The Semester Examinations at the Meran Gymnasium

News of the Day.

M. Meran. Examinations at public or private institutions are always of great importance, and they can never receive enough solemnity from the teaching staff or attention from the locality and surrounding areas of the schools. Having myself graduated from the Meran Gymnasium and later become a regular visitor to its examinations, the most recent semester examinations held there filled me with a sense of satisfaction never felt before, as both points mentioned above were met in a brilliant manner. The almost newly formed teaching staff, composed mostly of young, vigorous, enthusiastic men from the monastery of Marienberg under the leadership of the distinguished Fr. Albert Jäger, accomplished its task in such a way that everyone was convinced these capable men are thoroughly in earnest about imbuing the studying youth entrusted to them with that same enthusiasm for the sciences and everything great and beautiful that they themselves possess, and bringing them to that level of well-rounded education and refinement that can possibly be attained at the end of an eight-year course of study. Even if in the past more may perhaps have been achieved in individual subjects, particularly in Latin and written compositions by individuals — the most outstanding — there was, regrettably, a lack of comprehensive and more uniform training across the entire class. The new, very well-calculated curriculum undoubtedly contributes greatly toward achieving this goal.

What a glorious thing the study of history is! With a shudder I still recall how it was pursued in the gymnasiums in the past! History must be preceded by an accurate knowledge of the earth's surface. The bare skeleton of the earth — mountains and rivers, plains and depths — must lie clearly and distinctly before the eyes on the largest possible scale. Then, on other plates, the historically necessary names of towns and villages are included — but only these. Now, once the above has thoroughly passed into the pupil's mind and become his complete possession, a small outline of universal history may follow. This outline is gradually expanded from class to class, that is, presenting ever more events and these in ever greater detail, so that in the eighth year universal history marches past in its entire, grand course. This idea is largely retained in the new curriculum, and the unfortunate notion of whatever specialized histories should be abandoned once and for all. Universal history studied in this manner across eight years will certainly remain a lifelong possession.

I was quite surprised to find for the first time in the examination hall the historical-geographical atlases by Spruner, Le Sage, Stieler's large atlas, the stream of time etc., all of which are at the students' disposal during the year.

An early knowledge of the external world — natural history, that is, just as agreeable to youth as it is a necessary condition of clear thinking; no less so practical instruction in geometry already in the lower classes, are certainly very well calculated for the proper development of the young, vigorous man. It would, however, be entirely expedient to begin Greek immediately with the second class, and to pursue it almost in step with Latin; for either nothing at all, or in such a way that rewarding benefit carries over into practical life.

Italian, however, might be more advisable to begin only in the 6th year, when proper grounding in Latin is present and, given the similarity of these two languages, confusion is no longer to be feared. There, French could just as well be pursued alongside Italian.

Conducting the examinations themselves in such a way that one and the same subject is pursued through all classes without interruption is certainly the only manner of making them just as interesting as they are instructive for students and listeners alike. The time itself spent on examinations is least of all lost time, especially if they are conducted with due leisure and become neither an exhausting burden nor an ordeal for either examiners or examinees.

Such is the free expression of a friend of students, who considers himself entitled to predict that the Meran Obergymnasium, in its present condition, will be one of the most flourishing in the land.