When the battle of Koenigrätz was fought, ending with a decisive victory for the Prussians over the Austrians, Prince Bismarck spoke those winged words: “The schoolmaster has conquered." Indeed, that famous battle was an excellent illustration of the great power of education, and the Prussian schoolmaster has shown that his pen could penetrate deeper than the shot and shell of the Austrians. Even the ancients knew of the great influence of education, and Jewish history has recorded a fact which is equal to that of Koenigrätz. "Jerusalem," says the Talmud, "was besieged by the Romans, and the once powerful Hebrew nation was crushed to death by the legions of the pagans. While Vespasian besieged the City of the Lord, wherein civil war and starvation killed more people than the arrows of the Roman archers, an humble Rabbi, Johannes ben Saki by name, knelt before the great victorious Emperor, praying for mercy for his people. What shall I grant you?' asked the proud victor. Grant me,' replied the sage in a low voice, 'the school of Jabne and its schoolmasters."" The victor granted the request. He probably never dreamed that from that little school the national spirit of the Hebrews would rise with more vigor. How could he, when it looked as though the whole nation were wiped from the face of the earth. Jerusalem was a pile of débris; her people had been slaughtered by thousands or made cripples. Those

An historical sketch of educational evolution among the ancient Hebrews and other primitive

nations.

who escaped death were carried into captivity to be made a show of, serving as living trophies for the home-coming victor in his triumphal march. Under such circunstances and conditions the remnant of the Jewish race was found at the time of the destruction, so that even the best patriots could not dream of an attempt at restoration. Yet fifty-five years after the destruction the national spirit which was kept alive in the little school of Jabne arose with vigor, and the 25,000 pupils of Rabbi Akiba, those penmen drilled by the schoolmaster, restored the national pride to its olden glory. The heroic struggle of Bar Kochba (the Son of the Star), who was proclaimed king of the Hebrews, is known to fame, and the coin he used is still preserved in museums as a silent witness of the successful attempt and the vital power of the nation. Now, who performed this marvel, which seemed an impossibility! The schoolmaster from Jabne. The educator blew into the dry, dead bones of Judah the breath of life, and they were resurrected to activity.

Education is not only a power in a struggle, it is also a preserver of life, and the reason for the preservation of the Hebrew race is its wonderful, early developed education. Every Jew, no matter of what standing or reputation—even those from darkest Russia, where 99 per cent of the natives can scarcely sign their names, even those Jews-is able to read and write in his own language. In America we have a vivid picture of the great power of education, for what has made this country so great in every respect, if not the schoolmaster? Instead of being in the rear guard, it is marching onward-a pioneer of culture, leading the advancing march of progress. All this is due to education. The educational system of the United States is its best bond for its continued greatness. The American schoolmaster may reflect, while sitting at the foot of the Washington Monument, upon the educational system of the ancient Hebrews, two thousand years ago, and be interested in the discovery that there is a wonderful parallel between that and his own, of the nineteenth century. To those who observe the march of civilization it will be of great historical value to know the educational system of the Hebrews, whom Mohammed styled "Rigel el Kitab," i. e., "the people of writing."

PRIMITIVE EDUCATION AMONG VARIOUS NATIONS.

I. THE CHALDEANS.

Among the cultured nations of the ancients the first in rank are the Chaldeans, whom we may style the educators of the world. There was hardly a branch of science wherein they did not prove themselves the masters. In the divine arts-musie and painting-they were far ahead of the cultured sons of Hellas. The first symphony was sung by the Chaldeans. The Greeks learned from them when they invaded the country under Alexander the Great. The ancient Jewish notations of music, used by the singers of Zion in the Temple, are all called by their Chaldean names. As a proof of this, it may be stated that the Hebrews learned and adopted the Chaldean musical Alpha Beth, as they adopted from them other useful things pertaining to culture and civilization.

In making or in reproducing pictures they reached the highest standard of perfection at that time. Two prophets give evidence of their skill in that fine and divine art. One described their painted pictures on the walls, engraved with an oily color; the other calls their country "the land of sculptured images, of which they are proud."

In architecture and engineering they surpassed the Egyptians, and the fabulous Tower of Babel was built before the corner stone was laid for any of the pyramids. Jewish legends tell us that they built that tower in order to produce rain by beating the roof with hammers, thus causing the air to vibrate. That is another evidence of their far-advanced science and culture. Their canals and other artificial waterways have long been the admiration of historians.

In astronomy, their fame in that truthful science, which requires a knowledge of mathematics, is still renowned. They were the first to look on high and draw a map

of our solar system, dividing the planets in the zodiac. The art of calendaring, for which the ancient Hebrews were renowned-so that in a dispute with Roman astronomers the former claimed that the sun is stationary, while the planets revolve round the fireball (the sun), which argument the latter refused to accept-was learned and adopted from the Chaldeans, as the Jewish names for the months and planets are Chaldean terms, thus telling us plainly in what school the Hebrews had been taught.

