"The Academy inspectors，"[9] says the decree of 1811， "will see that the masters of the primary schools do not carry their teaching beyond reading， writing and arithmetic."Beyond this limit， should the instructor teach a few of the children the first elements of Latin or geometry， geography or history， his school becomes secondary； it is then ranked as a boarding-school， while its pupils are subjected to the university recompense， military drill， uniform， and all the above specified exigencies； and yet more -it must no longer exist and is officially closed. A peasant who reads， writes and ciphers and who remains a peasant need know no more， and， to be a good soldier， he need not know as much； moreover， that is enough， and more too， to enable him to become an under and even a superior officer. Take， for instance， Captain Coignet， whose memoirs we have， who， to be appointed a second-lieutenant， had to learn to write and who could never write other than a large hand， like young beginners. - The best masters for such limited instruction are the Brethren of the Christian Schools and these， against the advice of his counselors， Napoleon supports：
"If they are obliged，" he says， by their vows to refrain from other knowledge than reading， writing and the elements of arithmetic， . . .
it is that they may be better adapted to their destiny."[10] "In comprising them in the University， they become connected with the civil order of things and the danger of their independence is anticipated."Henceforth， "they no longer have a stranger or a foreigner for their chief." "The superior-general at Rome has renounced all inspection over them； it is understood that in France their superior-general will reside at Lyons."[11] The latter， with his monks， fall into the hands of the government and come under the authority of the Grand-Master.
Such a corporation， with the head of it in one's power， is a perfect instrument， the surest， the most exact， always to be relied on and which never acts on one side of， or beyond， the limits marked out for it. Nothing pleases Napoleon more， who，* in the civil order of things， wants to be Pope；* who builds up his State， as the Pope his Church， on old Roman tradition；* who， to govern from above， allies himself with ecclesiastical authority；* who， like Catholic authorities， requires drilled executants and regimental maneuvers， only to be found in organized and special bodies of men.[12]
The general inspectors of the University give to each rector the following instructions as a watchword "Wherever the Brethren of the Christian Schools can be found， they shall，" for primary teaching， "be preferred to all others."[13] Thus， to the three classes of subjects taught， a fourth must be added， one not mentioned by the legislator in his law， but which Napoleon admits， which the rectors and prefects recommend or authorize， and which is always inscribed in the contract made between the commune and the instructor. The latter， whether layman or 'frère ignorantin，' engages to teach， besides "reading， writing and decimal arithmetic，" "the catechism adopted by the Empire." Consequently， as the first communion (of the pupil) draws near， he is careful， for at least two years， to have his scholars learn the consecrated text by heart， and to recite this text aloud on their benches， article by article； in this way， his school becomes a branch of the Church and， hence， like the Church， a reigning instrumentality. For， in the catechism adopted for the Empire， there is one phrase carefully thought out， full and precise in its meaning， in which Napoleon has concentrated the quintessence of his political and social doctrine and formulated the imperative belief assigned by him as the object of education. The seven or eight hundred thousand children of the lower schools recite this potent phrase to the teacher before reciting it to the priest ：
"We especially owe to Napoleon I.， our Emperor， love， respect， obedience， fidelity， military service， and the dues (tributs)prescribed for the preservation and defense of the Empire and the throne. . . . For it is he whom God has raised up in times of difficulty， to restore public worship and the holy religion of our forefathers， and to be its protector."[14]
II. Higher Education.
Superior instruction. - Characters and conditions of scientific universities. - Motives for opposition to them. - In what respect adverse to the French system. - How he replaces them. - Extent of secondary instruction. - Meets all wants in the new social order of things. - The careers it leads to. - Special schools. - Napoleon requires them professional and practical. - The law school.
Superior instruction， the most important of all， remains. For， in this third and last stage of education， the minds and opinions of young people from eighteen to twenty-four years of age are fully formed. It is then that， already free and nearly ripe， these future occupants of busy careers， just entering into practical life， shape their first general ideas， their still hazy and half-poetic views of things， their premature and foregone conclusions respecting man， nature， society and the great interests of humanity.