EDUCATION AND THE ARTS
The educational facilities in Brazil are not of the best in the republic
as a whole. In some of the states, such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro
and a part of Minas Geraes, the provisions are fairly good, but in none
of them has the work been systematized in the same way that it has in
our own land. Until the establishment of the republic the instruction
was almost entirely in the hands of the church, but the duty now rests
upon the various states and municipalities. Statistics upon education in
Brazil are very unreliable, just as are their census reports, so that
whatever or whosesoever figures are followed there will be errors. It
is perhaps safe to say that not over twenty-five per cent. of the total
population are able to read and write.
The government has issued a volume which gives the figures of school
enrolment of the various states, which is the first attempt on the part
of the federal government to give educational statistics. In a few
of the states, so the official report says, the estimates of school
enrolment are not complete, since it was impossible to secure complete
returns from some of the rural districts, but in the main they may serve
to give a fairly adequate idea of the educational facilities in the
republic; at any rate, they are the best figures that are obtainable.
The figures include all schools, whether of public or private character,
state or municipal. The total number of primary schools reported is
eleven thousand one hundred and forty-seven, of which one thousand
eight hundred and fifteen are public municipal schools, seven thousand
and eighty nine public schools under state control, and mostly in the
smaller towns and villages, and two thousand two hundred and forty-five
private schools, most of which are in the larger towns and cities.
The state schools, which are improperly designated as rural schools,
have an enrolment of three hundred and forty thousand six hundred and
ninety-seven, and an attendance of two hundred and forty thousand six
hundred and ninety. The municipal schools have an enrolment of one
hundred and six thousand seven hundred and fifty-four, and an attendance
of sixty-nine thousand four hundred and thirty-two. Private primary
schools have an enrolment of one hundred and ten thousand eight hundred
and forty-one, and an attendance of eighty-one thousand and sixty-six.
Of the three hundred and twenty-seven secondary institutions twenty-nine
are public and two hundred and ninety-eight under private control, the
former having an enrolment of four thousand and the latter of twenty-six
thousand two hundred and fifty-eight. No figures of the actual attendance
at these institutions were given, but it would probably not be much
less than the enrolment. If these government figures are correct, and
the population is twenty million five hundred and fifteen thousand as
claimed, in that same report, then scarcely three per cent. of the
population may be regarded as enjoying school privileges. This estimate
takes on new significance when one considers that the proportion of rural
population is very high, as compared with the entire population, and
shows how much less the facilities are in those sections. In the Federal
District, for instance, which includes the city of Rio de Janeiro, and
where the population is almost entirely urban, there is an estimated
population of eight hundred and fifty-eight thousand, and a school
enrolment of sixty-one thousand nine hundred and thirty-three. In the
state of Alagoas, on the other hand, with an almost equal population, and
where it is altogether rural with the exception of a few coast towns,
there is a school enrolment of only fourteen thousand and ninety-two.
The state of Pernambuco, with only one town of any size, and that the
capital, has a school enrolment of only twenty-two thousand eight hundred
and fifty-two, in a reported population of one million three hundred and
ten thousand. More comparisons might be made, but with these explanations
the reader can figure them out from the table.[2]
[Illustration: A SCHOOL FOR BOYS IN SÃO PAULO.]
The school instruction, except in the Federal District and the
professional schools, is in the hands of the various states. In none
of them does a compulsory educational law exist, and, if it did, the
facilities do not exist to take care of those of school age who would
thus be obliged to attend. As will be seen by the comparisons the
provisions for instruction and the illiteracy vary much in the different
states. Some of the states are richer than others, and can afford to
spend more money for public requirements, and others are naturally more
progressive. All of the schools in the various states are modelled on the
same general plan. I have chosen those of São Paulo for illustration,
because that state has made better progress along educational lines than
the others, and because I made a special study of the school system of
that state.
[Illustration: A SCHOOL FOR GIRLS IN SÃO PAULO.]
