Part 4 (1/2)

First--that of engineering and architectural drawing.

Second--modeling department.

Third--the department of decoration, housepainting, etc.

The session covers both winter and summer months, the winter term, as in other cases, being the better attended. Other typical Gewerbeschulen are located at Grenzhausen and at Reimscheid. Applicants for admission must have prepared in the Volksschule or elementary school. The programme comprises the German language, French, English, literature, plane and descriptive geometry, physics, chemistry, drawing, mechanics, machine construction. The preparation here obtained fits the partic.i.p.ants to enter the higher schools, or to act as foremen and masters. These schools also lead up to the industrial schools of Bavaria, of which we shall now speak.

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS OF BAVARIA

(Industrieschulen)

The industrial schools of the Bavarian Kingdom stand out as a distinct cla.s.s of educational inst.i.tutions. Here, since 1872, there has been a clean cut system, presided over by a Minister of Education. While the quality and character of the work done are quite similar to that taken up in the secondary schools elsewhere, the inst.i.tutions are in some respects more exactly defined and supervision and instruction in the schools of weaving, woodcarving, basketmaking, pottery, violin making, etc., is frequently superior to that in some other locality.

The age of admission is sixteen years, two years being the usual length of course; the education of the Real-Schule is a requisite, or failing this, an examination must be taken. In 1901-1902 the Munich schools had an enrollment of 241 students, distributed as follows: mechanical engineering 124; chemical engineering 27; architecture 62; commercial 28. The graduates are fitted to occupy positions of trust and prominence in the various industrial pursuits of the country and to enter the technical colleges.

The Industrieschulen of Bavaria are four in number, located at

Augsburg Kaiserslautern Munich Nuremberg

they having been established in 1868. Advanced courses are offered in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, building construction, and commercial education. The school at Wurzburg is of a somewhat superior order, although secondary in its tendencies, machinery construction and electro-technics being given attention.

In the mechanical engineering course the following subjects are studied:

elementary mathematics descriptive geometry calculus surveying physics German French English mechanics machine work machine construction mechanical drawing practical work.

In the chemistry course the curriculum is made up of

mathematics physics chemistry mineralogy German French English machine construction laboratory work.

The building construction course offers language, mechanical drawing and architecture.

V

HIGHER TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

Technische Hochschulen

We have at this point in our study reached the schools of highest rank offering training of a technical character, called variously technical high schools, technical colleges, or polytechnics, the Technische Hochschulen. These schools are not high schools in the sense that the term would be applied to our American inst.i.tutions, but are rather schools of collegiate grade, ranking in fact, as the t.i.tle indicates in the university cla.s.s. While not exactly comparable to our engineering schools, they approach more nearly these than they do any other of our American educational inst.i.tutions.

Before the beginning of the century just closed it was apparent to some German minds more far seeing than the rest, that schools of a higher than secondary rank must be inaugurated to offer training in the sciences; give opportunity to show the application of science to the arts; and prepare young men to grapple with scientific industrial problems such as were constantly springing up. Should the university attempt such work? An effort was made looking toward this end. It was at once evident that here was not the place to begin. The university was an inst.i.tution in and of itself. Its methods, curriculum and aim were fixed, owing to long established customs. It had a certain work to perform, its own peculiar function to fulfill, and traditional and cla.s.sical tendency were too strong to be checked in their movement, or to allow a branch stream to flow in and thus add to or modify the existing content.

The war for industrial supremacy, between England and Germany particularly, was a prominent factor leading up to the establishment of technical schools in the latter country. Germany saw the necessity for heroic action, and her people, anxious to improve from the standpoint of her industries at home not only, but that they might rival and surpa.s.s their neighbors across the ”Silver Streak” readily took up the cry for advanced scientific training. This then was the object of the Technische Hochschulen:[2]

”They were intended to secure for science a foothold in the workshop, to a.s.sist with the light of reasoned theory the progress of arts and industry, till then fettered by many a prejudice and hindered through lack of knowledge; on the other hand, they sought to raise that part of the nation engaged in industry to such a love of culture as would secure to it its due measure of public respect.”

[Footnote 2: Note on the earlier History of the Technical High School in Germany by A. E. Twentyman in Special Reports on Educational Subjects, London, Vol 9, page 468.]

The dates of the founding of the now existing Technische Hochschulen vary somewhat, certain of the schools growing out of a foundation which at the beginning was of a low or intermediate grade. Several of the schools have pa.s.sed through a period of transition or reorganization state during the course of their existence. The inst.i.tution, and time of establishment of each are as follows.