RELIGION — INSTRUCTION
Religion.
Absolute religious liberty is guaranteed in the Republic. N two-thirds of the population are Protestants, and rather over one-third Roman Catholics. In 1910, the numbers were : Protestants, 24,830,547 ; Roman Catholics, 14,681,829; other Christians, 189,887; Jews, 415,926 ; others and unknown, 147,030. Catholics are in a majority only in We*>t Prussia, Silesia, Westphalia, Rhine Province, and Hohenzollern.
The Evangelical or Protestant Church has since October 31, 1817 of a fusion of the Lutheran and Calvin ;- are still a few dissenters. It is governed by '
the people. 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 bi>hops.
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, iu 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 a reduction made in the charge, and a limited number of pupils (about 10 per cent.) whose {arents cannot afford to pay the full rate either enj«>y 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 Btalt
Students or Pupils
Universities* (1918-19)1
Gymnasia & Progymnasia * (1918-19) 1 .
37S 175
506
924
Ml
N 1
2. "70 «
42.000 8 112,sl4
Realgymnasia, Realprogvmnasia, and Higher Realschulen (1918-19)1 ....
Realschulen 2 (1918-19) 1
High schools for girls (Lyceums), public^ and private (1919-20)1 . , ./
Middle schools, public (1911) » ... private (1911) 3 . . .
Public elementary schools (It'll)
Private ,, „ (1911) .
Public normal schools (1918) ....
7,269 1,492
11.714
7.154
163,016 1 553
1,472
148,972
213,895
193,4.'9 Mi
6.572.074 S.498 11,239
1 Winter half-year. 2 Including teachers and scholars of preliminary schools. 3 in- cluding girls' schools not officially recognised. * Including Lyceum at Braunsberg.
- Including lecturers and special teachers. « Including regular technical and assistant
teachers. ~ Including technical and assistant teachers, but excluding teachers of religion.
- Including 4.150 women student*.
There are also 4 technical high schools (Berlin, Hannover, Aachen, Breslau), 2 forestry schools (Eberswalde, M widen), 2 technical mining schools
