,,the                                   
,,origin ,,and ,,ideals                 
,,of ,,the                              
,,modern ,,school                       
,,by                                    
,,francisco ,,ferrer                    
,,translated ,,by ,,joseph ,mc,c,a,b,e  
,,issued ,,for ,,the ,,rationalist      
,,press ,,association1 ,,limited        
,london3                                
,,watts  ,,co41                   #ag   
,,johnson',s ,,court1 ,,fleet ,,street1 
,e4,c4                                  
#aiac                  ,,contents       
,,page          ,introduction           
vii            ,chap4          ,i4      
,the ,birth of ,my ,ideals              
#a          ,,ii4   ,mlle4 ,meunier     
#g          ,,iii4  ,i ,accept the      
,responsibility             #ab         
,,iv4   ,the ,early ,programme          
#ah          ,v4    ,the ,co-,education 
of the ,sexes           #bd             
,,vi4   ,co-,education of the ,social   
,classes      #cb          ,,vii4       

,school ,hygiene                        
#ch          ,,viii4 ,the ,teachers     
#dj          ,,ix4   ,the ,reform of the
 ,school                #dc          ,x4
    ,no ,reward or ,punishment          
#ee          ,,xi4   ,the ,general      
,public and the ,library      #fj       
,,xii4  ,sunday ,lectures               
#ga          ,,xiii4 ,the ,results      
#ge          ,,xiv4  ,a ,defensive      
,chapter                     #hj        
,,xv4   ,the ,ingenuousness of the      
,child          #hh          ,,xvi4     
,the 8,bulletin0                        
#if          ,,xvii4 ,the ,closing of   
the ,modern ,school       #ajb          
,epilogue                               
#aji                  ,,introduction    
,on ,october #ab1 #aiji1 ,francisco     
,ferrer y ,guardia was shot in the      
trenches of the ,montjuich ,fortress at 
,barcelona4 ,a ,military ,council had   
found him guilty of being 8head of the  
insurrection0 which had1 a few  months  
before1 lit the flame of civil war in   

the city and province4 ,the  clergy had 
openly petitioned the ,spanish ,premier1
 when ,ferrer was  arrested1 to look to 
the ,modern ,school and its founder for 
the source  of the revolutionary        
feeling2 and the ,premier had1 instead  
of rebuking  them1 promised to do so4   
,when ,ferrer was arrested the          
prosecution spent  many weeks in        
collecting evidence against him1 and    
granted a free  pardon to several men   
who were implicated in the riot1 for    
testifying  against him4 ,these three or
 four men were the only witnesses out of
  fifty who would have been heard       
patiently in a civil court of justice1  
and even their testimony would at once  
have crumbled under  cross-examination4 
,but there was no cross-examination1 and
 no witnesses  were brought before the  
court4 ,five weeks were occupied in     
compiling an  enormously lengthy        
indictment of ,ferrer2 then twenty-four 
hours were  given to an inexperienced   
officer1 chosen at random1 to analyse it

 and  prepare a defense4 ,evidence sent 
in ,ferrer's favour was confiscated by  
the police2 the witnesses who could have
 disproved the case against him  were   
kept in custody miles away from         
,barcelona2 and documents which  would  
have tended to show his innocence were  
refused to the defending  officer4 ,and 
after the mere hearing of the long and  
hopelessly  bewildering indictment 7in  
which the evidence was even falsified71 
and  in spite of the impassioned protest
 of the defending officer against  the  
brutal injustice of the proceedings1 the
 military judges found  ,ferrer guilty1 
and he was shot4    ,within a month of  
the judicial murder of ,ferrer ,i put   
the whole  abominable story before the  
,british public4 ,i showed the deep     
corruption of ,church and politics in   
,spain1 and proved that clergy and      
politicians had conspired to use the    
gross and pliable machinery of          
8military justice0 to remove a man whose
 sole aim was to open the eyes  of the  

,spanish people4 ,a prolonged and       
passionate controversy followed4  ,that 
controversy has not altered a line of my
 book4 ,mr4 ,william ,archer1  in a cold
 and impartial study of the matter1 has 
fully supported my  indictment of the   
prosecution of ,ferrer2 and ,professor  
,simarro1 of  ,madrid ,university1 has1 
in a voluminous study of the trial 7,el 
,proceso  ,ferrer--two large volumes71  
quoted whole chapters of my little work4
  ,when1 in #aiab1 the ,supreme         
,military ,council of ,spain was forced 
to  declare that no single act of       
violence could be directly or indirectly
  traced to ,ferrer 7whereas the chief  
witness for the prosecution had  sworn  
that he saw ,ferrer leading a troop of  
rioters71 and ordered the  restoration  
of his property1 the case for his       
innocence was closed4 ,it  remains only 
for ,spain to wipe the foul stain from  
its annals by  removing the bones of the
 martyred teacher from the trenches of  
,montjuich1 and to declare1 with real   

,spanish pride1 that a grave  injustice 
had been done4    ,meantime1 the        
restoration of ,ferrer's property has   
enabled his trustees  to resume his     
work4 ,among his papers they found a    
manuscript account1  from his own pen1  
of the origin and ideals of the ,modern 
,school1 and  their first act is to give
 it to the world4 ,in #aijf ,ferrer had 
been  arrested on the charge of         
complicity in the attempt of ,morral to 
assassinate the ,king4 ,he was kept in  
jail for a year1 and the most           
scandalous efforts were made1 in the    
court and the country1 to secure a      
judicial murder2 but it was a civil 7or 
civilised7 trial1 and the  charge was   
contemptuously rejected4 ,going to the  
,pyrenees in the early  summer of #aijh 
to recuperate1 ,ferrer determined to    
write the simple  story of his school1  
and it is this ,i now offer to ,english 
readers4    ,in this work ,ferrer       
depicts himself more truly and vividly  
than any  friend of his has ever done4  

,for my part1 ,i had never seen ,ferrer1
 and  never seen ,spain2 but ,i was     
acquainted with ,spanish life and       
letters1  and knew that there had been  
committed in the twentieth century one  
of  those old-world crimes by which the 
children of darkness seek to arrest  the
 advance of man4 ,i interpreted ,ferrer 
from his work1 his letters1 a  few      
journalistic articles he had written--he
 had never published a book1  and the   
impressions of his friends and pupils4  
,in this book the man  portrays himself1
 and describes his aims with a candour  
that all will  appreciate4 ,the less    
foolish of his enemies have ceased to   
assert that  he organised or led the    
riot at ,barcelona in #aiji4 ,it was1   
they say1  the tendency1 the subtle aim1
 of his work which made him responsible4
  ,it may be remembered that the        
,saturday ,review and other journals    
published the most unblushingly         
mendacious letters1 from anonymous      
correspondents1 saying that they had    

seen posters on the walls of  ,ferrer's 
schools inciting children to violence4  
,as the very zealous  police did not at 
the trial even mention ,ferrer's        
schools1 or the  text-books used in     
them1 these lies need no further        
exposure4 ,but many  persist in         
thinking1 since there is now nothing    
further to think to the  disadvantage of
 ,ferrer1 that his schools were really  
hot-beds of  rebellion and were very    
naturally suppressed4    ,here is the   
full story of the ,modern ,school1 told 
in transparently  simple language4 ,here
 is the whole man1 with all his ideals1 
aims1 and  resentments4 ,it shows1 as we
 well knew1 and could have proved with  
overwhelming force at his trial had we  
been permitted1 that he was  absolutely 
opposed to violence ever since1 in his  
youth1 he had taken  part in an abortive
 revolution4 ,it tells how he came to   
distrust  violence and those who used   
it2 how he concluded that the moral and 
intellectual training of children was to

 be the sole work of his  career2 how1  
when he obtained the funds1 he turned   
completely from  politics1 and devoted  
himself to educating children in        
knowledge of  science and in sentiments 
of peace and brotherhood4    ,it tells  
also1 with the same transparent         
plainness1 why his  noble-minded work   
incurred such violent enmity4 ,he       
naively boasts that  the education in   
the ,modern ,school was free from       
dogmas4 ,it was not1  and cannot be in  
any school1 free from dogmas1 for dogma 
means  8teaching10 and he gave teaching 
of a very definite character4 ,mr4      
,belloc's indictment of his schools is1 
like ,mr4 ,belloc's indictment of  his  
character and guilt1 evidently based on 
complete ignorance of the  facts and a  
very extensive knowledge of the         
recklessly mendacious  literature of his
 opponents4 ,even ,mr4 ,archer's account
 of his school is  grossly misleading4  
,the ,modern ,school was 8avowedly a    
nursery of  rebellious citizens0 only in

 the same sense as is any ,socialist    
,sunday-school in ,england or ,germany2 
and the ,spanish ,government has  never 
claimed1 and could not claim1 for a     
moment the right to close it1  except in
 so far as it falsely charged the       
founder with crime and  confiscated his 
property4    ,ferrer's school was       
thoroughly rationalistic1 and this      
embittered the  clergy--for his system  
was spreading rapidly through           
,spain--without in  the least infringing
 ,spanish law4 ,further1 ,ferrer's      
school explicitly  taught children that 
militarism was a crime1 that the unequal
  distribution of wealth was a thing to 
be abhorred1 that the capitalist  system
 was bad for the workers1 and that      
political government is an  evil4 ,he   
had a perfect right under ,spanish law  
to found a school to  teach his ideas2  
as any man has under ,english or ,german
 law4 ,the  prohibited and damnable     
thing would be even to hint to children 
that1  when they grew up1 they might    

