The Condition and Tendencies of Technical Education in Germany Part 3

Mecklenburg-Strelitz Strelitz

Oldenburg Varel Aix-la-Chappelle Berlin Breslau Buxtehude Ca.s.sel Cologne Deutsch-Krone Eckernforde Erfurt Frankfort-on-the-Oder Prussia Gorlitz Hildesheim Hoxter Idstein Kattowitz Konigsberg Magdeburg Munster Nienburg Posen Stettin

Reuss-Schleitz Gera

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Coburg

Weimar Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Stadt-Sulza

Chemnitz Dresden Grossenhain Saxony Leipzig Oschatz Plauen Rosswein Zittau

Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Arnstadt

Wurttemberg Stuttgart

SCHOOLS FOR FOREMEN

(Werkmeisterschulen)

The Werkmeisterschulen or schools for foremen, are quite prominent in the scheme of secondary instruction. The courses given in these schools are of a general character, for the most part practical, and the inst.i.tution, as the name implies, fits men to occupy positions as foremen and overseers. Machine construction is the chief industry for which these schools train. The first school of this character was opened in 1855 at Chemnitz, Saxony. There are at present twenty-one schools of this cla.s.s in the Empire. Sixteen is the regular age of admission.

Candidates must have an elementary education on presenting themselves.

Two years is the average length of course, including both winter and summer terms. A requisite for admission also is practical experience in the trade, hence little other than theoretical instruction is given.

To the objection made by some, to extending the course over two years of residence and of including the elementary branches in the curriculum (such opposition favoring a reduction in time given to preparation) the answer comes that the school should give a well grounded education, such as will fit the partic.i.p.ant for all the functions of his social and industrial life. Fifty to sixty marks is charged yearly for tuition fees. Certain of these schools have both evening and Sunday cla.s.ses, the tuition being twenty marks yearly for week day evenings, eight to nine forty-five, and Sundays, eight to ten in the forenoon.

Table showing location of schools for foremen:

Anhalt Dessau Baden Mannheim Bavaria Four Mechanische Fachschulen

Hamburg Altona Cologne Dortmund Duisburg Elberfeld-Barmen

Prussia Gleiwitz Gorlitz Hanover Magdeburg Iserlohn Reimscheid

Chemnitz Saxony Mittweida Leipzig

The following data were compiled from tables appearing in the Report of the Commissioner of Labor of the United States, for 1902. The hours per week allowed each subject taught in the schools of machinery construction, at Duisburg and Dortmund, Prussia, are given.

| DUISBURG || DORTMUND +------------+------------++------------+------------ | FIRST YEAR | SECOND YEAR|| FIRST YEAR |SECOND YEAR +-----+------+-----+------++-----+------+-----+------ |First|Second|First|Second||First|Second|First|Second |Half |Half |Half |Half ||Half |Half |Half |Half -----------------------------+-----+------+-----+------++-----+------+-----+------ German language and law | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 || 5 | 3 | 2 | -- Arithmetic | 4 | 1 | -- | -- || 5 | 2 | -- | -- Bookkeeping | -- | -- | -- | 2 || -- | -- | -- | 3 Descriptive Geometry | -- | 3 | -- | -- || -- | -- | -- | -- Mathematics | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 || 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 Experimental Physics | -- | -- | -- | -- || 4 | 2 | -- | -- Physics and Electricity | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 || -- | 4 | 3 | 3 Experimental Chemistry | 2 | -- | -- | -- || 2 | -- | -- | -- Penmanship | 2 | -- | -- | -- || 1 | -- | -- | -- Drawing | 12 | -- | -- | -- || 17 | -- | -- | -- Machine Drawing | -- | 6 | 8 | 8 || -- | 10 | 8 | 14 Projection | -- | -- | -- | -- || -- | 2 | -- | -- Mechanics | -- | 4 | 4 | 4 || -- | 5 | 5 | 2 Technology of mechanics, | | | | || | | | smelting and refining | -- | -- | 6 | 4 || -- | 2 | 6 | 4 Theory of machines | -- | 6 | -- | -- || -- | 6 | -- | -- Steam boilers and hoist | | | | || | | | machines | -- | -- | 6 | -- || -- | -- | 7 | -- Steam engines and hydraulics | | | | || | | | and small motors | -- | -- | -- | 6 || -- | -- | -- | 8 Heating | -- | 3 | -- | -- || -- | -- | -- | -- Theory of building | | | | || | | | construction | -- | -- | 4 | -- || -- | -- | 2 | 2 Practice in the work shop for| | | | || | | | machinery construction | -- | -- | -- | -- || -- | -- | 4 | 4 Estimated wages | -- | -- | -- | 6 || -- | -- | -- | -- First aid to the injured | -- | -- | 1 | -- || -- | 1 | -- | -- +-----+------+-----+------++-----+------+-----+------ Total | 36 | 36 | 37 | 36 || 41 | 43 | 42 | 42