In religion they showed themselves far superior to even the Hebrews, as their religion was pure and simple and could not conflict with common sense and feelings. They approached the altars in their houses of worship with silent salutation, and venerating bows, prayers, and music were the offerings, not animal or other kindred sacrifices, as is plainly indicated at the dedication of the great image made by King Nebuchadnezzar on the plain of Dura. Those who understand how to read the Bible between the lines will discover that Jehovah was known to the Chaldeans and worshiped before He revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush, and Nimrod was a mighty hunter before Jehovah; and Jehovah calls the King, Nebuchadnezzar, through the mouthpiece of His prophets, "my servant." It is probable that Abraham, who left Ur of the Chaldees for Palestine, was forced to flee, being persecuted by the Jehovists. (The name Elohim, which means two in one, is mentioned by all the patriarchs until Moses, who restored the ancient Jehovistic cult of the Chaldeans.) The name "Chaldean” means a wise man, and in the Scripture it has the same meaning, where the Chaldeans are termed "the wise men of the East."

Such achievements are impossible without the regular working system of education. Indeed, legend, which is the best informer where history is silent, points in that direction. There is a written Jewish folk story which says that Abraham was when a boy a pupil in the schools of Shem and Eber. Of course there is no historical proof to confirm that legendary statement; still there is a clear passage in the Scripture which indicates some educational progress, when King Nebuchadnezzar orders that children of Hebrews shall be selected, being without physical defect, good-looking, and bright, and taught to write (in the text-book) the language of the Chaldeans. Aside from that record, how is it that the Hebrews, who were in Egypt four hundred years, did not carry away with them a single thought of the land? Not even an Egyptian word, with one exception, is to be found in the whole Scripture, while whole sentences of Chaldean are found. During the stay of seventy years among the Chaldeans the Hebrews seem to have been perfectly nationalized, and the big volumes of the Talmud are treasuries of Chaldean science and literature under the guise of the Hebrew religion. To explain this phenomenon we must think one of two things, either there was a law compelling everybody to read and to write, or the government indirectly offered opportunities even to strangers to be educated, as the enlightened Government of the United States offers educational advantages to all. At all events, there was an educational suffrage, and to it is due the wonderful civilization of the Chaldeans.

The reasons for the early development of education can be given as follows:

1. The nation was not divided into classes and castes (except in the branches of science, as Chartumim, readers of hieroglyphs; Ashotim, secret readers; Measphim, magicians; Chasdim, astrologers). The absence of castes prevented education from being monopolized, as in other nations, by a certain class.

2. Their Jehovistic cult with its fatalistic view that the fate of man is written in the stars; hence, if the horoscope told that the child of a beggar would be one day a prophet or a sage, he was brought up accordingly.

3. The simplicity of their quadrat letters with perfected punctuation and vowels enabled everyone to learn writing easily, and it became a common method of exchanging thought. The Hebrews, after their exile, adopted the Alpha Beth of the Chaldeans, with all its grammar and rules. It is a pity that we have no record; but underlying the whole Rabbinical religion the Chaldean cult exists. The only direct proof of the educational power of the Chaldeans is found in their offspring,

the Nestorians. Those Christians, the few living descendants of the Chaldeans, are superior even to the Armenians, not to speak of the wild Kurds among whom they live.

II. THE HEBREWS.

By the Hebrews I do not mean those Jews who claim to be the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for there were Hebrews in the land of Canaan long before Abraham was born. Joseph tells in prison his tale of woe that he was stolen from the land of the Hebrews. As Joseph was the third generation from the first patriarch, who, unlike his son, was not blessed with many offspring, he could not have alluded to the farm where Jacob lived with the few souls of his household, when he spoke of the land of the Hebrews. Even the prophet mentions twice to the Hebrews that their father was an Amorite and their mother a Hittite (while Abraham and Sarah were both Chaldeans). Those Hebrews had another language from Abraham and other customs and religious views from those prevailing in the motherland of the patriarch. When Abraham mingled with those Hebrews he was somewhat undecided, jumping, so to say, from the pure Chaldean monotheistic religion of Jehovah to the dual cult of Elohim which was the original religion of the Hebrews. The confusion of views became in time a matter of grave facts when Abraham became their leader and patriarch. That confusion of views runs like a thread through the whole of Jewish history. The Hebrews, like most of the Semites, had no classes or castes, which is very favorable to educational suffrage; but as they lacked the ability to centralize their national power, like the Chaldeans, they were divided and ruled over by family patriarchs or tribal sheiks. The father of the house was the ruler, endowed with the power of life and death in his home, as the patriarch over the family and as the sheik over the whole tribe. The father was the educator of his son; consequently when the father was an ignorant man the son was obliged to live according to his father's standard, there being no one to educate him. Another stumbling block to education was the birthright and the privilege enjoyed by the firstborn son among the Hebrews. Thus the able-minded children would be neglected for the sake of the weaker minded firstborn son, to whom education might be of no use. In the history of the patriarchs may be found such educational methods with their sad consequences. Often the mother, when she felt a love to one of her children who was of able mind, undertook to educate him, as we read in the history of the early patriarchs. In such a case moral and domestic education were better implanted in the heart of the child, as women are, as a rule, better educators than men. Poor as their methods were, still poorer were the subjects in which they were reared and educated. A fabulous, narrow view of the ruling forces, some duties toward parents, some folklore and tales, formed the whole programme of primitive Hebraic education. In addition, there were the new religious views and customs imported by Abraham from the Chaldeans. He also brought with him the letters of his native land, the plain quadrat Alpha Beth. The patriarch soon acquired the simple language of the Hebrews (the language of the Scripture), but he could not find their writings, which are half hieroglyph and half a zigzag outline. So it came to pass that the minority, who were the offspring of the Chaldean patriarch, were brought up in the easygoing Chaldean writing, while the Hebrews were taught in their old imperfect native Alpha Beth. When the patriarchs migrated to Egypt, taking with them those Hebrews whom they governed, owing to their isolated position in the hermit kingdom the confusion still remained, and education was continued on the same lines until the time of Moses.