look forward to altering the industrial 
and political system by violence4 ,this 
,ferrer not only did not teach1  but    
strenuously opposed4 ,we have           
overwhelming proof of this at every     
step of his later career4 ,but he was a 
child of the workers1 and he had  a     
passionate and noble resentment of the  
ignorance1 poverty1 and  squalor of the 
lives of so large a proportion of the   
workers4 ,he was  also an ,anarchist1 in
 the sense of ,tolstoi2 he believed that
 liberty  was essential to the          
development of man1 and central         
government an  evil4 ,but1 as rigorously
 as ,tolstoi1 he relied on persuasion   
and  abhorred violence4 ,i would call   
attention to ,chapter ,,vi of this book1
  in which he pleads for 8the           
co-education of the rich and poor02 and 
there were children of middle-class     
parents1 even of  university-professors1
 in his school4 ,most decidedly he      
preached no  class-hatred or violence4  
,i do not share his academic and        

innocent  ,anarchist ideal--which is far
 nearer to ,conservatism than to        
,socialism--but ,i share to the full    
that intense and passionate longing  for
 the uplifting and brightening of the   
poor1 and for the destruction  of       
superstition1 which was the supreme     
ideal of his life and of his  work4 ,for
 that he was shot4    ,finally1 the     
reader must strictly bear in mind the   
,spanish atmosphere  of this tragedy4   
,when ,ferrer describes 8existing       
schools0 he means the  schools of       
,spain1 which are1 for the most part1 a 
mockery and a shame4  ,when he talks of 
8ruling powers0 he has in mind the      
politicians of  ,spain1 my indictment of
 whom1 in their own language1 has never 
been  questioned4 ,when he talks of     
8superstition0 he means primarily       
,spanish  superstition2 he refers to a  
priesthood that still makes millions    
every  year by the sale of indulgences4 
,if you remember these things1 you      
will1 however you dissent from his      

teaching in parts1 appreciate the       
burning and unselfish idealism of the   
man1 and understand why some of  us see 
the brand of ,cain on the fair brow of  
,spain for extinguishing  that idealism 
in blood4          ,j4 ,m4              
,february1 #aiac4                       
,,chapter ,i4    ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,my
 ,,ideals      ,the share which ,i had  
in the political struggles of the last  
part of  the nineteenth century put my  
early convictions to a severe test4 ,i  
was  a revolutionary in the cause of    
justice2 ,i was convinced that liberty1 
equality1 and fraternity were the       
legitimate fruit to be expected of a    
republic4 ,seeing1 therefore1 no other  
way to attain this ideal but a          
political agitation for a change of the 
form of government1 ,i devoted  myself  
entirely to the republican propaganda4  
#a    ,my relations with ,d4 ,manuel    
,ruiz ,zorrilla1 who was one of the     
leading  figures in the revolutionary   
movement1 brought me into contact with a

  number of the ,spanish revolutionaries
 and some prominent ,french  agitators1 
and my intercourse with them led to a   
sharp disillusion4 ,i  detected in many 
of them an egoism which they sought     
hypocritically to  conceal1 while the   
ideals of others1 who were more sincere1
 seemed to  me inadequate4 ,in none of  
them did ,i perceive a design to bring  
about a  radical improvement--a reform  
which should go to the roots of disorder
  and afford some security of a perfect 
social regeneration4    ,the experience 
,i acquired during my fifteen years'    
residence at ,paris1  in which ,i       
witnessed the crises of ,boulangism1    
,dreyfusism1 and  ,nationalism1 and the 
menace they offered to the ,republic1   
convinced me  that the problem of       
popular education was not solved2 and1  
if it were  not solved in ,france1 there
 was little hope of ,spanish            
republicanism  settling it1 especially  
as the party had always betrayed a      
lamentable  inappreciation of the need  

of a system of general education4       
,consider what the condition of the     
present generation would be if the      
,spanish republican party had1 after the
 banishment of ,ruiz ,zorrilla  #ahhe1  
devoted itself to the establishment of  
,rationalist schools in  connection with
 each committee1 each group of          
,freethinkers1 or each  ,masonic lodge2 
if1 instead of the presidents1          
secretaries1 and members  of the        
committees thinking only of the office  
they were to hold in the  future        
republic1 they had entered upon a       
vigorous campaign for the  instruction  
of the people4 ,in the thirty years that
 have elapsed  considerable progress    
would have been made in founding        
day-schools for  children and           
night-schools for adults4    ,would the 
general public1 educated in this way1 be
 content to send  members to ,parliament
 who would accept an ,associations ,law 
presented by  the monarchists8 ,would   
the people confine itself to holding    

meetings to  demand a reduction of the  
price of bread1 instead of resenting the
  privations imposed on the worker by   
the superfluous luxuries of the         
wealthy8 ,would they waste their time in
 futile indignation meetings1  instead  
of organising their forces for the      
removal of all unjust  privileges8      
,my position as professor of ,spanish at
 the ,philotechnic ,association and  in 
the ,grand ,orient of ,france brought me
 into touch with people of  every class1
 both in regard to character and social 
position2 and1 when  ,i considered them 
from the point of view of their possible
 influence on  the race1 ,i found that  
they were all bent upon making the best 
they  could of life in a purely         
individualist sense4 ,some studied      
,spanish  with a view to advancing in   
their profession1 others in order to    
master  ,spanish literature and promote 
their careers1 and others for the       
purpose of obtaining further pleasure by
 travelling in countries where  ,spanish

 was spoken4    ,no one felt the        
absurdity of the contradictions between 
belief and  knowledge2 hardly one cared 
to give a just and rational form to     
human  society1 in order that all the   
members of each generation might have a 
proportionate share in the advantages   
created by earlier generations4         
,progress was conceived as a kind of    
fatalism1 independent of the  knowledge 
and the goodwill of men1 subject to     
vacillations and  accidents in which the
 conscience and energy of man had no    
part4 ,the  individual1 reared in a     
family circle1 with its inveterate      
atavism and  its traditional illusions  
maintained by ignorant mothers1 and in  
the  school with something worse than   
error--the sacramental untruth imposed  
by men who spoke in the name of a divine
 revelation--was deformed and           
degenerate at his entrance into society2
 and1 if there is any logical  relation 
between cause and effect1 nothing could 
be expected of him but  irrational and  

pernicious results4    ,i spoke         
constantly to those whom ,i met with a  
view to proselytism1  seeking to        
ascertain the use of each of them for   
the purpose of my  ideal1 and soon      
realised that nothing was to be expected
 of the  politicians who surrounded     
,ruiz ,zorrilla2 they were1 in my       
opinion1  with a few honourable         
exceptions1 impenitent adventurers4     
,this gave  rise to a certain expression
 which the judicial authorities sought  
to  use to my disadvantage in           
circumstances of great gravity and      
peril4  ,zorrilla1 a man of lofty views 
and not sufficiently on his guard       
against human malice1 used to call me an
 8anarchist0 when he heard me  put      
forward a logical solution of a problem2
 at all times he regarded  me as a deep 
radical1 opposed to the opportunist     
views and the showy  radicalism of the  
,spanish revolutionaries who surrounded 
and even  exploited him1 as well as the 
,french republicans1 who held a policy  

of  middle-class government and avoided 
what might benefit the disinherited     
proletariate1 on the pretext of         
distrusting ,utopias4    ,in a word1    
during the early years of the           
restoration there were men  conspiring  
with ,ruiz ,zorrilla who have since     
declared themselves  convinced          
monarchists and conservatives2 and that 
worthy man1 who  protested earnestly    
against the coup d'tat of ,january #c1  
#ahgd1  confided in his false friends1  
with the result1 not uncommon in the    
political world1 that most of them      
abandoned the republican party for  the 
sake of some office4 ,in the end he     
could count only on the support  of     
those who were too honourable to sell   
themselves1 though they lacked  the     
logic to develop his ideas and the      
energy to carry out his work4    ,in    
consequence of this ,i restricted myself
 to my pupils1 and selected  for my     
purposes those whom ,i thought more     
appropriate and better  disposed4       