The following table showing the occupations of one time students at three of the Prussian schools was compiled in April, 1898. This table may be found on page 883 of the Seventeenth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor of the United States.

Columns:

A Duisburg: Graduates from Sept. 29, 1883 to April 10, 1898 B Dortmund: Graduates from Sept. 29, 1892 to April 10, 1898 C Magdeburg: Graduates from Sept. 29, 1893 to April 10, 1898

-------------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+ OCCUPATION | A | B | C | -------------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+ Heads of establishments | 54 | 1 | 1 | Other officers of establishments | 237 | 107 | 11 | Machine builders and foremen | 39 | 18 | 1 | Wage-workers | 34 | 9 | | Owners of establishments or shops | 10 | 3 | | Draftsmen and technical experts in offices | 86 | 55 | 83 | a.s.sistant Chemists | 3 | | | Students at other schools | 11 | 1 | 2 | Other than technical work | 4 | 1 | | Military service | 16 | 23 | | Deceased | 11 | | | Unknown | 26 | 21 | 5 | | --- | --- | --- | Total | 531 | 239 | 103 | -------------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+

SCHOOLS FOR THE TEXTILE TRADES

One of the most interesting groups of trade schools are those for the promotion of the textile industry in its various aspects, there existing at the present time no less than seventy-nine such inst.i.tutions. The fourfold cla.s.sification of these schools which follow, seems to be in accordance with the spirit of the work attempted.

First; the superior weaving school (Hohere Webschulen).

Second; the secondary weaving schools (Webschulen).

Third; the apprentice shops for weaving and knitting (Webereilehrwerkstatten).

Fourth; instruction by traveling or itinerant masters. (Wanderlehrer)

Not only does Germany rank high in the character of her textile schools, but instruction is exceedingly wide spread. Then again all lines of the industry are taken up, from the most elementary to the most technical processes known. It will thus be seen that men are trained for the lower as well as for the higher branches of the art. In the highest cla.s.ses of inst.i.tutions weaving is almost exclusively carried on. The general Government a.s.sumes the control of these schools notwithstanding that in the beginning, many such inst.i.tutions were put on foot through the initiative of a.s.sociations and guilds. In each of the several cla.s.ses the work is both theoretical and practical. The age of admission is usually fourteen years and the course of two years duration.

The Webschulen train, not for specialists as do the schools just mentioned, but rather aim to turn out foremen and bosses. The apprenticeship shops come more closely in touch with the workmen of small means and those using hand machinery, while the Wanderlehrer schools are moveable. In the latter instance, the home becomes the school when the teacher is present; that is a competent instructor is employed to travel from place to place, visiting the small factories or home manufacturers, and giving such instruction as he deems wise and necessary. Much good work is still done in the rural homes of Germany, and through the means mentioned the standards are kept up.

The work of these textile schools is largely specialized, depending upon the the location of the school. In some localities wool, in others linen or cotton, or again in others silk will be given the chief attention.

