II. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 
1. The Higher Educational Institutions in Germany. 
The name of , Higher Educational Institutions is, in Prussia, 
bestowed on those schools that form the connecting link between 
the elementary schools on the one hand, and the universities and 
other higher colleges on the other. In the south German states 
hese institutions, corresponding to the French ,écoles secondaires, 
are often called ,,middle-class schools“, whereas in Prussia by middle- 
class schools are understood higher elementary schools. There are 
three kinds of complete higher educational institutions, viz. Gym- 
nasia, Realgymnasia, and Higher Realschulen, and to these correspond 
three kinds of incomplete institutions viz. Progymnasia, Realprogymnasia, 
and Realschulen. The complete institutions have nine classes, the 
Latin names of which — sexta, quinta, etc. up to prima, still recall 
che original existence of only six classes. But long before, the two 
upper classes of the Gymnasia had a two-years’ course, and thus 
arose a lower and upper prima and a lower and upper secunda. 
Since the fifth decade of the last century a partition also of 
the tertia into a lower and an upper division was generally introduced, 
and thus the number of classes was increased to nine. In Wiirttem- 
oerg it even amounts to ten. Besides in all the federal states these 
schools have preparatory classes. 
The Gymnasia owe their origin to the old Latin schools, and 
have gradually developed themselves, sincé the time of the Refor- 
mation, so as to acquire their present shape. Down to most recent