,having now a clear idea of the aim     
which ,i proposed to myself  and a      
certain prestige from my position as    
teacher and my expansive  character1 ,i 
discussed various subjects with my      
pupils when the lessons  were over2     
sometimes we spoke of ,spanish customs1 
sometimes of  politics1 religion1 art1  
or philosophy4 ,i sought always to      
correct the  exaggerations of their     
judgments1 and to show clearly how      
mischievous  it is to subordinate one's 
own judgment to the dogma of a sect1    
school1  or party1 as is so frequently  
done4 ,in this way ,i succeeded in      
bringing  about a certain agreement     
among men who differed in their creeds  
and  views1 and induced them to master  
the beliefs which they had hitherto     
held unquestioningly by faith1          
obedience1 or sheer indolence4 ,my      
friends and pupils found themselves     
happy in thus abandoning some  ancient  
error and opening their minds to truths 
which uplifted and  ennobled them4    ,a

 rigorous logic1 applied with           
discretion1 removed fanatical           
bitterness1 established intellectual    
harmony1 and gave1 to some extent  at   
least1 a progressive disposition to     
their wills4 ,freethinkers who  opposed 
the ,church and rejected the legends of 
,genesis1 the imperfect  morality of the
 gospels1 and the ecclesiastical        
ceremonies2 more or  less opportunist   
republicans or radicals who were content
 with the  futile equality conferred by 
the title of citizen1 without in the    
least  affecting class distinctions2    
philosophers who fancied they had       
discovered the first cause of things in 
their metaphysical labyrinths  and      
established truth in their empty        
phrases--all were enabled to see  the   
errors of others as well as their own1  
and they leaned more and  more to the   
side of common sense4    ,when the      
further course of my life separated me  
from these friends and  brought on me an
 unmerited imprisonment1 ,i received    

many expressions of  confidence and     
friendship from them4 ,from all of them 
,i anticipate  useful work in the cause 
of progress1 and ,i congratulate myself 
that ,i  had some share in the direction
 of their thoughts and endeavours4      
,,chapter ,,ii4    ,,mlle4 ,,meunier    
,among my pupils was a certain ,mlle4   
,meunier1 a wealthy old lady with no    
dependents1 who was fond of travel1 and 
studied ,spanish with the object  of    
visiting my country4 ,she was a         
convinced ,catholic and a very          
scrupulous observer of the rules of her 
,church4 ,to her1 religion and  morality
 were the same thing1 and unbelief--or  
8impiety10 as the  faithful say--was an 
evident sign of vice and crime4    ,she 
detested revolutionaries1 and she       
regarded with impulsive and             
undiscriminating aversion every display 
of popular ignorance4 ,this was  due1   
not only to her education and social    
position1 but to the  circumstance that 
during the period of the ,commune she   

had been  insulted by children in the   
streets of ,paris as she went to church 
with  her mother4 ,ingenuous and        
sympathetic1 without regard to          
antecedents1  accessories1 or           
consequences1 she always expressed her  
dogmatic  convictions without reserve1  
and ,i had many opportunities to open   
her  eyes to the inaccuracy of her      
opinions4    ,in our many conversations 
,i refrained from taking any definite   
side2 so  that she did not recognise me 
as a partisan of any particular belief1 
but as a careful reasoner with whom it  
was a pleasure to confer4 ,she  formed  
so flattering an opinion of me1 and was 
so solitary1 that she  gave me her full 
confidence and friendship1 and invited  
me to accompany  her on her travels4 ,i 
accepted the offer1 and we travelled in 
various  countries4 ,my conduct and our 
constant conversation compelled her to  
recognise the error of thinking that    
every unbeliever was perverse and  every
 atheist a hardened criminal1 since ,i1 

a convinced atheist1  manifested        
symptoms very different from those which
 her religious  prejudice had led her to
 expect4    ,she thought1 however1 that 
my conduct was exceptional1 and reminded
 me  that the exception proves the rule4
 ,in the end the persistency and  logic 
of my arguments forced her to yield to  
the evidence1 and1 when  her prejudice  
was removed1 she was convinced that a   
rational and  scientific education would
 preserve children from error1 inspire  
men  with a love of good conduct1 and   
reorganise society in accord with the   
demands of justice4 ,she was deeply     
impressed by the reflection that she    
might have been on a level with the     
children who had insulted her if1  at   
their age1 she had been reared in the   
same conditions as they4 ,when  she had 
given up her belief in innate ideas1 she
 was greatly  preoccupied with the      
following problem3 ,if a child were     
educated  without hearing anything about
 religion1 what idea of the ,deity would

  it have on reaching the age of reason8
    ,after a while1 it seemed to me that
 we were wasting time if we were not    
prepared to go on from words to deeds4  
,to be in possession of an  important   
privilege through the imperfect         
organisation of society and  by the     
accident of birth1 to conceive ideas of 
reform1 and to remain  inactive or      
indifferent amid a life of pleasure1    
seemed to me to incur  a responsibility 
similar to that of a man who refused to 
lend a hand to  a person whom he could  
save from danger4 ,one day1 therefore1  
,i said to  ,mlle4 ,meunier3--          
8,mlle41 we have reached a point at     
which it is necessary to reconsider  our
 position4 ,the world appeals to us for 
our assistance1 and we cannot  honestly 
refuse it4 ,it seems to me that to      
expend entirely on comforts  and        
pleasures resources which form part of  
the general patrimony1 and  which would 
suffice to establish a useful           
institution1 is to commit a  fraud2 and 

that would be sanctioned neither by a   
believer nor an  unbeliever4 ,i must    
warn you1 therefore1 that you must not  
count on my  company in your further    
travels4 ,i owe myself to my ideas and  
to  humanity1 and ,i think that you     
ought to have the same feeling now that 
you have exchanged your former faith for
 rational principles40    ,she was      
surprised1 but recognised the justice of
 my decision1 and1  without other       
stimulus than her own good nature and   
fine feeling1 she  gave me the funds for
 the establishment of an institute of   
rational  education4 ,the ,modern       
,school1 which already existed in my    
mind1 was  thus ensured of realisation  
by this generous act4    ,all the       
malicious statements that have been made
 in regard to this  matter--for         
instance1 that ,i had to submit to a    
judicial  interrogation--are sheer      
calumnies4 ,it has been said that ,i    
used a power  of suggestion over ,mlle4 
,meunier for my own purposes4 ,this     

statement1  which is as offensive to me 
as it is insulting to the memory of that
  worthy and excellent lady1 is         
absolutely false4 ,i do not need to     
justify myself2 ,i leave my vindication 
to my acts1 my life1 and the  impartial 
judgment of my contemporaries4 ,but     
,mlle4 ,meunier is entitled  to the     
respect of all men of right feeling1 of 
all those who have been  delivered from 
the despotism of sect and dogma1 who    
have broken all  connection with error1 
who no longer submit the light of reason
 to the  darkness of faith nor the      
dignity of freedom to the yoke of       
obedience4    ,she believed with honest 
faith4 ,she had been taught that between
 the  ,creator and the creature there is
 a hierarchy of intermediaries whom  one
 must obey1 and that one must bow to a  
series of mysteries contained  in the   
dogmas imposed by a divinely instituted 
,church4 ,in that belief  she remained  
perfectly tranquil4 ,the remarks ,i made
 and advice ,i  offered her were not    

spontaneous commentaries on her belief1 
but  natural replies to her efforts to  
convert me2 and1 from her want of       
logic1 her feeble reasoning broke down  
under the strength of my  arguments1    
instead of her persuading me to put     
faith before reason4 ,she  could not    
regard me as a tempting spirit1 since it
 was always she who  attacked my        
convictions2 and she was in the end     
vanquished by the  struggle of her faith
 and her own reason1 which was aroused  
by her  indiscretion in assailing the   
faith of one who opposed her beliefs4   
,she now ingenuously sought to exonerate
 the ,communist boys as poor and        
uneducated wretches1 the offspring of   
crime1 disturbers of the social  order  
on account of the injustice which1 in   
face of such a disgrace1  permits       
others1 equal disturbers of the social  
order1 to live  unproductive lives1     
enjoy great wealth1 exploit ignorance   
and misery1  and trust that they will   
continue throughout eternity to enjoy   

their  pleasures on account of their    
compliance with the rites of the ,church
  and their works of charity4 ,the idea 
of a reward of easy virtue and          
punishment of unavoidable sin shocked   
her conscience and moderated her        
religious feeling1 and1 seeking to break
 the atavistic chain which so  much     
hampers any attempt at reform1 she      
decided to contribute to the  founding  
of a useful work which would educate the
 young in a natural  way and in         
conditions which would help them to use 
to the full the  treasures of knowledge 
which humanity has acquired by labour1  
study1  observation1 and the methodical 
arrangement of its general conclusions4 
,in this way1 she thought1 with the aid 
of a supreme intelligence which  veils  
itself in mystery from the mind of man1 
or by the knowledge which  humanity has 
gained by suffering1 contradiction1 and 
doubt1 the future  will be realised2 and
 she found an inner contentment and     
vindication of  her conscience in the   

idea of contributing1 by the bestowal of
 her  property1 to a work of            
transcendent importance4                
,,chapter ,,iii4    ,i ,,accept ,,the   
,,responsibility      ,once ,i was in   
possession of the means of attaining my 
object1 ,i  determined to put my hand to
 the task without delay4 #b ,it was now 
time to give a precise shape to the     
vague aspiration that had long  haunted 
my imagination2 and to that end1        
conscious of my imperfect  knowledge of 
the art of pdagogy1 ,i sought the       
counsel of others4 ,i had  not a great  
confidence in the official pdagogists1  
as they seemed to  me to be largely     
hampered by prejudices in regard to     
their subject or  other matters1 and ,i 
looked out for some competent person    
whose views  and conduct would accord   
with my ideals4 ,with his assistance ,i 
would  formulate the programme of the   
,modern ,school which ,i had already    
conceived4 ,in my opinion it was to be1 
not the perfect type of the  future     

school of a rational state of society1  
but a precursor of it1  the best        
possible adaptation of our means2 that  
is to say1 an emphatic  rejection of the
 ancient type of school which still     
survives1 and a  careful experiment in  
the direction of imbuing the children of
 the  future with the substantial truths
 of science4    ,i was convinced that   
the child comes into the world without  
innate  ideas1 and that during the      
course of his life he gathers the ideas 
of  those nearest to him1 modifying them
 according to his own observation  and  
reading4 ,if this is so1 it is clear    
that the child should receive  positive 
and truthful ideas of all things1 and be
 taught that1 to avoid  error1 it is    
essential to admit nothing on faith1 but
 only after  experience or rational     
demonstration4 ,with such a training the
 child  will become a careful observer1 
and will be prepared for all kinds of   
studies4    ,when ,i had found a        
competent person1 and while the first   

lines were  being traced of the plan we 
were to follow1 the necessary steps were
  taken in ,barcelona for the founding  
of the establishment2 the building  was 
chosen and prepared1 and the furniture1 
staff1 advertisements1  prospectuses1   
leaflets1 etc41 were secured4 ,in less  
than a year all was  ready1 though ,i   
was put to great loss through the       
betrayal of my  confidence by a certain 
person4 ,it was clear that we should at 
once  have to contend with many         
difficulties1 not only on the part of   
those  who were hostile to rational     
education1 but partly on account of a   
certain class of theorists1 who urged on
 me1 as the outcome of their  knowledge 
and experience1 advice which ,i could   
only regard as the fruit  of their      
prejudices4 ,one man1 for instance1 who 
was afflicted with a  zeal for local    
patriotism1 insisted that the lessons   
should be given in  ,catalan the dialect
 of the province of ,barcelona1 and     
would thus  confine humanity and the    

world within the narrow limits of the   
region  between the ,ebro and the       
,pyrenees4 ,i would not1 ,i told the    
enthusiast1  even adopt ,spanish as the 
language of the school if a universal   
language had already advanced           
sufficiently to be of practical use4 ,i 
would a hundred times rather use        
,esperanto than ,catalan4    ,the       
incident confirmed me in my resolution  
not to submit the settlement  of my plan
 to the authority of distinguished men  
who1 with all their  repute1 do not take
 a single voluntary step in the         
direction of reform4  ,i felt the burden
 of the responsibility ,i had accepted1 
and ,i  endeavoured to discharge it as  
my conscience directed4 ,resenting the  
marked social inequalities of the       
existing order as ,i did1 ,i could not  
be content to deplore their effects2 ,i 
must attack them in their  causes1 and  
appeal to the principle of justice--to  
that ideal equality  which inspires all 
sound revolutionary feeling4    ,if     

matter is one1 uncreated1 and           
eternal--if we live on a relatively     
small body in space1 a mere speck in    
comparison with the innumerable  globes 
about us1 as is taught in the           
universities1 and may be learned  by the
 privileged few who share the monopoly  
of science--we have no  right to teach1 
and no excuse for teaching1 in the      
primary schools to  which the people go 
when they have the opportunity1 that    
,god made the  world out of nothing in  
six days1 and all the other absurdities 
of the  ancient legends4 ,truth is      
universal1 and we owe it to everybody4  
,to put  a price on it1 to make it the  
monopoly of a privileged few1 to detain 
the lowly in systematic ignorance1      
and--what is worse--impose on them a    
dogmatic and official doctrine in       
contradiction with the teaching of      
science1 in order that they may accept  
with docility their low and  deplorable 
condition1 is to me an intolerable      
indignity4 ,for my part1 ,i  consider   

that the most effective protest and the 
most promising form of  revolutionary   
action consist in giving the oppressed1 
the disinherited1  and all who are      
conscious of a demand for justice1 as   
much truth as  they can receive1        
trusting that it will direct their      
energies in the  great work of the      
regeneration of society4    ,hence the  
terms of the first announcement of the  
,modern ,school that was  issued to the 
public4 ,it ran as follows3--           
,,programme4        ,the mission of the 
,modern ,school is to secure that the   
boys and      girls who are entrusted to
 it shall become well-instructed1       
truthful1 just1 and free from all       
prejudice4        ,to that end the      
rational method of the natural sciences 
will be      substituted for the old    
dogmatic teaching4 ,it will stimulate1  
develop1 and direct the natural ability 
of each pupil1 so that he      or she   
will not only become a useful member of 
society1 with his      individual value 

fully developed1 but will contribute1 as
 a      necessary consequence1 to the   
uplifting of the whole community4       
,it will instruct the young in sound    
social duties1 in conformity      with  
the just principle that 8there are no   
duties without rights1      and no      
rights without duties40        ,in view 
of the good results that have been      
obtained abroad by mixed      education1
 and especially in order to realise the 
great aim of the      ,modern           
,school--the formation of an entirely   
fraternal body of men      and women1   
without distinction of sex or           
class--children of both      sexes1 from
 the age of five upward1 will be        
received4        ,for the further       
development of its work1 the ,modern    
,school will be      opened on ,sunday  
mornings1 when there will be classes on 
the      sufferings of mankind          
throughout the course of history1 and on
 the      men and women who have        
distinguished themselves in science1    

art1 or      the fight for progress4    
,the parents of the children may attend 
these classes4        ,in the hope that 
the intellectual work of the ,modern    
,school will be      fruitful1 we have1 
besides securing hygienic conditions in 
the      institution and its            
dependencies1 arranged to have a medical
      inspection of children at their   
entrance into the school4 ,the          
result of this will be communicated to  
the parents if it is deemed             
necessary2 and others will be held      
periodically1 in order to      prevent  
the spread of contagious diseases during
 the school hours4      ,during the week
 which preceded the opening of the      
,modern ,school ,i  invited the         
representatives of the press to visit   
the institution and  make it known1 and 
some of the journals inserted           
appreciative notices  of the work4 ,it  
may be of historical interest to quote a
 few paragraphs  from ,el ,diluvio3--   
,the future is budding in the school4   

,to build on any other      foundation  
is to build on sand4 ,unhappily1 the    
school may serve      either the        
purposes of tyranny or the cause of     
liberty1 and may      thus serve either 
barbarism or civilisation4        ,we   
are therefore pleased to see certain    
patriots and humanitarians1      who    
grasp the transcendent importance of    
this social function1      which our    
,government systematically overlooks1   
hasten to meet this      pressing need  
by founding a ,modern ,school2 a school 
which will not      seek to promote the 
interests of sect and to move in the old
 ruts1      as has been done hitherto1  
but will create an intellectual         
environment in which the new generation 
will absorb the ideas and      the      
impulses which the stream of progress   
unceasingly brings4        ,this end can
 only be attained by private enterprise4
 ,our existing      institutions1       
tainted with all the vices of the past  
and weakened      by all the            

trivialities of the present1 cannot     
discharge this      useful function4 ,it
 is reserved for men of noble mind and  
unselfish      feeling to open up the   
new path by which succeeding generations
      will rise to higher destinies4    
,this has been done1 or will be done1 by
 the founders of the modest      ,modern
 ,school which we have visited at the   
courteous invitation of      its        
directors and those who are interested  
in its development4 ,this      school is
 not a commercial enterprise1 like most 
scholastic      institutions1 but a     
pdagogical experiment1 of which only one
 other      specimen exists in ,spain   
7the ,free ,institution of ,education at
      ,madrid74        ,sr4 ,salas ,antn
 brilliantly expounded the programme of 
the school      to the small audience of
 journalists and others who attended the
      modest opening-festival1 and      
descanted on the design of educating    
children in the whole truth and nothing 
but the truth1 or what is      proved to

 be such4 ,his chief theme was that the 
founders do not      propose to add one 
more to the number of what are known as 
8,lay      ,schools10 with their        
impassioned dogmatism1 but a serene     
observatory1 open to the four winds of  
heaven1 with no cloud      darkening the
 horizon and interposing between the    
light and the      mind of man4         
,,chapter ,,iv4    ,,the ,,early        
,,programme      ,the time had come to  
think of the inauguration of the ,modern
 ,school4  ,some time previously ,i had 
invited a number of gentlemen of great  
distinction and of progressive          
sentiments to assist me with their      
advice and form a kind of ,committee of 
,consultation4 ,my intercourse  with    
them at ,barcelona was of great value to
 me1 and many of them  remained in      
permanent relation with me1 for which ,i
 may express my  gratitude4 ,they were  
of opinion that the ,modern ,school     
should be opened  with some             
display--invitation-cards1 a circular to

 the press1 a large  hall1 music1 and   
oratorical addresses by distinguished   
,liberal  politicians4 ,it would have   
been easy to do this1 and we would have 
attracted an audience of hundreds of    
people who would have applauded  with   
that momentary enthusiasm which         
characterises our public  functions4    
,but ,i was not seduced by the idea4 ,as
 a ,positivist and an  idealist ,i was  
convinced that a simple modesty best    
befitted the  inauguration of a work of 
reform4 ,any other method seemed to me  
disingenuous1 a concession to enervating
 conventions and to the very  evil which
 ,i was setting out to reform4 ,the     
proposal of the ,committee  was1        
therefore1 repugnant to my conscience   
and my sentiments1 and ,i  was1 in that 
and all other things relating to the    
,modern ,school1 the  executive power4  
,in the first number of the ,bulletin of
 the ,modern ,school1 issued on         
,october #cj1 #aija1 ,i gave a general  
exposition of the fundamental           

principles of the ,school1 which ,i may 
repeat here3--          ,those imaginary
 products of the mind1 a priori ideas1  
and all the      absurd and fantastical 
fictions hitherto regarded as truth and 
imposed as directive principles of human
 conduct1 have for some      time past  
incurred the condemnation of reason and 
the resentment of      conscience4 ,the 
sun no longer merely touches the tips of
 the      mountains2 it floods the      
valleys1 and we enjoy the light of noon4
      ,science is no longer the         
patrimony of a small group of privileged
      individuals2 its beneficent rays  
more or less consciously penetrate      
every rank of society4 ,on all sides    
traditional errors are being            
dispelled by it2 by the confident       
procedure of experience and             
observation it enables us to attain     
accurate knowledge and criteria      in 
regard to natural objects and the laws  
which govern them4 ,with                
indisputable authority it bids men lay  

aside for ever their      exclusivisms  
and privileges1 and it offers itself as 
the      controlling principle of human 
life1 seeking to imbue all with a       
common sentiment of humanity4           
,relying on modest resources1 but with a
 robust and rational faith      and a   
spirit that will not easily be          
intimidated1 whatever      obstacles    
arise in our path1 we have founded the  
,modern ,school4 ,its      aim is to    
convey1 without concession to           
traditional methods1 an      education  
based on the natural sciences4 ,this new
 method1 though      the only sound and 
positive method1 has spread throughout  
the      civilised world1 and has       
innumerable supporters of intellectual  
distinction and lofty principles4       
,we are aware how many enemies there are
 about us4 ,we are conscious      of the
 innumerable prejudices which oppress   
the social conscience      of our       
country4 ,this is the outcome of a      
medieval1 subjective1      dogmatic     

education1 which makes ridiculous       
pretensions to the      possession of an
 infallible criterion4 ,we are further  
aware that1      in virtue of the law of
 heredity1 strengthened by the          
influences of      the environment1 the 
tendencies which are connatural and     
spontaneous in the young child are still
 more pronounced in      adolescence4   
,the struggle will be severe1 the work  
difficult2 but      with a constant and 
unwavering will1 the sole providence of 
the      moral world1 we are confident  
that we will win the victory to which   
we aspire4 ,we will develop living      
brains1 capable of reacting on      our 
instruction4 ,we will take care that the
 minds of our pupils      will sustain1 
when they leave the control of their    
teachers1 a      stern hostility to     
prejudice2 that they will be solid      
minds1      capable of forming their own
 rational convictions on every subject4 
,this does not mean that we will leave  
the child1 at the very outset      of   

its education1 to form its own ideas4   
,the ,socratic procedure is      wrong1 
if it is taken too literally4 ,the very 
constitution of the      mind1 at the   
commencement of its development1 demands
 that at this      stage the child shall
 be receptive4 ,the teacher must implant
 the      germs of ideas4 ,these will1  
when age and strength invigorate the    
brain1 bring forth corresponding flowers
 and fruit1 in accordance      with the 
degree of initiative and the            
characteristic features of      the     
pupil's mind4        ,on the other hand1
 we may say that we regard as absurd the
      widespread notion that an         
education based on natural science      
stunts      the organ of the idealist   
faculty4 ,we are convinced that the     
contrary is true4 ,what science does is 
to correct and direct it1      and give 
it a wholesome sense of reality4 ,the   
work of man's      cerebral energy is to
 create the ideal1 with the aid of art  
and      philosophy4 ,but in order that 

the ideal shall not degenerate into     
fables1 or mystic and unsubstantial     
dreams1 and the structure be      not   
built on sand1 it is absolutely         
necessary to give it a secure      and  
unshakable foundation in the exact and  
positive teaching of the      natural   
sciences4        ,moreover1 the         
education of a man does not consist     
merely in the      training of his      
intelligence1 without having regard to  
the heart      and the will4 ,man is a  
complete and unified whole1 in spite of 
the      variety of his functions4 ,he  
presents various facets1 but is at the  
bottom a single energy1 which sees1     
loves1 and applies a will to      the   
prosecution of what he has conceived or 
affected4 ,it is a      morbid          
condition1 an infringement of the laws  
of the human      organism1 to establish
 an abyss where there ought to be a sane
 and      harmonious continuity4 ,the   
divorce between thought and will is an  
unhappy feature of our time4 ,to what   

fatal consequences it has led6      ,we 
need only refer to our political leaders
 and to the various      orders of      
social life2 they are deeply infected   
with this      pernicious dualism4 ,many
 of them are assuredly powerful enough  
in      respect of their mental         
faculties1 and have an abundance of     
ideas2      but they lack a sound       
orientation and the fine thoughts which 
science applies to the life of          
individuals and of peoples4 ,their      
restless egoism and the wish to         
accommodate their relatives1            
together with their leaven of           
traditional sentiments1 form an         
impermeable barrier round their hearts  
and prevent the infiltration      of    
progressive ideas and the formation of  
that sap of sentiment      which is the 
impelling and determining power in the  
conduct of man4      ,hence the attempt 
to obstruct progress and put obstacles  
in the way      of new ideas2 hence1 as 
a result of these attempts1 the         

scepticism      of multitudes1 the death
 of nations1 and the inevitable despair 
of      the oppressed4        ,we regard
 it as one of the first principles of   
our pdagogical      mission that there  
is no such duality of character in any  
individual--one which sees and          
appreciates truth and goodness1 and     
one which follows evil4 ,and1 since we  
take natural science as our      guide  
in education1 a further consequence will
 be recognised2 we      shall endeavour 
to secure that the intellectual         
impressions which      science conveys  
to the pupil shall be converted into the
 sap of      sentiment and shall be     
intensely loved4 ,when sentiment is     
strong it      penetrates and diffuses  
itself through the deepest recesses of a
      man's being1 pervading and giving 
a special colour to his      character4 
,and as a man's conduct must revolve    
within the circle of his      character1
 it follows that a youth educated in the
 manner we have      indicated will1    

when he comes to rule himself1 recognise
 science as      the one helpful master 
of his life4      ,the school was opened
 on ,september #h1 #aija1 with thirty   
pupils--twelve  girls and eighteen boys4
 ,these sufficed for the purpose of our 
experiment1 and we had no intention of  
increasing the number for a  time1 so   
that we might keep a more effective     
watch on the pupils4 ,the  enemies of   
the new school would take the first     
opportunity to criticise  our work in   
co-educating boys and girls4    ,the    
people present at the opening were      
partly attracted by the notices  of our 
work published in the press1 and partly 
consisted of the parents  of the pupils 
and delegates of various working-class  
societies who had  been invited on      
account of their assistance to me4 ,i   
was supported in  the chair by the      
teachers and the ,committee of          
,consultation1 two of  whom expounded   
the system and aim of the school4 ,in   
this quiet fashion  we inaugurated a    

work that was destined to last4 ,we     
created the ,modern1  ,scientific1 and  
,rational ,school1 the fame of which    
soon spread in  ,europe and ,america4   
,time may witness a change of its       
name--the 8,modern0  ,school--but the   
description 8scientific and rational0   
will be more and  more fully vindicated4
                  ,,chapter ,v4    ,,the
 ,,co-,,education ,,of ,,the ,,sexes    
,the most important point in our        
programme of rational education1 in     
view of the intellectual condition of   
the country1 and the feature  which was 
most likely to shock current prejudices 
and habits1 was the  co-education of    
boys and girls4    ,the idea was not    
absolutely new in ,spain4 ,as a result  
of necessity and  of primitive          
conditions1 there were villages in      
remote valleys and on  the mountains    
where some good-natured neighbour1 or   
the priest or  sacristan1 used to teach 
the catechism1 and sometimes elementary 
letters1 to boys and girls in common4   

,in fact1 it is sometimes legally       
authorised1 or at least tolerated1 by   
the ,state among small populations      
which have not the means to pay both a  
master and mistress4 ,in such  cases1   
either a master or mistress gives common
 lessons to boys and  girls1 as ,i had  
myself seen in a village not far from   
,barcelona4 ,in  towns and cities1      
however1 mixed education was not        
recognised4 ,one read  sometimes of the 
occurrence of it in foreign countries1  
but no one  proposed to adopt it in     
,spain1 where such a proposal would have
 been  deemed an innovation of the most 
utopian character4    ,knowing this1 ,i 
refrained from making any public        
propaganda on the  subject1 and confined
 myself to private discussion with      
individuals4 ,we  asked every parent who
 wished to send a boy to the school if  
there were  girls in the family1 and it 
was necessary to explain to each the    
reasons for co-education4 ,wherever we  
did this1 the result was  satisfactory4 