Both theory and practice have a place in the school instruction. Work in the various courses includes a study at first hand of the materials used, cost of production, relative values, various processes of manipulation, chemistry, drawing, designing, painting, lectures on fabrics, elements of weaving and machinery used, and original design and practical work.

The distribution of textile schools is shown in the following table.

----------------------+---+---+----+----+---+---+----------------------- | Superior Textile | | | Secondary Weaving | | | | | Primary Weaving | | | | | | | Weaving, Knitting and Tr.i.m.m.i.n.g | | | | | | | | | Spinning, Weaving and Knitting STATE | | | | | | | | | | | Spinning and Weaving | | | | | | | | | | | | | Primary Knitting | | | | | | | ----------------------+---+---+----+----+---+---+----------------------- Alsace-Lorraine | | | | | | 1 | Bavaria | | 3 | | | | | Hesse | | 1 | | | | | Prussia | 8 | 8 | 22 | | | | Reuss-Greitz | | 1 | | | | | Reuss-Schleitz | | 1 | | | | | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | | | | | | | 1 Saxony | | | | 27 | | | Wurttemberg | | | | | 1 | | ----------------------+---+---+----+----+---+---+-----------------------

The Prussian superior textile schools are located as follows:

Aix-la-Chappelle Bremen Berlin Crefeld Cottbus Mulheim-on-Rhine Munchen-Gladbach Sorau

The Berlin textile schools may be taken as fairly representing the higher and more completely equipped inst.i.tutions of this cla.s.s. The age of admission is sixteen years, a secondary education being necessary to entrance. Several courses are offered as follows:

knitting, one year; weaving, one and one-half years; designing, two years; pa.s.s.e.m.e.nterie making, one year; dyeing, one year; embroidery, one-fourth year.

There are day, evening and Sunday cla.s.ses. The accompanying table shows the subjects taught in each course and the number of hours given to each subject, reckoned on the basis of the entire length of course.

---------------------------+-------------------------------------------- | For manufacturers and | superintendents, 1 yrs.

| | | Designing, 2 yrs.

| | | | | Knitting, 1 yr.

| | | SUBJECTS | | | | Pa.s.s.e.m.e.nterie making, 1 yr.

| | | | | | | | | Dyeing, 1 yr.

---------------------------+----+----+----+----+----------------------- Theory of weaving | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 Design transfer | 13 | 9 | 3 | 8 | Materials | 1 | | 1 | 1 | Hand and power looms | 3 | 2 | | | Motors | 1 | | | | Preparing apparatus | 1 | | | | Finishing apparatus | 1 | | | | Practical exercises | 8 | 6 | 18 | 12 | 33 Dyeing | 2 | | 2 | 2 | a.n.a.lysis and production of | | | | | knitting goods | | | 4 | | Chemistry of fibers | | | | | 2 Chemistry and physics | | | | | 4 Drawing | 8 | 23 | 2 | 5 | Arithmetic and bookkeeping | 2 | | 3 | 3 | Jurisprudence | 2 | | 1 | 1 | Lecture | | | 2 | | ---------------------------+----+----+----+----+-----------------------

In many instances the weaving schools have in connection with them departments for dyeing and finishing. In such cases much attention is given to color blending and harmony and to chemistry as well.

GEWERBESCHULEN

Extended mention will not be made of the Gewerbeschulen, as the point of distinction between such schools and the Fachschulen was set forth under the last section. They partake of the character of trade schools, but are more general in their tendencies. While both theoretical and practical work are given, the former is not always applied theory, the Gewerbeschulen being based upon, what we in America speak of, as the educational side of trade instruction. These schools are attended by boys and men fourteen to twenty-four years of age,--individuals representing the various trades. The courses cover a period of three years. Both State and local moneys go to the support of these schools.

The Gewerbliche Fachschule of Cologne is somewhat distinctive. It instructs chiefly the sons of tradesmen and superior artisans. There are three departments in the school: