INSTRUCTION

1069

The mimber of adherents of the different churches in the various provinces, accordinc? to the census of 1899 and 1909, was as folloAvs : —

Provinces

Dutch Reformed

Other Protestant

R. Cath. Church

Jansenists

Jews

Other or

no

creeds

N. Brabant . .

51,051

16,331

551,576

21

1,784

1,316

Guelders . . .

339,869

52,170

226,070

361

5,171

15,961

South Holland .

749,270

195,800

334,064

2,230

18,733

'.•0,647

North Holland .

442,425

172,271

307,199

5,425

64,426

115,947

Zealand . . .

125,857

31,098

58,974

14

381

16,191

Utrecht . , .

147,704

36,l'.tl

92,478

1,939

1,390

8,812

Fricsland . . .

192,685

93,645

25,273

6

1,284

46,659

Overyssel . . .

212,720

46,424

102,139

14

4,401

17,182

Groningen . .

197,655

72,158

20,305

33

5,686

32,208

Drenthe . .

125,128

28,039

10,654

31

2,186

7,280

Limburg . . .

8,872

2,059

324,153

8

960

955

1899 .

2,471,021

598,111

1,790,161

8,754

103,988

132,102

1009 .

2,588,261

746,186

2,053,021

10,082

106,309

353,158

The government of the Reformed Church is Presbyterian. At the end of 1911 the Dutcli Reformed, Walloon, English Presbyterian, and Scotch Churches had 1 Synod, 10 provincial districts, 44 classes, and 1,360 parishes. Their clergy numbered about 1, 636. Ten other Protestant bodies had about 250 churches and about 260 clergymen. The Roman Catholic Church had one archbishop (of Utrecht), 4 bishops, 1,127 churches, and about 2,400 clergy- men. The Jansenists had 1 archbishop, 2 bishops, 27 churches, and 28 clergymen. The Jews had about 169 parishes.

Instruction.

Public instruction (primary) is given in all places where needed, religious convictions being respected. Instruction is obligatory ; the school age is from 6 to 13.

In 1806, and more expressly in 1848, secular instruction was separated from religious or sectarian instruction. By the Act of 1887 public instruc- tion is diminished and a greater share in the education of the youths left to private instruction, which is now largely supported by the State. The cost of public primary instruction is borne jointly by the State and the communes, the State contributing to the salaries of the teachers and being responsible for 25 per cent, to the costs of founding or purchasing schools. The Act is supplemented by Act of 1901 and 1905.

The following table is taken from the Government returns for 1910-11 :

Institutions

Staff IPupils or Students

Universities (public) 1 . Technical University Classical schools Schools for the working people Navigation schools . Middle class schools Elementary Schools :

Public

Private

Infant Schools :

Public

Private

4,128 2

1,235

2,318

35,854 852

14,941

1 Leiden, Utrecht, Groningen, Amsterdam. 2 Under which 686 female students.