,if we had announced our intention      
publicly1 it would have  raised a storm 
of prejudice4 ,there would have been a  
discussion in the  press1 conventional  
feeling would have been aroused1 and the
 fear of  8what people would say0--that 
paralysing obstacle to good             
intentions--would have been stronger    
than reason4 ,our project would have    
proved exceedingly difficult1 if not    
impossible4 ,whereas1 proceeding as  we 
did1 we were able to open with a        
sufficient number of boys and  girls1   
and the number steadily increased1 as   
the ,bulletin of the school  shows4     
,in my own mind1 co-education was of    
vital importance4 ,it was not merely  an
 indispensable condition of realising   
what ,i regard as the ideal  result of  
rational education2 it was the ideal    
itself1 initiating its  life in the     
,modern ,school1 developing             
progressively without any form of       
exclusion1 inspiring a confidence of    
attaining our end4 ,natural  science1   

philosophy1 and history unite in        
teaching1 in face of all  prejudice to  
the contrary1 that man and woman are two
 complementary  aspects of human nature1
 and the failure to recognise this      
essential  and important truth has had  
the most disastrous consequences4    ,in
 the second number of the ,bulletin1    
therefore1 ,i published a careful       
vindication of my ideas3--              
,mixed education 7,i said7 is spreading 
among civilised nations4 ,in      many  
places it has already had excellent     
results4 ,the principle of      this new
 scheme of education is that children of
 both sexes shall      receive the same 
lessons2 that their minds shall be      
developed1      their hearts purified1  
and their wills strengthened in         
precisely      the same manner2 that the
 sexes shall be in touch with each other
      from infancy1 so that woman shall 
be1 not in name only1 but in            
reality and truth1 the companion of man4
        ,a venerable institution which  

dominates the thoughts of our people    
declares1 at one of the most solemn     
moments of life1 when1 with             
ceremonious pomp1 man and woman are     
united in matrimony1 that woman      is 
the companion of man4 ,these are hollow 
words1 void of sense1      without vital
 and rational significance in life1     
since what we      witness in the       
,christian ,church1 in ,catholicism     
particularly1 is      the exact opposite
 of this idea4 ,not long ago a          
,christian woman of      fine feeling   
and great sincerity complained bitterly 
of the moral      debasement which is   
put upon her sex in the bosom of the    
,church3      8,it would be impious     
audacity for a woman to aspire in the   
,church      even to the position of the
 lowest sacristan40        ,a man must  
suffer from ophthalmia of the mind not  
to see that1      under the inspiration 
of ,christianity1 the position of woman 
is no      better than it was under the 
ancient civilisations2 it is1 indeed1   

worse1 and has aggravating              
circumstances4 ,it is a conspicuous fact
      in our modern ,christian society  
that1 as a result and culmination       
of our patriarchal development1 the     
woman does not belong to      herself2  
she is neither more nor less than an    
adjunct of man1      subject constantly 
to his absolute dominion1 bound to      
him--it may      be--by chains of gold4 
,man has made her a perpetual minor4    
,once this      was done1 she was bound 
to experience one of two alternatives3  
man      either oppresses and silences  
her1 or treats her as a child to be     
coaxed--according to the mood of the    
master4 ,if at length we note in        
her some sign of the new spirit1 if she 
begins to assert her will      and claim
 some share of independence1 if she is  
passing1 with      irritating slowness1 
from the state of slave to the condition
 of a      respected ward1 she owes it  
to the redeeming spirit of science1     
which is dominating the customs of races

 and the designs of our      social     
rulers4      ,the work of man for the   
greater happiness of the race has       
hitherto been  defective2 in future it  
must be a joint action of the sexes2 it 
is  incumbent on both man and woman1    
according to the point of view of  each4
 ,it is important to realise that1 in   
face of the purposes of life1  man is   
neither inferior nor 7as we affect to   
think7 superior to woman4  ,they have   
different qualities1 and no comparison  
is possible between  diverse things4    
,as many psychologists and sociologists 
observe1 the human race displays  two   
fundamental aspects4 ,man typifies the  
dominion of thought and of  the         
progressive spirit2 woman bears in her  
moral nature the  characteristic note of
 intense sentiment and of the           
conservative  spirit4 ,but this view of 
the sexes gives no encouragement        
whatever to  the ideas of reactionaries4
 ,if the predominance of the            
conservative  element and of the        

emotions is ensured in woman by natural 
law1 this  does not make her the less   
fitted to be the companion of man4 ,she 
is  not prevented by the constitution of
 her nature from reflecting on  things  
of importance1 nor is it necessary that 
she should use her mind  in             
contradiction to the teaching of science
 and absorb all kinds of  superstitions 
and fables4 ,the possession of a        
conservative disposition  does not imply
 that one is bound to crystallise in a  
certain stage of  thought1 or that one  
must be obsessed with prejudice in all  
that  relates to reality4    8,to       
conserve0 merely means 8to retain10 to  
keep what has been given us1  or what we
 have ourselves produced4 ,the author of
 ,the ,religion of the  ,future says1   
referring to woman in this respect3     
8,the conservative  spirit may be       
applied to truth as well as to error2 it
 all depends what  it is you conserve4  
,if woman is instructed in philosophical
 and  scientific matters1 her           

conservative power will be to the       
advantage1  not to the disadvantage1 of 
progressive thought40    ,on the other  
hand1 it is pointed out that woman is   
emotional4 ,she does  not selfishly keep
 to herself what she receives2 she      
spreads abroad her  beliefs1 her ideas1 
and all the good and evil that form her 
moral  treasures4 ,she insists on       
sharing them with all those who are1 by 
the  mysterious power of emotion1       
identified with her4 ,with exquisite    
art1  with invariable unconsciousness1  
her whole moral physiognomy1 her whole  
soul1 so to say1 impresses itself on the
 soul of those she loves4    ,if the    
first ideas implanted in the mind of the
 child by the teacher  are germs of     
truth and of positive knowledge2 if the 
teacher himself is  in touch with the   
scientific spirit of the time1 the      
result will be  good from every point of
 view4 ,but if a man be fed in the first
 stage  of his mental development with  
fables1 errors1 and all that is contrary

  to the spirit of science1 what can be 
expected of his future8 ,when the  boy  
becomes a man he will be an obstacle to 
progress4 ,the human  conscience is in  
infancy of the same natural texture as  
the bodily  organism2 it is tender and  
pliant4 ,it readily accepts what comes  
to it  from without4 ,in the course of  
time this plasticity gives place to     
rigidity2 it loses its pliancy and      
becomes relatively fixed4 ,from that    
time the ideas communicated to it by the
 mother will be encrusted and           
identified with the youth's conscience4 
,the acid of the more rational ideas    
which the youth acquires by social      
intercourse or private study may in     
cases relieve the mind of the  erroneous
 ideas implanted in childhood4 ,but what
 is likely to be the  practical outcome 
of this transformation of the mind in   
the sphere of  conduct8 ,we must not    
forget that in most cases the emotions  
associated  with the early ideas remain 
in the deeper folds of the heart4 ,hence

 it  is that we find in so many men such
 a flagrant and lamentable  antithesis  
between the thought and the deed1 the   
intelligence and the  will2 and this    
often leads to an eclipse of good       
conduct and a  paralysis of progress4   
,this primary sediment which we owe to  
our mothers is so tenacious and         
enduring--it passes so intimately into  
the very marrow of our being--that  even
 energetic characters1 which have       
effected a sincere reform of mind  and  
will1 have the mortification of         
discovering this ,jesuitical  element1  
derived from their mothers1 when they   
turn to make an  inventory of their     
ideas4    ,woman must not be restricted 
to the home4 ,the sphere of her activity
  must go out far beyond her home3 it   
must extend to the very confines of     
society4 ,but in order to ensure a      
helpful result from her activity we     
must not restrict the amount of         
knowledge we communicate to her2 she    
must learn1 both in regard to quantity  

and quality1 the same things as  man4   
,when science enters the mind of woman  
it will direct her rich vein  of        
emotion1 the characteristic element of  
her nature1 the glad  harbinger of peace
 and happiness among men4    ,it has    
been said that woman represents         
continuity1 and man represents  change3 
man is the individual1 woman is the     
species4 ,change1 however1  would be    
useless1 fugitive1 and inconstant1 with 
no solid foundation of  reality1 if the 
work of woman did not strengthen and    
consolidate the  achievements of man4   
,the individual1 as such1 is the flower 
of a day1 a  thing of ephemeral         
significance in life4 ,woman1 who       
represents the  species1 has the        
function of retaining within the species
 the elements  which improve its life1  
and to discharge this function          
adequately she  needs scientific        
instruction4    ,humanity will advance  
more rapidly and confidently in the path
 of  progress and increase its resources

 a hundredfold if it combines the  ideas
 acquired by science with the emotional 
strength of woman4 ,ribot  observes that
 an idea is merely an idea1 an act of   
intelligence1  incapable of producing or
 doing anything1 unless it is           
accompanied by  an emotional state1 a   
motive element4 ,hence it is conceived  
as a  scientific truth that1 to the     
advantage of progress1 an idea does not 
long remain in a purely contemplative   
condition when it appears4 ,this  is    
obviated by associating the idea with   
emotion and love1 which do not  fail to 
convert it into vital action4    ,when  
will all this be accomplished8 ,when    
shall we see the marriage of  ideas with
 the impassioned heart of woman8 ,from  
that date we shall have  a moral        
matriarchate among civilised nations4   
,then1 on the one hand1  humanity1      
considered in the home circle1 will have
 the proper teacher  to direct the new  
generations in the sense of the ideal2  
and1 on the  other hand1 it will have an

