AUGUST HERMANN FRANCKE AND THE PIETISTS (1663-1727)
=Literature.=--_Rein_, Encyklopaedisches Handbuch; _Strack_, Geschichte
des Volkschulwesens; _Dyer_, Modern Europe; _Rein_, Am Ende der
Schulreform? _Russell_, German Higher Schools.
PIETISM
Pietism is the name of a movement in Germany which sought to revive
spiritual life in the Lutheran Church. In that church, religion had
become purely a matter of intellect, instead of heart. Cold formality
and adherence to the letter, rather than the spirit, had taken
possession of the Protestant Church. Like the Jansenists in France, who
had a similar purpose with reference to the Catholic Church, and later
the Methodists in England, who sought to awaken religious zeal in the
Church of England, the Pietists of Germany endeavored to vitalize
religious life, and to lead men away from creeds promulgated by human
agency, to the pure word of God. The Pietists differed from the orthodox
Lutherans not in doctrine, but in insisting on the necessity of a change
of heart and a pious life, instead of mere adherence to formal doctrine.
The Pietists founded the university of Halle, and this remained the
center of the movement until it had run its course. Pietism had its
inception during the latter part of the seventeenth century, and it
extended through the first half of the eighteenth century. Its
originator was Philipp Jakob Spener, a man of remarkable zeal and godly
life. Though it met with bitter opposition on the part of the orthodox
Lutherans, it certainly did great good, not only to its adherents, but
to the Church at large, by awakening deeper spiritual life. Its
influence was also great in reviving Biblical study in Germany, in
improving the character of teachers, and in giving a spiritual direction
to the studies of the schools. It has left an enduring monument in the
great _Institutions_ that it founded at Halle. The greatest of the
Pietists was August Hermann Francke, who is celebrated, not only as a
theologian, but as a philanthropist and teacher.
FRANCKE[116] (1663-1727)
Francke's early education was conducted by private teachers, though his
parents, who were intelligent and God-fearing people, exerted a strong
influence upon him. At thirteen he entered the highest class of the
_Gymnasium_ at Gotha, where he remained for one year. Here he was
introduced to the reform teachings of Ratke and Comenius. Two years
later he entered the university of Erfurt as a student of theology. He
studied also at Kiel and Leipsic. While he gave particular attention to
Hebrew and Greek, he also learned French, English, and Italian. He
seemed to be gifted with a talent for learning languages, for during a
short residence in Holland in later life he learned the Dutch language
so well that he was able to preach in it. Under the instruction of a
Jewish rabbi, he read the Hebrew Bible through seven times in one year.
After spending some time as teacher in a private school, he returned to
Leipsic as _Privat Docent_[117] in the university.
Having become acquainted with Spener and his teachings, Francke became
an earnest Pietist. His success in lecturing and his zeal in religious
work drew around him a large number of students. This awakened the envy
of the old professors of the university, and they began a persecution
which caused his dismissal. He then went to Erfurt and preached with
remarkable success, drawing great crowds by his earnestness and
eloquence. Persecution again followed him, and he was banished from the
city.
About this time the new university of Halle called Francke to the chair
of Greek and oriental languages and afterward to that of theology. He
began his work in 1692, and remained in that position for nearly
thirty-six years, until his death. As this position did not furnish
enough to live upon, he became pastor of the church in the neighboring
village of Glaucha. In his pastoral work he came in contact with
poverty, drunkenness, and every form of immorality. Moved with pity, he
collected small sums of money, which he distributed among the poor after
catechising the children.
At Easter, 1695, he found seven guldens ($2.80) in the collection boxes,
which he declared to be "A splendid capital with which something of
importance can be founded; I will begin a school for the poor with it."
This was the beginning of the great orphan asylum at Halle,--an
enterprise the magnitude of which we shall describe later. Without
visible income, with no means at command, but with a sublime faith in
God and humanity, and an overwhelming sense of the ignorance and misery
of the children about him, Francke began at once the great work; nor was
his faith misplaced, as the result shows. He gathered together a few
children and placed a student over them as a teacher. Soon the better
class of citizens took an interest, and desired him to provide a school
for their children. Two rooms were rented, one for those who could not
pay and the other for those who could. This was the foundation of the
_free school_ and the _citizens' school_ still connected with the
_Institutions_. In the fall of 1695, Francke founded the orphan asylum.
Money flowed in from all parts of the country as people began to
understand the great work. Francke was thus able to branch out in many
directions. He established a _Pedagogium_ to prepare teachers for his
and other schools; free meals were furnished to students who devoted a
part of their time to teaching in the institutions; separate schools for
boys and girls, a _Gymnasium_, a _Real-school_, a bookbindery and
printing establishment, and many other institutions were founded.
