the nations, which has been so rapidly attained, and is so strongly held, under the reign of the present young emperor.