The devotees of education oftenNeclare:that:it is practically impossible to press
pupils too hard, they defending themselves when needful by an inner determination not to learn. This iá probably true of English Public Schools, where the tone is really set by a rich class, though some reserve must be made for girls' "colleges," which often swarm with over-eager students ; but it is certainly not true of Prussia. There, education is the condition of professional success, and the number of suicides in the High Schools has shocked the Minister of Education. He has accordingly issued a circular warning the heads of those schools to be more moderate, and in particular to make allowances for students naturally unable to advance so fast. We wish some Germanstatist would care- fully examine the Prussian and Saxon statistics of suicide. We have seen accounts of suicide in the Army and in one of the Universities which, until verified, we do not care to quote, but which suggest that Germany pays a high price for her splendid discipline and devotion to culture. Is it true, or is it nonsense, to say that in the Army, in peace-time, suicide ranks very high among "the regular causes of mortality "? It seems im- possible; but then, so does the fact clearly admitted by the Minister of Education.
Previous page
