930

GERMAN EMPIRE : — PRUSSIA

others and unknown, 147,030. Catholics are in a majority Only in "West Prussia, Posen, Silesia, Westphalia, Rhine Province, and Hohenzollern.

The Evangelical or Protestant Church is the State Church, and since 1871 has consisted of a fusion of the Lutheran and Calvinistic bodies, from which, however, there are still a few dissenters. It is governed by * consistories, ' or boards appointed by Government, one for each province. There are also synods in most circles and provinces, and general synods representing the old provinces only. The constitution of the Catholic Church differs in the various provinces. Altogether in Prussia there are two archbishops and ten bishops. In every part of the Monarchy the Crown has reserved to itself a control over the election of bishops and priests. The higher Catholic clergy are paid by the State, the Prince Bishop of Breslau receiving 34,000 marks a year, and the other bishops about 22,700 marks. The incomes of the parochial clergy mostly arise from endowments.

Instruction.

Education in Prussia is compulsory. Every town, or community in town or country, must maintain a school supported by local rates, supple- mented by the State, and administered by the local authorities, who are elected by the citizens, and called aldermen or town councillors. All parents are compelled to have their children properly taught or to send them to one of these elementary schools, in which all fees are now abolished. No compulsion exists in reference to a higher educational institution than elementary schools, but parents who send more than one child to any school supported by the community have, in many cases, a reduction made in the charge, and a limited number of pupils (about 10 per cent.) whose parents cannot afford to pay the full rate either enjoy this reduction or are admitted entirely free, at the discretion of the authorities. The school age is from 6 to 14 years, and the number of children of that age in 1910 was returned at 7,165,744.

The following table gives the educational statistics of Prussia : —

No.

Teaching

Students or

Staff

Pupils

Universities (1911-12) 1

10 4

1,927 5

28,385 8

Gymnasia & Progymnasia - (1910-11) i .

372

7,197

121,373

Real gymnasia, Realprogvmnasia, and Higher

Realschulen 2 (1910-11) 1 ....

302

5,317

109,579

Realschuleu 2 (1910-11) 1

171

1,594

36,182

High schools for girls (Lyceums), public

1

(1911-12)1

242

y 10,399 O

153,524

High schools for girls, private (1911-12)1 ,

224

J

Middle schools, public (1911) 3

629

7,154

193,429

,, private (1911) 3

924

5,646

62,265

Public elementary schools (1911)

38,684

163,016 7

6,572,074

Private ,, „ (1911) .

263

553

8,498

Public normal schools (1911) ....

200

1,394

14,715

1 Winter half year. 2 incl. teachers and scholars of preliminary schools. 3 inch girls' schools not officially recognised. 4 KxcI. Lyceum at Braunsberg with 13 teachers and 39 students. 5 incl. lecturers and special teachers. « Incl. regular technical and assistant teachers. 7 Including technical and assistant teachers, but excluding

teachers of religion. 8 Including 1,896 womtn students.