The Pacific Monthly/Volume 1/Education in France
EDUCATION IN FRANCE.
By SAMUEL JACQUES BRUN.
THE French youth is duly ushered into the world under the auspices of a "sage femme" of the village, and wrapped in swaddling clothes like the infant Jesus. In this costume of close wrappings that gives little play to the limbs, he is kept for the first six months; and the mother and father will tell you that it is a very good system, because a very old one.
Within 48 hours after birth he takes part in his first ceremony of state — the registry at the mayor's office, and gets his birth certificate, which fictitiously reads that the child has been brought to the mayor of the place, who ascertained him to be a child of the male sex, and whom the parents wish to have here reg- istered under the names of, etc. Then follows a period of banishment from the parental presence, for most likely he is placed with a nurse in the country dur- ing his infancy, and upon his occasional visits to mamma he may recognize her but prefer his foster-mother. Even after his return to his parents the bond be- tween the two is kept up, and a certain patronage expected by his foster-broth- ers through life.
The youth, if he be the eldest, is early impressed with his future responsibility as head of the family. His conscious au- thority asserts itself in many childish comedies. As heir apparent and protector of the honor of his house and the women, he indulges in precocious fancies. He vows to cherish his doting grandmother, to shelter her in his house forever, and to protect her even by means of blows from any indignities from his wife. His favorite aunt he has already, at the age of 6 years, promised to marry, and as- sures her he will wed no other.
Thus, early resenting the offices of the match-makers, who would lead the par- ents to decide the fate of their children before they reach the age of self-asser- tion. He does not, like many American boys, grow up with books and magazines
in the home. Instead of the circle around the evening lamp with the Youth's Com- panion or Saint Nicholas, the French boys gather around the hearth and listen to story-tellers. Sometimes it is history, sometimes romance; but always very real like a voice out of their own past.
History and art he learns from oral and object-lessons. The historic monu- ments and ruins, the cathedrals, statues and paintings are always to be seen or accessible, and a constantly educating in- fluence to the humblest citizen. The vil- lage boy, though he is no student, has a remarkable perception of good taste and artistic fitness, which comes no doubt from his contact with art in the church, in public structures, and in public pa- rades. He has also a keen appreciation of what freedom means; for everywhere he sees relics of tho broken bonds of fuedal oppression.
His home work and his home play are not unfamiliar to American boys, but a glimpse of his school days, college and military life and marriage customs may be of some interest.
Guizot, in 1833, gave the first impetus to public education in France, but up to 1870 there were public schools only in the more enlightened communities. Poor country villages had none, and many boys and girls grew up entirely illiterate, unable to either read or write their names. To be sure, there were a few private schools of a religious character, but the children of the better class who went to school at all did not like to go, the schoolrooms were unattractive, the lessons dry, and the teachers uninterest- ing.
A Frenchman visiting the United States in 1886, noticing how eager our boys and girls were to attend school remarked: "It is not so in France; they have to be driven to school with a stick." Such was the case previous to the Franco- Prussian war.
That war, which caused the downfall of Napoleon III, also brought about a great awakening in France. The great men of that nation realized that Germany's superiority lay in the education of her humblest citizens. "The school-teachers of Germany have beaten us," was the common saying, and France set to work in earnest to popularize education. There were many obstacles to be overcome, not the least of which was the economy of the peasantry. After the schools were built and equipped, they re- fused to take their children from work to send them to school. So, for the good of the children who were growing up in ignorance, the government obtained from parliament in 1882 a school law which embodied two good provisions, viz., free tuition and compulsory education, from the age of 6 to 14. Inspectors were ap- pointed to see that the provisions of the law were complied with, and in case of infraction the father or guardian was lia- ble to three kinds of punishment. For the first offense his name was to be post- ed, either for two weeks or a month, in the most conspicuous part of his village or town; for the second offense, he was to be fined from 11 to 15 francs, and for the third offense sent to jail for five days and even deprived of his political and civil rights. The law has worked well, and today there are fewer opponents to its enforcement than there were 15 years ago. Very few children are now illiter- ate; it is no longer necessary to drive them to school; they go of their own ac- cord, and are as eager, almost, for an ed- ucation as are American boys.
To give the details of the work in the public schools would lead me too far, but I will describe a feature of the system not generally known. I refer to the cre- ation of bureaus of savings in connection with the government schools. The aim of these bureaus is to cause children to contract early habits of thrift and econ- omy. France is a thrifty and rich na- tion. She owes her wealth to her geo- graphical position, to the fertility of her soil, to the thorough cultivation of her fields, to the intelligent preservation of her forests; in short, to the proper hus- banding of all her numerous resources. But she also owes her material prosper- ity in no small degree to the inborn thriftiness of her inhabitants. It was to
further foster that trait of French char- acter that the law was enacted. States- men were quick to recognize that in the possessions and comfort of the greatest number depended the stability of their institutions.
The creation of these bureaus of sav- ings is not, however, compulsory. It is mainly left to the individual initiative of the school teachers, who are an able body of patriotic men and women, and to pri- vate benevolence. In the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, a philanthropist, Mon- sieur Tourasse, spent no less than $100,- 000 in taking upon himself the creation of over 600 bureaus of savings, and en- couraging by all legitimate means thrift- iness in the scholars.
School boys and girls in all countries get hold of pennies, which they often waste on useless things. French boys and girls once in a while get hold of French sous, and it was with a view to induce them to accumulate those sous that bureaus of savings were started. In 1887 no less than 22,000 of those bureaus were in operation, with a credit to the scholars' side of $2,400,000.
The government accepts no amount under one franc, or about 20 cents in American money. Now, for a boy to carry 20 cents in his pocket is a little rash. If he does not lose his money he will surely spend it. To save him from either unfortunate predicament the school teacher sells him as many penny stamps as he has pennies to purchase them with. The stamps the scholar pastes in a book furnished him at his request by the postal department. At the end of the month, or oftener, if the teacher thinks best, the books are gathered and sent to the nearest postoffice. If the postoffice is conveniently near, the boys themselves may take their own books there. The postmaster cancels the stamps and gives the scholars credit on another book for the amounts the stamps represent. The scholars who are perseveringly saving of their sous have soon a snug little sum to their credit. This sum may be with- drawn by the pupils with the father's or guardian's consent, if they are under 16 years old, and without any one's consent if above 16. By such a system school children become small capitalists, and their money is in safe keeping.