Report on Gymnasium Education in the Province of Tyrol and Vorarlberg for the School Year 1850/51

Austria.

Regarding gymnasium education in the province of Tyrol and Vorarlberg for the past year 1850/51, the following is brought to public notice:

In this year there were eight gymnasiums, six of which (Innsbruck, Brixen, Bozen, Meran, Trient, and Roveredo) had all eight classes, Feldkirch still had only seven classes, and Hall as a lower gymnasium had only four classes.

Teaching at these gymnasiums was provided by 107 instructional staff, namely 59 permanently appointed teachers, 35 still as substitutes, and 13 as secondary teachers.

At all gymnasiums, 1,954 youths were studying at the end of the year, of whom 439 were in Innsbruck, 416 in Trient, 308 in Roveredo, 239 in Botzen, 214 in Brixen, 160 in Meran, 100 in Feldkirch, and finally 78 pupils in Hall—private pupils included—a figure more than 200 pupils lower than in the previous year.

Instruction was everywhere given according to the plan prescribed by the high ministry, and not only were the strictly prescribed subjects taught—religion, mother tongue with literary history, Latin, Greek, natural history, physics, mathematics, and in the upper gymnasium philosophical propaedeutics—but instruction was also provided at all gymnasiums in the second provincial language, thus at gymnasiums with German as the language of instruction also in the Italian language, in Trient and Roveredo, however, in the German language, and in addition at several gymnasiums also in music, drawing, calligraphy, and in Innsbruck also in gymnastics and stenography.

The success was satisfactory notwithstanding the many subjects, in that—apart from the eighth class, in which the maturity examination for entry into university had to be passed—there were overall 232 honors marks, 1,127 first, 302 second, 25 third classes, and 53 pupils appeared unexamined. The conduct of the students was likewise good at all gymnasiums.

To make instruction useful especially in the higher classes and in demonstrative subjects, the necessary teaching aids at all gymnasiums had to be partly procured entirely anew, partly expanded, for which not only public funds were heavily drawn upon, but for the gymnasiums maintained in part or in whole by cities and corporations—Brixen, Bozen, Meran, Feldkirch, Roveredo, and Hall—both the municipality and special benefactors made substantial contributions, and professors in particular exerted themselves with good success. In Innsbruck, Professors Dr. Böhm (at the university) and Pichler, in Brixen Mohr and Tschurtschenthaler, in Botzen Gredler and Ladurner, in Meran Director Jäger deserve grateful mention. Among other benefactors, His Imperial Highness the most serene Archduke Rainer donated to the gymnasium in Botzen 250 valuable books, 2 boxes of minerals, and 180 stuffed birds; Baron von Haußmann a Herbarium Bulsanense; even Anton Stenz from Hungary, through Prof. Gredler, a collection of shells; Canon von Tschiderer in Trient an electromagnetic induction apparatus and a large magnet; Karl von Mayrhauser a Voltaic pile; Joseph and Karl v. Zallinger lent several physics instruments.

In Brixen, Fräulein von Kraus with 440 volumes of the cabinet library, Provost of the Cathedral von Bohuslaw with Böhm's uranoscope, Professor Hoffmann on loan with a Plössl dialytic telescope of five eyepieces, and District Forester Engel likewise on loan with many minerals augmented the instructional aids, which also for physics became not insignificant through voluntary contributions and at the city's expense, particularly through the kindness of the priest Zieglauer.

In Meran, the very suitable teaching aids procured through municipal contributions and tuition fees were augmented by gifts from the priest Wieser of 400 fl., from the farmer Josef Wieser with a 20-franc piece, from a clergyman wishing to remain anonymous with 5 double Louis d'or; by a collection of butterflies, crustaceans, and shells from Mr. von Goldrainer and Prof. Johann Planer, and in particular the mineral and botanical collections by Dr. von Hellrigl of Lana, Mayor Haller, and Baron von Haußmann in Botzen.

For the gymnasium in Innsbruck, not only did the Ferdinandeum provide minerals, but also Dr. Schlechter in Fieberbrunn and v. Lürzer, an official in Hall, while Prof. Tschurtschenthaler in Brixen contributed several fossils; Curate Berktold in Igls provided a collection of cryptogams, and Franz Wiedemann several stuffed birds.

For the coin collection in Feldkirch, Custos Bergmann in Vienna, who had earned multiple merits for that gymnasium, contributed, and for the antiquities collection in Botzen, founded by Dr. Gasser and Prof. Ladurner, Count Ludwig v. Sarnthein and Valentin von Braitenberg made donations.

Gymnasium education also enjoyed broader participation. Not only did individual gymnasium teachers voluntarily give instruction in various subsidiary subjects such as the Italian language, singing, and declamation exercises, but other men even offered to teach, such as Cameral Commissioner Merkl in Feldkirch in physics, Dr. Hammer in Innsbruck in stenography, each of whom, as well as the active substitute Bole in Feldkirch, offered a prize; likewise, the Innsbruck Music Society sought to promote music instruction and friends of the students gymnastics instruction through prizes; parish organist Kostner in Meran again took charge of singing lessons for two hours weekly. The municipal gymnasium deputations showed active engagement for the benefit of the gymnasiums in Roveredo, as well as in Meran and Botzen, and in Innsbruck the Society of Saint Vincent benevolently supported the students, just as across all places where gymnasiums existed, the inhabitants came to the aid of poor students with supplies of teaching aids, clothing, food, etc.

To the benefactors of the studying youth and all promoters of gymnasium education, the most well-deserved gratitude is hereby expressed, with the request to continue supporting so important a matter as this education in the future through ongoing engagement.