RELIGION — INSTRUCTION
663
32,444 42,638 34,881 35,272 27,904 28,891
The most important towns, December 31, 1911 : — Brussels and j Verviers . 46,485 ' Namur .
suburbs 1 . . 646,400 | Bruges . . 53,484 | Ostend . Antwerp (Anvers) . 308,618 [ Louvain . 42,307 St. Nicolas Liege . . , 167,676 [ Seraing. . 41,389 | Alost . Ghent (Gand) . 166,719 i Tournai 37,108 ! Mons .
Mechlin (Malines) . 59,191 i Courtrai . 35,872 i Charleroy 1 The suburbs comprise 8 distinct communes.
Religion.
Of the inhabitants professing a religion the majority is Roman Catholic. But no inquisition on the profession or faith is now made at the censuses, and therefore, the last available figures, those of 1891, are the only clue to the numbers of the three dominant faiths. According to these there were :— Protestants and Anglicans 27,900 ; Jews, 13,200. There are, however, statistics concerning the clergy, and according to these there were in 1912 : — Roman Catholic higher clergy 85 ; inferior clergy, 5,635 ; Protestant pastors, 33 ; Jews (rabbis and ministers) 14. The State does not interfere in any way with the internal affairs of either Catholic or Protestant Churches. There is full religious liberty, and part of the income of the ministers of all denominations is paid from the national treasury ; this amounted, in 1912, to 7,269,600 francs to Roman Catholics ; 107,000 francs to Protestants ; and 29,200 francs to Jews ; subsidies for buildings devoted to Protestant and Jewish religious services, 10,000 francs. There are few endowments.
In 1910, there were six Roman Catholic dioceses, 190 deaneries, 6,443 Catholic churches and chapels, 6 large and 11 small seminaries. In 1900 there were 2,474 convents, of which, 291, with 6,237 inmates, were for men, and 2,183, with 31,668 inmates, for women.
The Protestant (Evangelical) Church is under a synod.
Instruction.
Of the four univei-sities, Ghent and Liege are State, Brusselsand Louvain free.
Universities 1910-11
Total
Brussels Ghent Liege Louvain
Attached to the universities are various special technical schools, 2,694 students in 1910-11. There are 6 commercial high schools ; the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at Antwerp, 716 students in 1910 ; 83 schools of design, 17,108 students ; royal conservatoires and other schools of music, 20,920 students in 1910. Public schools, 1910 :—
—
No.
Pupils
—
No.
Pupils
Royal Athe-
Middle-class
naeums and i
normal schools
4
188
colleges .
36
7,775 ;
Primary normal
Mid die-class
j
s'chools .
54
4,729
schools (male) .
90
18,572 !
Primary schools .
7,525
929,347
Middle-class
!
Infant , ,
3,112
271,237
schools (female)
44
9,167
Adult ,,
4,722
240,019