The schools are divided into three classes: primary, secondary and
superior. The primary schools are again divided into preliminary and
complementary instruction. The preliminary instruction is given in
ungraded schools, and the law requires the establishment of an ungraded
school in every community where there are from twenty to forty pupils
of school age, although this has not always been done. Where there are
six or more of these schools, a “school group” may be established, in
which teaching is graded. In this state there are about eighty of these
school groups. In addition there are a number of night schools where
similar instruction is given to those who are unable to attend the day
schools, or who have passed the school age and lacked the opportunity for
an education in their youthful days. Of these there are thirty-four in
the state at the present time. A few free kindergarten schools are also
maintained in the capital, but this feature of instruction has not been
developed much as yet.
The secondary instruction is given in what are termed gymnasiums. All of
these schools, whether public or private, in order to be recognized over
the country, must conform to the regulations laid down by the National
Gymnasium at Rio de Janeiro. They must observe the programmes and courses
of study laid down by that institution, and the student in one of these
gymnasiums is given the degree of bachelor of letters, or science, after
a course of study covering six years. In the state of São Paulo, there
are three of these schools: one in São Paulo, one in Campinas and one in
Riberão Preto. The course of study is about equal to that of the average
high school in the United States, and prepares the student to matriculate
in the schools for superior instruction. The so-called superior schools
are those devoted to technical and professional education. For superior
instruction there are in this state two institutions: the Law School and
the Polytechnic School, of which the former is a federal institution,
and has graduated some of the brightest lawyers and statesmen of the
republic. The Polytechnic School is devoted, as its name indicates, to
the teaching of the practical sciences, and is fitted with the necessary
apparatus for such instruction. The school year in the public schools
is generally from the first of February, or March, to the end of the
following November, but the professional schools do not begin as a rule
until the first of April. A model school, the Braz _Grupo_, is maintained
in São Paulo, which is used as the name would indicate, as an example for
the other schools.
One school of which this state is very proud is the Normal School, which
has departments for all grades from the kindergarten up. Its primary
object is to prepare teachers for the work in the other schools, and
in this respect it is doing an admirable work. As its accommodation is
limited the students are only admitted upon special recommendation, and
it is sometimes difficult for a boy or girl to secure admittance, as it
is always full. The normal course extends over a period of four years,
and covers a wide range of subjects. It is fitted up with a good library,
a chemical laboratory, gymnasium, modelling rooms and apparatus for
manual work. It has turned out several hundred graduates, of whom the
proportion of women exceeds that of men in about the same proportion as
they do in our own land.
The director of public instruction in this state is a progressive man,
and is making many improvements in the work. He made a trip to the
United States in order to study the system there, and brought back a
great many practical ideas. He is arranging the courses of study and
method of instruction in the schools of this state after the system in
use in the United States. It cannot be done all at once as there are
certain prejudices in the minds of some that must first be overcome.
This process has been in operation for several years, and one can see
the good results. The building was originally planned by an American
lady teacher, who was brought down for that purpose. The only two modern
languages taught, except the Portuguese, are French and English. This
is a compliment to our tongue to have it chosen in preference to the
German and Spanish, as is generally the rule. Their method of teaching
the English is very practical too. This means that in the course of a few
years the English language will be much more common than it is to-day. I
found that the people were anxious to learn English, and those who did
know it were proud of the accomplishment. Formerly they desired to know
only French, in addition to Portuguese, for that was the polite language;
but, as commerce has developed, the desire to know English has increased
in proportion, until now all those who are able to go to the higher
institutions of learning are taking up the study of English.
There are a number of other institutions of learning in this state, most
of them under the auspices of the various Roman Catholic orders. Some
of these schools are of a very high order and are doing their share in
the work of raising the standard of education. One of the best of their
institutions is a large convent school for the education of girls. The
most important non-Catholic institution is the Mackenzie College, which
was founded by Presbyterian missionaries, but is now undenominational. At
its head is the venerable Dr. Horace M. Lane, a scholarly and able man,
whom I am glad to enrol as a friend. Dr. Lane first came to Brazil in
1857 as a physician, and has lived there continuously since that time,
except for a period of fourteen years, during which he practised medicine
in the United States. When the college was endowed with $50,000 by John
T. Mackenzie, of New York, whose name it now bears, Dr. Lane was chosen
president and has remained at the head ever since. The will of the above
benefactor left the college a large additional sum of money. Dr. Lane
understands the Brazilians as few Americans do. He is a very kindly and
generous critic, and frankly tells them their faults without flattery.
