第975章

[63] "Statistiques des préfets，" Indre， by Dalphonse， year XII， p.104：

"The universities， the colleges， the seminaries， the religious establishments， the free schools are all destroyed； vast plans only remain for a new system of education raised on their ruins. Nearly all of these rest unexecuted. . . . Primary schools have nowhere， one may say， been organized， and those which have been are so poor they had better not have been organized at all. With a pompous and costly system of public instruction， ten years have been lost for instruction."[64] Moniteur， XXI.， 644. (Session of Fructidor 19， year II.) One of the members says： "It is very certain， and my colleagues see it with pain， that public instruction is null." - Fourcroy： "Reading and writing are no longer taught." - Albert Duruy， p. 208. (Report to the Directory executive， Germinal 13， year IV.) "For nearly six years no public instruction exists." - De La Sicotiere， "Histoire du collège de Alen？on，" p.33： "In 1794， there were only two pupils in the college."- Lunet， "Histoire du collège de Rodez，" p.157： "The recitation-rooms remained empty of pupils and teachers from March 1793 to May 16， 1796." - " Statistiques des préfets，" Eure， by Masson Saint-Amand year XIII： "In the larger section of the department， school-houses existed with special endowments for teachers of both sexes. The school-houses have been alienated like other national domains； the endowments due to religious corporations or establishments have been extinguished - As to girls， that portion of society has suffered an immense loss， relatively to its education， in the suppression of religious communities which provided them with an almost gratuitous and sufficiently steady instruction."[65] My maternal grandmother learned how to read from a nun concealed in the cellar of the house.

[66] Albert Duruy， ibid.， 349. (Decree of the Directory， Pluvi？se 17， year V， and circular of the minister Letourneur against free schools which are "dens of royalism and superstition." - Hence the decrees of the authorities in the departments of Eure， Pas de Calais， Dr？me， Mayenne and La Manche， closing these dens.) "From Thermidor 27， year VI， to Messidor 2， year VII， say the authorities of La Manche， we have revoked fifty-eight teachers on their denunciation by the municipalities and by popular clubs."[67] Archives nationales， cartons 3144 to 3145， No. l04. (Reports of the Councillors of State on mission in the year IX.) Report by Lacuée on the first military division. Three central schools at Paris， one called the Quatre-Nations. "This school must be visited in order to form any idea of the state of destruction and dilapidation which all the national buildings are in. No repairs have been made since the reopening of the schools； everything is going to ruin. . . . Walls are down and the floors fallen in. To preserve the pupils from the risks which the occupation of these buildings hourly presents， it is necessary to give lessons in rooms which are very unhealthy on account of their small dimensions and dampness. In the drawing-class the papers and models in the portfolios become moldy."[68] Albert Duruy， ibid.， 484. ("Procès-verbaux des conseils-généraux，" year IX， passim.)[69] Ibid.， 476. ("Statistiques des préfets，" Sarthe， year X.)"Prejudices which it is difficult to overcome， as well on the stability of this school as on the morality of some of the teachers， prevented its being frequented for a time." - 483. (Procès-verbaux des conseils-généraux，" Bas-Rhin.) "The overthrow of religion has excited prejudices against the central schools." - 482. (Ibid.， Lot.) "Most of the teachers in the central school took part in the revolution in a not very honorable way. Their reputation affects the success of their teaching. Their schools are deserted."[70] Albert Duruy， ibid.， '94. (According to the reports of 15 central schools， from the year VI. to the year VIII.) The average for each central school is for drawing， 89 pupils； for mathematics， 28； for the classics， 24； for physics， chemistry and natural history， 19； for general grammar， 5； for history， 10； for legislation， 8： for belles-lettres， 6. - Rocquam， ibid.， P.29. (Reports of Fran？ais de Nantes， on the departments of the South-east.) "There， as elsewhere， the courses on general grammar， on belles-lettres， history and legislation， are unfrequented. Those on mathematics， chemistry， Latin and drawing are better attended， because these sciences open up lucrative careers. -Ibid.， p. 108. (Report by Barbé-Marboi on the Brittany departments.)[71] Statistiques des préfets，" Meurthe， by Marquis， year XIII， p.120.

"In the communal schools of the rural districts， the fee was so small that the poorest families could contribute to the (teacher's) salary.

Assessments on the communal property， besides， helped almost everywhere in providing the teacher with a satisfactory salary， so that these functions were sought after and commonly well fulfilled. .

. . Most of the villages had Sisters of Saint-Vincent de Paul for instructors， or others well known under the name of Vatelottes." -"The partition of communal property， and the sale of that assigned to old endowments， had deprived the communes of resources which afforded a fair compensation to schoolmasters and schoolmistresses. The product of the additional centimes scarcely sufficed for administrative expenses. - Thus， there is but little else now than people without means， who take poorly compensated places； again， they neglect their， schools just as soon as they see an opportunity to earn something elsewhere." - Archives nationales， No. 1004， cartons 3044 and 3145.

(Report of the councillors of state on mission in the year IX. - First military division， Report of Lacuée.) Aisne： "There is now no primary school according to legal institution." - The situation is the same in Oise， also in Seine for the districts of Sceaux and SaintDenis.