III. THE EGYPTIANS.

The Egyptians had no inborn, natural culture. Hence education was monopolized by the priests, and its blessings, like all other importations, could not be enjoyed by the poorer class. In spite of the 10,000 mummified cats which are claimed by

The ancient letters of the Hebrews are still used by the Samaritans and on old Jewish coins.

learned men as evidence of their high civilization, I declare that they were only amateurs in culture. There is a land bordering on Egypt known as Ethiopia, which includes also a part of the famous Soudan. In that land once waved the standard of civilization, and, according to the records preserved in the Talmud as well as from Biblical sources, we can see what a highly cultured people once lived in Darkest Africa. The art of hieroglyphs was imported into the land of the Nile from Chartum. Hence the hieroglyphs were called Chartumim. That sounds better than the mew of those 10,000 mummified cats and kings, which was a strange culture, not sprung from the people, but only enjoyed by the higher castes of the priests. The variety of classes and castes prevented the education from penetrating into the heart of the people, and prevented the nation at large from cultivating a national unity, which is the only security for a people's strength and prosperity. The son of a priest was destined to be a priest, no matter whether his mind could comprehend the mystery symbols of the hieroglyphs or not. The child of the soldier was forced to do the fighting all his life from generation to generation. The offspring of the workingmen were by law required to live their time in the line of work, each according to his guild and union, following in the footsteps of their departed sires. Even the thieves formed a class, a registered caste, and their children had no choice but to live up to the profession of their fathers. Under such a caste system true education was unknown, and the few hieroglyphists had their little knowledge inherited with their cats and rites, it being a handing down from father to son. Again, geniuses, if they happened to be born of parents who were not priests, were condemned to live as ignorant and undeveloped beings. No wonder the Egyptians were in their time the target of jesters and mockers. No wonder that the Hebrews, in spite of their staying there for four centuries, could not absorb a single habit or thought from them. No wonder that there was not a national union, as each caste was a stranger to every other, as black is to white. No wonder that we dig out so many mummified cats, the only inheritance left to the world of an uneducated people.

IV. THE GREEKS.

The Greeks possessed a national culture with an original civilization framed with the progressive thoughts of other nations. Their religion was that of a smiling, idealistic beauty, answering the sensual emotions, and rousing the sentimental feelings to the highest pitch of inspiration. But, with all the advantages of good government and an inspiring literature, they lacked the best medium which would have made them everlasting, and that was education.

They had an Aristotle, but not a schoolboy. They had philosophical schools, but not a system of education. Plato, in making the plan for his idealistic republic, had it in his mind to place the education in the hands of the government. He was the only philosopher who felt the real need of his people, and that was the want of an education.

Sparta tried to establish an educational system under the care of its republic, but it did not amount to anything, as the sole aim was to train and drill up a republic of soldiers. The consequences of the lack of education were fatal for Hellas. Besides the everlasting fighting among themselves, which has passed into a proverb, “When Grecks joined Greeks, then was the tug of war," they could not maintain their independence, and fell a prey to mighty Rome, then the mistress of the world. What has the Greek culture, so much talked of, left behind it? Nothing except a few busts of shapeless Venuses and the fame of only seven wise men, who bear witness that the whole nation, with its multitudes, remained in darkness so many centuries.

The speculative philosophy of Aristotle is not worth anything, compared to the scientific facts brought to light by the Chaldeans. The sons of Hellas, whose religion, for the sake of its charm, was adopted by other nations, exchanged the gaiety of that old religion for the more meditative one of Christianity, whose worship consists in