His candour and frankness have won him friends and the respect of all,
and even of the Catholic clergy. Mackenzie College is unique in that it
has never asked recognition of the government, but is affiliated with
the University of the State of New York. This institution has been in
existence a number of years, and its instructors have had the pleasure of
seeing many of its graduates reach positions of the greatest importance,
both at home and abroad. The resident foreigners send their children
there, and the Brazilians do likewise. A graduate of Mackenzie College
has a recognized standing all over the republic even though it has not
asked for government recognition, and placed itself under the necessity
of maintaining an official inspector on its pay roll.
[Illustration: STUDENTS AT THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, PIRACICABA.]
The O Granberry College, at Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Geraes,
is another progressive North American college, under the auspices of
the Methodist Episcopal Church South, that is making a reputation in
Brazil. I had the privilege of attending the commencement exercises at
this college, in company with the American Ambassador and his military
attaché. The _festa_ exercises, as they term it in Brazil, were attended
by a very large audience. Representative citizens of the community,
including the mayor of the city and the president of the Camara, which
is a sort of county council, were present on the platform. This shows a
truly liberal spirit, for perhaps only a very small proportion of the
audience were other than Roman Catholics. This school maintains, in
addition to the regular academic courses, schools of pharmacy, dentistry
and theology. Their schools of pharmacy and dentistry are among the very
best in the republic. A government military instructor is also kept to
drill the boys and young men in military tactics, much the same as in
the colleges of our own land. I was surprised to find a number of young
women taking up the study of pharmacy and dentistry, for it seemed a
wide departure in this land of conservativeness and tradition, which
has heretofore denied to woman that larger field granted to the sex in
Anglo-Saxon countries. The generous spirit and encouragement shown to
these institutions, conducted by aliens and Protestants, and the wider
field granted to women, are good omens, I believe, for the future of the
land.
A number of states have established agricultural schools, which promise
much for the future. The best one of these schools is the Escola
Agricola, at Piracicaba, which is maintained by the state of São
Paulo. The site for this college was presented to the state by one of
its progressive citizens. The Secretary of Agriculture of that state
travelled widely throughout the United States and Europe, studying places
and methods, and finally decided to establish the school on the American
system. He then engaged Dr. Clinton D. Smith, an American, who had been
at the head of a prominent agricultural college in the United States,
to take charge of the work. The faculty also include two Frenchmen, one
Belgian, one Bulgarian, one Portuguese and a number of Brazilians, making
quite a cosmopolitan board of instructors.
The institution is housed in a large, beautiful building, and its
equipment is equal to our own best institutions. The student is
instructed in the analysis of soils, and the introduction of modern
machinery for their cultivation; in botany, and a good course in stock
raising; and in physics, even to measuring the force of a waterfall,
or winding a dynamo. There is also a course in physiology, hygiene and
medicine for emergencies, as well as much-needed instruction in political
economy. The most practical feature is the actual work on the farm which
every student is obliged to do. He must work for two hours each day in
the actual occupation of handling a plow, rigging a harrow, managing a
mower or reaper, and learn how to repair any of the common machines on
the plantation. Students from a number of states attend the school, and
many of them are sons of wealthy Brazilians. As the able director told
me: “It is a good and much-needed training for a set of boys born where
slavery was in existence, and in a land where to work with the hands is
a sign of inferiority. The hope of the college is to exert a fundamental
influence on agriculture, where monoculture is the rule and polyculture
ought to be.” It will do more than that, for such instruction will have
an important bearing in developing the character of these young men as
well.