=The Institutions at Halle.=--In a few years Francke had in successful
operation a marvelous system, a work founded upon love of humanity and
dependent upon philanthropy for its support. The results attracted
attention from all Europe, and students came from many lands. "At the
death of Francke in the year 1727, the following report of the
_Institutions_ was sent to King Frederick William I.: (1) In the
_Pedagogium_, 82 scholars, 70 teachers and other persons; (2) in the
Latin school, 3 inspectors, 32 teachers, 400 pupils, and 10 servants;
(3) in the common school, 4 inspectors, 98 male teachers, 8 female
teachers, 1725 boys and girls; (4) orphans, 100 boys, 34 girls, 10
overseers; (5) at the free table, 225 students, 360 poor children; (6)
employed in the drug store, bookstore, etc., and other persons in the
establishment, 82."[118] This makes a total of over 3200 persons
instructed, sheltered, employed, or otherwise connected with these great
_Institutions_. The foundations were so firmly laid that the progress
has been steady from that time to this. At present there are no less
than twenty-five different enterprises connected with the
_Institutions_, among which may be mentioned a free school for boys, and
one for girls; a common school for boys, and one for girls; a royal
_Pedagogium_; a Latin school; a higher girls' school; a _Realgymnasium_;
a preparatory school for the high school; a _Real-school_; an orphan
asylum for boys, and one for girls; a boarding house for students; a
Bible house, which has distributed about 6,500,000 Bibles and religious
works; a teachers' seminary (normal school) for each sex; a bookstore, a
printing house, and a drug store.[119] About 3000 children receive
instruction in the various schools, and about 118,000 have been
recipients of the benefits since the _Institutions_ were founded two
hundred years ago. The cost is about one million marks a year, which is
covered by endowments, by tuition fees, by profits from the productive
departments (bookstores, printing establishment, etc.), and by moneys
received from the State. Francke's idea of depending upon voluntary
gifts has been abandoned.
All this work is the result of the energy of a man who began with a
capital of less than three dollars, and a vast amount of faith to found
"something of importance."
=The Training of Teachers.=--While Francke's greatest work for mankind
was the _Institutions_ mentioned above, we must notice one field of his
activity that is of especial importance to us,--that of the training of
teachers. We have seen that, on account of the scarcity of funds, he was
obliged to rely upon students to do the work of instructing the children
committed to his care. The young theologians made use of this
opportunity as a stepping-stone to their future calling, the ministry,
and Francke, perceiving this, sought to secure the most pious and gifted
among his theological students for this work. He also established a
pedagogical class (_Pedagogium_). After two years' membership therein,
the student was allowed to teach provided he pledged himself to devote
three years to teaching in the schools. This class met once a week for
criticism and discussion under the leadership of the inspector of the
school, and the various inspectors met Francke every evening for further
instruction. The results soon attracted widespread notice, and created a
great demand for Francke's teachers. Although this was very crude
pedagogical training, it may be regarded as the inception of the normal
school, which has now come to be an essential part of every educational
system.
=The Real-school.=--A third service is credited by many to Francke,
namely, the founding of the _Real-school_[120] of Germany. The best
authorities give that credit to Professor Erhard Weigel of Jena. Whether
or not the idea originated with Francke, he was ready to accept the
necessity of such a change, and founded schools for higher learning in
which Greek and Latin were not required, and in which more attention was
given to modern languages and science.
FOOTNOTES:
[116] Rein's "Encyklopaedisches Handbuch," Vol. II, p. 336.
[117] The _Privat Docent_ is the first step in the professor's career in
the German university. He is allowed to lecture in the university, but
receives no pay except fees from the students who hear him.
[118] K. Schmidt, "Geschichte der Paedagogik," Vol. III, p. 462.
[119] See Rein, "Encyklopaedisches Handbuch," Vol. II, p. 348.
[120] The _Real-school_ is the great rival of the _Gymnasium_ in
Germany. The latter is the old established school which bases culture on
the _Humanities_,--the classic languages, and literature. The
_Real-school_ is more modern and gives greater attention to the
_Realities_,--to things of practical utility. Precedence is given to the
modern languages, sciences, and arts. While the chief purpose of the
_Gymnasium_ is to prepare for the learned professions, that of the
_Real-school_ is to prepare for practical life. The relation of these
two institutions to each other and to the university led to the _Berlin
Conference_ in 1890, at which it clearly appeared that the younger is
outstripping the older and more conservative institution. See Russell,
"German Higher Schools."