THE SECONDARY EDUCATION OF GIRLS IN FRANCE. 215 
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them remember the names of all the authors and of their works, and to 
ram them with formula on each ; but by his lectures, his explanations of 
texts, his counsels for their readings, he tries to awake their taste and their 
reasonings, sure that he develops more their minds when he makes them 
feel the beauty of a description of Homer, Milton, or Chateaubriand than 
if he taught them many details about these authors. 
Far more important than the teaching of literature is the teaching of 
morals. Ina way, it can be said that morals are taught in all the classes. 
Have not all good lessons, either of history or literature, a moral influence ? 
But besides this general teaching we have a special one. We give it in 
she third and fourth years, when the girls are about fifteen or sixteen 
jears old. In the third we teach practical morals—I mean duties of 
man toward God, himself, his family, his brethren, his country, etc. In 
the fourth we teach theoretical morals. We give an outline of the great 
systems of ethics—systems based either on sympathy or on the research of 
pleasure or of utility—and we discuss them. This teaching is entirely 
separated from religion, cur lycées being quite independent from the 
church. We are often asked: ‘How can you teach ethics without 
religion ? You cannot separate them.” Twill not enter here into so oft- 
discussed a subject. I will say only that, according to my own experience, 
as well as that of others, it is possible to teach ethics without special 
religions dogmas. “But what is the basis of your morals 7” ask some 
seople. It is the great ideas upon which all religions are founded—God, 
duty, spirituality and immortality of the soul. In developing these ideas 
we carefully stop just at the point where our teaching would become sec- 
tarian. Given in this way, I dare to say that our moral teaching is reli- 
gious ; however, it never hurts any peculiar feelings or any peculiar creed 
of the girls, and has really proved attractive to them. So it is with 
psychology, which is said to be so hard to teach to boys. Are the girls 
more interested in it because they are more fond of analysis and self- 
sxamination ? It is possible ; but whatever the cause may be, they feel a 
oreat interest for this science. Though we do not go very deeply into it, 
ve teach them the essential difference between mental and physiological 
ohenomena, and some general notions about the processes of will, feeling, 
shought, reasoning, ete., always trying to draw practical advice for their 
>wn development and conduct, and for the training of children that most 
»f them will have to educate some day. 
[ cannot leave the subject of letters without adding a word on the teach- 
ing of law and of modern languages. The teaching of law takes place in the 
ast year, one hour a week for six months. Sometimes it is given by a 
special teacher—a lawyer.* The aim of this teaching is not to leave women 
* In all the lycées of Paris itis given by Mlle. Jeanne Chauvin, the only woman in France who has 
:aken the grade of * Docteur en Droit.”