 apostle and enthusiastic propagandist  
who  will impress the value of liberty  
on the minds of men and the need of     
co-operation upon the peoples of the    
world4                  ,,chapter ,,vi4 
,,co-,,education ,,of ,,the ,,social    
,,classes      ,there must be a         
co-education of the different social    
classes as well as  of the two sexes4 ,i
 might have founded a school giving     
lessons  gratuitously2 but a school for 
poor children only would not be a       
rational school1 since1 if they were not
 taught submission and  credulity as in 
the old type of school1 they would have 
been strongly  disposed to rebel1 and   
would instinctively cherish sentiments  
of  hatred4    ,there is no escape from 
the dilemma4 ,there is no middle term in
 the  school for the disinherited class 
alone2 you have either a systematic     
insistence1 by means of false teaching1 
on error and ignorance1 or  hatred of   
those who domineer and exploit4 ,it is a
 delicate point1 and  needs stating     

clearly4 ,rebellion against oppression  
is merely a  question of statics1 of    
equilibrium4 ,between one man and       
another who  are perfectly equal1 as is 
said in the immortal first clause of the
  famous ,declaration of the ,french    
,revolution 78,men are born and remain  
free and equal in rights071 there can be
 no social inequality4 ,if there  is    
such inequality1 some will tyrannise1   
the others protest and hate4  ,rebellion
 is a levelling tendency1 and to that   
extent natural and  rational1 however   
much it may be discredited by justice   
and its evil  companions1 law and       
religion4    ,i venture to say quite    
plainly3 the oppressed and the exploited
 have a  right to rebel1 because they   
have to reclaim their rights until they 
enjoy their full share in the common    
patrimony4 ,the ,modern ,school1        
however1 has to deal with children1 whom
 it prepares by instruction for  the    
state of manhood1 and it must not       
anticipate the cravings and  hatreds1   

the adhesions and rebellions1 which may 
be fitting sentiments  in the adult4 ,in
 other words1 it must not seek to gather
 fruit until it  has been produced by   
cultivation1 nor must it attempt to     
implant a  sense of responsibility until
 it has equipped the conscience with the
  fundamental conditions of such        
responsibility4 ,let it teach the       
children to be men2 when they are men1  
they may declare themselves  rebels     
against injustice4    ,it needs very    
little reflection to see that a school  
for rich children  only cannot be a     
rational school4 ,from the very nature  
of things it  will tend to insist on the
 maintenance of privilege and the       
securing of  their advantages4 ,the only
 sound and enlightened form of school is
 that  which co-educates the poor and   
the rich1 which brings the one class    
into touch with the other in the        
innocent equality of childhood1 by      
means of the systematic equality of the 
rational school4    ,with this end in   

view ,i decided to secure pupils of     
every social rank  and include them in a
 common class1 adopting a system        
accommodated to  the circumstances of   
the parents or guardians of the         
children2 ,i would  not have a fixed and
 invariable fee1 but a kind of sliding  
scale1 with  free lessons for some and  
different charges for others4 ,i later  
published the following article on the  
subject in the ,bulletin 7,may #aj1     
#aije73--          ,our friend ,d4 ,r4  
,c4 gave a lecture last ,sunday at the  
,republican      ,club on the subject of
 8,modern ,pdagogy10 explaining to his  
audience what we mean by modern         
education and what advantages           
society may derive from it4 ,as ,i think
 that the subject is one of      very   
great interest and most proper to       
receive public attention1 ,i      offer 
the following reflections and           
considerations on it4 ,it seems      to 
me that the lecturer was happy in his   
exposition of the ideal1      but not in

 the suggestions he made with a view to 
realising it1 nor      in bringing      
forward the schools of ,france and      
,belgium as models to      be imitated4 
,seor ,c41 in fact1 relies upon the     
,state1 upon ,parliament or             
municipalities1 for the building1       
equipment1 and management of            
scholastic institutions4 ,this seems to 
me a great mistake4 ,if      modern     
pdagogy means an effort towards the     
realisation of a new      and more just 
form of society2 if it means that we    
propose to      instruct the rising     
generation in the causes which have     
brought      about and maintain the lack
 of social equilibrium2 if it means that
      we are anxious to prepare the race
 for better days1 freeing it from       
religious fiction and from all idea of  
submission to an inevitable             
socio-economic inequality2 we cannot    
entrust it to the ,state nor to         
other official organisms which          
necessarily maintain existing           

privileges and support the laws which at
 present consecrate the                 
exploitation of one man by another1 the 
pernicious source of the      worst     
abuses4        ,evidence of the truth of
 this is so abundant that any person can
      obtain it by visiting the         
factories and workshops and other       
centres      of paid workers1 by        
inquiring what is the manner of life of 
those      in the higher and those in   
the lower social rank1 by frequenting   
what are called courts of justice1 and  
by asking the prisoners in      our     
penal institutions what were the motives
 for their misconduct4      ,if all this
 does not suffice to prove that the     
,state favours those      who are in    
possession of wealth and frowns on those
 who rebel      against injustice1 it   
may be useful to notice what has        
happened in      ,belgium4 ,here1       
according to ,seor ,c41 the government  
is so      attentive to education and   
conducts it so excellently that private 

schools are impossible4 ,in the official
 schools1 he says1 the      children of 
the rich mingle with the children of the
 poor1 and one      may at times see the
 child of wealthy parents arm in arm    
with a      poor and lowly companion4   
,it is true1 ,i admit1 that children of 
all      classes may attend the ,belgian
 schools2 but the instruction that is   
given in them is based on the supposed  
eternal necessity for a      division of
 rich and poor1 and on the principle    
that social harmony      consists in the
 fulfilment of the laws4        ,it is  
natural enough that the masters should  
like to see this kind      of education 
given on every side4 ,it is a means of  
bringing to      reason those who might 
one day be tempted to rebel4 ,not long  
ago1      in ,brussels and other        
,belgian towns1 the sons of the rich1   
armed      and organised in national    
troops1 shot down the sons of the poor  
who were claiming universal suffrage4   
,on the other hand1 my      acquaintance

 with the quality of ,belgian education 
differs      considerably from that of  
the lecturer4 ,i have before me various 
issues of a ,belgian journal 7,l',exprss
 de ,lige7 which devotes an      article
 to the subject1 entitled 8,the         
,destruction of our ,national           
,system of ,education40 ,the facts given
 are1 unfortunately1 very      similar  
to the facts about education in ,spain1 
though in this      country there has   
been a great development of education by
      religious orders1 which is1 as    
everybody knows1 the systematisation    
of ignorance4 ,in fine1 it is not for   
nothing that a violently      clerical  
government rules in ,belgium4        ,as
 to the modern education which is given 
in ,french schools1 we may      say that
 not a single one of the books used in  
them serves the      purpose of a really
 secular education4 ,on the very day on 
which      ,seor ,c4 was lecturing in   
,gracia the ,parisian journal ,l',action
      published an article1 with the    

title 8,how ,secular ,morality is       
,taught10 in regard to the book ,recueil
 de maximes et penses      morales1 and 
quoted from it certain ridiculously     
anachronistic      ideas which offend   
the most elementary common sense4       
,we shall be asked1 ,what are we to do  
if we cannot rely on the aid      of the
 ,state1 of ,parliament1 or             
municipalities8 ,we must appeal to      
those whose interest it is to bring     
about a reform2 to the workers1      in 
the first place1 then to the cultivated 
and privileged people      who cherish  
sentiments of justice4 ,they may not be 
numerous1 but      there are such4 ,i am
 personally acquainted with several4    
,the      lecturer complained that the  
civic authorities were so dilatory in   
granting the reforms that are needed4 ,i
 feel sure that he would do      better 
not to waste his time on them1 but      
appeal directly to the      working     
class4        ,the field has been well  
prepared4 ,let him visit the various    

working      men's societies1 the       
,republican ,fraternities1 the ,centres 
of      ,instruction1 the ,workers'     
,athenums1 and all the bodies which are 
working for reform1 #c and let him give 
ear to the language of      truth1 the  
exhortations to union and courage4 ,let 
him observe the      attention given to 
the problem of rational and scientific  
instruction1 a kind of instruction which
 shows the injustice of      privilege  
and the possibility of reforms4 ,if     
individuals and      societies continue 
thus to combine their endeavours to     
secure the      emancipation of those   
who suffer--for it is not the workers   
only who      suffer--,seor ,c4 may rest
 assured of a positive1 sound1 and      
speedy      result1 while whatever may  
be obtained of the government will be   
dilatory1 and will tend only to stupefy1
 to confuse ideas1 and to               
perpetuate the domination of one class  
over another4                  ,,chapter
 ,,vii4    ,,school ,,hygiene      ,in  

regard to hygiene we are1 in ,spain1    
dominated by the abominable  ideas of   
the ,catholic ,church4 ,saint ,aloysius 
and ,saint ,benedict ,j4  ,labr are not 
the only1 or the most characteristic1   
saints in the list  of the supposed     
citizens of the kingdom of heaven1 but  
they are the  most popular with the     
masters of uncleanliness4 ,with such    
types of  perfection1 #d in an          
atmosphere of ignorance1 cleverly and   
maliciously  sustained by the clergy and
 the middle-class ,liberals1 it was to  
be  expected that the children who would
 come to our school would be  wanting in
 cleanliness2 dirt is traditional in    
their world4    ,we began a discreet and
 systematic campaign against it1 showing
 the  children how a dirty person or    
object inspires repugnance1 and how     
cleanliness attracts esteem and         
sympathy2 how one instinctively moves   
towards the cleanly person and away from
 the dirty and malodorous2 and  how we  
should be pleased to win the regard of  