Portuguese writers are prolific. Few countries have produced more
literature, compared with the number who speak the language, than
Portugal and Brazil. The Portuguese language is especially rich in
expression, and is said to be the nearest to the classic Latin of any
living dialect. It lends itself easily to poetic expression, and there
have been many poets. The Brazilians are fond of elaborate and flowery
expressions, and this verboseness and ornate form of expression runs
through their literature and public speaking. At the commencement
exercises mentioned above the addresses of some of the graduates were
most elaborate. Where an American graduate would have started out with
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” and perhaps have added “our dear professors
and honourable trustees,” the Brazilian youth took several minutes to
make his introductory remarks, and pass around his compliments to the
professors and other dignitaries who were on the stage. No one was
omitted in the general round of compliments. Impromptu poems spring up on
every and all occasions, and the recent visit of a high state official
of the United States prompted more than one poetic effusion, many of
which were fortunately suppressed by the committees in charge of the
festivities.
Brazil has produced a number of eminent writers. The best known, and
perhaps most widely loved of all, is Gonçalves Diaz, who has been called
the Longfellow of Brazil. He died nearly a half century ago, but his
memory has been honoured by monuments and streets named in his honour,
and his name has been kept green by continuous quotations from his
writings. The “Song of the Exile,” written by him, has been called the
“Home, Sweet Home” of the Brazilians, and is said to be quoted more than
any other poem in the language. Says Mrs. Wright:[3] “No translation has
ever been made which in any sense reveals the exquisite delicacy of touch
in the original, or its plaintive rhythmic melody, though many attempts
have been made to put it into English and other languages. Throughout
the six stanzas of which it is composed, the little poem voices a heart
cry of homesickness. After recounting, with childlike simplicity, the
charm of his native land, its palm trees, and the sweet-voiced Sabiá,
the favourite songbird of Brazil, he prays with touching pathos to be
spared to return, that he may once more see its glorious palms and hear
the Sabiá sing.” Diaz had received a good education in Portugal, and
became a professor of history in the college at Rio. Many of his poems
have a historic basis and deal with events of history. He served on
several government commissions, among which was a trip up the Amazon with
a scientific commission. On this trip his health was ruined, and from
that time he was an invalid to the time of his death. On his return from
a trip to Europe his vessel was shipwrecked, and his remains went to a
watery grave, at the early age of forty.
There have been many other and excellent writers, both of fiction
and poetry, in the past century, but few of them are known to the
English-speaking world, as translations have not been made. Some
excellent histories have been written also, which have been fostered and
preserved by the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute. Dr.
Machado de Assis is one of the most distinguished living writers, who has
written both poetry and fiction. Dr. Olavo Bilac has also written many
beautiful poems, and is one of the best-known writers and orators of
the day. I had the pleasure of meeting him, and listening to an address
by him, and it was a very pleasing address, distinguished for its purity
of style. Dr. Ruy Barbosa, prominent also in political circles, has been
a prolific writer in many lines. There is scarcely an important subject
that his pen has not touched upon, from fiction to the intricate problem
of international law. Baron de Rio Branco, a member for many years of the
official cabinet, and Dr. Joaquim Nabuco, late Ambassador to the United
States, who died a few months ago in Washington, are also writers of
considerable merit.
The press of Brazil is a strong factor in the literature of the country,
as well as in the politics. Nearly every politician is a writer, and,
conversely, nearly every writer is more or less of a politician. Speeches
are published in full, and politics and literature fill a large part
of the space in the average Brazilian newspaper. The first newspaper
established in Brazil was the _Gazeta do Rio_, in the year 1808, and
other newspapers followed soon after in many other cities. The oldest
paper in the capital, as well as the most influential one to-day, is
the _Jornal do Comercio_, originally established as the _Spectator_,
in 1824. Its contributors have included all the leading politicians and
writers since that time. It is a large and well-printed newspaper of
many pages, and is well edited. _O Paiz_, _Correio da Manhã_, _Jornal
do Brazil_, _Gazeta de Noticias_, _Diario do Commercio_, _Diario de
Noticias_, _A Noticia_, _O Seculo_, _Correio da Noite_ and _A Tribuna_
are the other leading daily newspapers in the city to-day. _O Malho_
and _Revista da Semana_ are weekly reviews, while _O Tico-Tico_ and
_Fon-Fon_ are illustrated comics. São Paulo, the second city, has a
dozen daily newspapers, more than the average city of the United States
of the same size. _O Estado de São Paulo_ and the _Correio Paulistina_
are the leading and most influential ones. The _Brazilian Review_, a
weekly journal, is the only English periodical published in the country,
but there are several German and Italian publications. There are also a
number of class publications and trade journals, and nearly every town
and city has a local daily or weekly publication.
The artistic sense is one of the essential elements of the Latin
character. It has perhaps reached its highest development with the
Italian race, but the Spaniards and the Portuguese also have this talent
well developed. The traveller throughout Latin America can not fail to be
impressed by the transplanted art that he finds everywhere in evidence.
In Mexico, Central America and Peru he will find the original sense
tinged with the Indian influence of the ancient races, who developed
an architectural style of their own. Along the Atlantic coast of South
America this element is lacking, because the Indians of that coast had
not reached an advanced civilization, and lived in the crudest way. Hence
the architecture of Brazil corresponds more nearly to the established
schools that one will find in Latin Europe.
The Latin Americans strive for beauty, and, for myself, I must say that
in general I admire their style. Some of their buildings would not
appear well in a cold climate, but in design and decoration they are
well adapted to the country. The government buildings, the plazas, the
numerous statues, all have lines of beauty that please the eye. In small
towns far from the railway one will oftentimes stumble upon a church, a
convent or some other building of real artistic beauty and design. These
buildings in a sense satisfy the artistic hunger of the race, and they
are the objects to which every resident points with pride.
[Illustration: THE MUNICIPAL THEATRE, RIO DE JANEIRO.]
The municipal theatre is one of these buildings that one will find in
all the larger cities, where social life has attained anything of a
metropolitan development, and even in smaller towns, where that stage
has not been reached. It is constructed with the same care and regard
for artistic proportions as the municipal building or the governmental
palace, and, in many instances, with even more taste. The _teatro
municipal_, as it is always named, is almost invariably built in an
open place, where the view is unobstructed, while many of the public
edifices are crowded up to the street line, and often hemmed in between
surrounding buildings. Frequently it is exposed on all four sides, and an
effort is made to give it an artistic appearance from whatever angle it
is viewed, instead of limiting the artistic touches to the façade. Public
money has been used for the construction of these buildings, and money
from the same source, either municipal or national, is used to provide
for the presentation of the drama or opera. It is only in this way that
the best Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish artists could ever be
brought to Latin America, for the box receipts alone would not prove
profitable. No one dreams of objecting to the use of the public money in
this way, for the idea is inbred, and in accordance with the traditions
of the race. This idea of practically subsidizing things artistic sounds
strange to Anglo-Saxon ears, but among the Latins it is considered a
proper function of government.
[Illustration: THE MUNICIPAL THEATRE, SÃO PAULO.]
There are many beautiful opera houses in Brazil. At Manaos, a thousand
miles up the Amazon, in a city surrounded on all sides by almost
impenetrable forests, stands the Amazonas Theatre, a structure finished
in white marble and richly decorated with allegorical paintings, the
cost of which exceeded a million dollars in gold. In Pará, near the
mouth of the same stream, is the La Paz Theatre, built by the state
government, and which is a beautiful structure. Pernambuco, Bahia and
many other cities have creditable theatres, but the _teatro municipal_
of Rio de Janeiro, and the one at São Paulo, are the finest examples in
Brazil, and perhaps in all of South America. The municipal theatre in São
Paulo has not been entirely completed, although it has been in course
of construction for several years. The interior and exterior are both
richly decorated, the exterior with statues and allegorical designs, the
interior with paintings. The musicians’ stand is below the level of the
orchestra seats in accordance with the Wagner system. The total cost will
be about two million dollars in gold. The municipal theatre of Rio with
its marble front, bronze decorations and beautiful dome one hundred and
forty-seven and one-half feet high, which gives a crown effect, is the
handsomest public building in that capital, and cost considerably more
than the one at São Paulo. These municipal theatres are sometimes rented
for other public functions, but in general the dignity and character of
the entertainments is preserved.