those who see us and  ashamed to excite 
their disgust4    ,we then explained    
cleanliness as an aspect of beauty1 and 
uncleanliness  as a part of ugliness2   
and we at length entered expressly into 
the  province of hygiene1 pointing out  
that dirt was a cause of disease and  a 
constant possible source of infection   
and epidemic1 while cleanliness  was one
 of the chief conditions of health4 ,we 
thus soon succeeded in  disposing the   
children in favour of cleanliness1 and  
making them  understand the scientific  
principles of hygiene4    ,the influence
 of these lessons spread to their       
families1 as the new  demands of the    
children disturbed traditional habits4  
,one child would  ask urgently for its  
feet to be washed1 another would ask to 
be bathed1  another wanted a brush and  
powder for its teeth1 another new       
clothes or  boots1 and so on4 ,the poor 
mothers1 burdened with their daily      
tasks1  sometimes crushed by the        
hardness of the circumstances in which  

their  life was passed1 and probably    
under the influence of religious        
teaching1 endeavoured to stop their     
petitions2 but in the end the new  life 
introduced into the home by the child   
triumphed1 a welcome presage  of the    
regeneration which rational education   
will one day accomplish4    ,i entrusted
 the expounding of the principles of    
scholastic hygiene to  competent men1   
and ,dr4 ,martnez ,vargas and others    
wrote able and  detailed articles on the
 subject in the ,bulletin4 ,other       
articles were  written on the subject of
 games and play1 on the lines of modern 
pdagogy4 #e                  ,,chapter  
,,viii4    ,,the ,,teachers      ,the   
choice of teachers was another point of 
great difficulty4 ,the  tracing of a    
programme of rational instruction once  
accomplished1 it  remained to choose    
teachers who were competent to carry it 
out1 and ,i  found that in fact no such 
persons existed4 ,we were to illustrate 
once  more that a need creates its own  

organs4    ,certainly there were plenty 
of teachers4 ,teaching1 though not very 
lucrative1 is a profession by which a   
man can support himself4 ,there is  not 
a universal truth in the popular proverb
 which says of an  unfortunate man3 8,he
 is hungrier than a schoolmaster40 #f   
,the truth is  that in many parts of    
,spain the schoolmaster forms part of   
the local  governing clique1 with the   
priest1 the doctor1 the shopkeeper1 and 
the  money-lender 7who is often one of  
the richest men in the place1 though  he
 contributes least to its welfare74 ,the
 master receives a municipal  salary1   
and has a certain influence which may at
 times secure material  advantages4 ,in 
larger towns the master1 if he is not   
content with his  salary1 may give      
lessons in private schools1 where1 in   
accord with the  provincial institute1  
he prepares young men for the           
,university4 ,even if  he does not      
obtain a position of distinction1 he    
lives as well as the  generality of his 

fellow townsmen4    ,there are1         
moreover1 teachers in what are called   
8secular schools0--a  name imported from
 ,france1 where it arose because the    
schooling was  formerly exclusively     
clerical and conducted by religious     
bodies4 ,this  is not the case in       
,spain2 however ,christian the teaching 
is1 it is  always given by lay masters4 
,however1 the ,spanish lay teachers1    
inspired by sentiments of freethought   
and political radicalism1 were  rather  
anti-,catholic and anti-clerical than   
,rationalist1 in the best  sense of the 
word4    ,professional teachers have to 
undergo a special preparation for the   
task of imparting scientific and        
rational instruction4 ,this is          
difficult in all cases1 and is sometimes
 rendered impossible by the             
difficulties caused by habits of        
routine4 ,on the other hand1 those who  
had had no pdagogical experience1 and   
offered themselves for the work  out of 
pure enthusiasm for the idea1 stood in  

even greater need of  preparatory study4
 ,the solution of the problem was very  
difficult1  because there was no other  
place but the rational school itself for
  making this preparation4    ,the      
excellence of the system saved us4 ,once
 the ,modern ,school had been           
established by private initiative1 with 
a firm determination to be  guided by   
the ideal1 the difficulties began to    
disappear4 ,every  dogmatic imposition  
was detected and rejected1 every        
excursion or  deviation in the direction
 of metaphysics was at once abandoned1  
and  experience gradually formed a new  
and salutary pdagogical science4  ,this 
was due1 not merely to my zeal and      
vigilance1 but to my earliest  teachers1
 and to some extent to the naive        
expressions of the pupils  themselves4  
,we may certainly say that if a need    
creates an organ1 the  organ speedily   
meets the need4    ,nevertheless1 in    
order to complete my work1 ,i           
established a ,rationalist  ,normal     

,school for the education of teachers1  
under the direction of an  experienced  
master and with the co-operation of the 
teachers in the  ,modern ,school4 ,in   
this a number of young people of both   
sexes were  trained1 and they worked    
excellently until the despotic          
authorities1  yielding to our obscure   
and powerful enemies1 put a stop to our 
work1  and flattered themselves that    
they had destroyed it for ever4         
,,chapter ,,ix4    ,,the ,,reform ,,of  
,,the ,,school      ,there are two ways 
open to those who seek to reform the    
education of  children4 ,they may seek  
to transform the school by studying the 
child  and proving scientifically that  
the actual scheme of instruction is     
defective1 and must be modified2 or they
 may found new schools in which         
principles may be directly applied in   
the service of that ideal which  is     
formed by all who reject the            
conventions1 the cruelty1 the trickery1 
and the untruth which enter into the    

bases of modern society4    ,the first  
method offers great advantages1 and is  
in harmony with the  evolutionary       
conception which men of science regard  
as the only  effective way of attaining 
the end4 ,they are right in theory1 as  
we  fully admit4 ,it is evident that the
 progress of psychology and  physiology 
must lead to important changes in       
educational methods2 that  the teachers1
 being now in a better position to      
understand the child1  will make their  
teaching more in conformity with natural
 laws4 ,i  further grant that this      
evolution will proceed in the direction 
of  greater liberty1 as ,i am convinced 
that violence is the method of          
ignorance1 and that the educator who is 
really worthy of the name will  gain    
everything by spontaneity2 he will know 
the child's needs1 and  will be able to 
promote its development by giving it the
 greatest  possible satisfaction4    ,in
 point of fact1 however1 ,i do not think
 that those who are working  for the    

regeneration of humanity have much to   
hope from this side4  ,rulers have      
always taken care to control the        
education of the people2  they know     
better than any that their power is     
based entirely on the  school1 and they 
therefore insist on retaining their     
monopoly of it4  ,the time has gone by  
when rulers could oppose the spread of  
instruction  and put limits to the      
education of the masses4 ,such a policy 
was  possible formerly because economic 
life was consistent with general        
ignorance1 and this ignorance           
facilitated despotism4 ,the             
circumstances  have changed1 however4   
,the progress of science and our        
repeated  discoveries have              
revolutionised the conditions of labour 
and  production4 ,it is no longer       
possible for the people to remain       
ignorant2  education is absolutely      
necessary for a nation to maintain      
itself and  make headway against its    
economic competitors4 ,recognising this1

 the  rulers have sought to give a more 
and more complete organisation to the   
school1 not because they look to        
education to regenerate society1 but    
because they need more competent workers
 to sustain industrial  enterprises and 
enrich their cities4 ,even the most     
reactionary rulers  have learned this   
lesson2 they clearly understand that the
 old policy  was dangerous to the       
economic life of nations1 and that it   
was  necessary to adapt popular         
education to the new conditions4    ,it 
would be a serious mistake to think that
 the ruling classes have not  foreseen  
the danger to themselves of the         
intellectual development of  the people1
 and have not understood that it was    
necessary to change  their methods4 ,in 
fact1 their methods have been adapted to
 the new  conditions of life2 they have 
sought to gain control of the ideas     
which  are in course of evolution4 ,they
 have endeavoured to preserve the       
beliefs on which social discipline had  

been grounded1 and to give to  the      
results of scientific research and the  
ideas involved in them a  meaning which 
will not be to the disadvantage of      
existing institutions2  and it is this  
that has induced them to assume control 
of the school4  ,in every country the   
governing classes1 which formerly left  
the  education of the people to the     
clergy1 as these were quite willing to  
educate in a sense of obedience to      
authority1 have now themselves          
undertaken the direction of the schools4
    ,the danger to them consists in the 
stimulation of the human mind by the    
new spectacle of life and the possible  
rise of thoughts of emancipation  in the
 depths of their hearts4 ,it would have 
been folly to struggle  against the     
evolving forces2 the effect would be    
only to inflame them1  and1 instead of  
adhering to earlier methods of          
government1 they would  adopt new and   
more effective methods4 ,it did not     
require any  extraordinary genius to    

discover the solution4 ,the course of   
events  itself suggested to those who   
were in power the way in which they were
  to meet the difficulties which        
threatened2 they built schools1 they    
sought generously to extend the sphere  
of education1 and if there were  at one 
point a few who resisted this           
impulse--as certain tendencies  favoured
 one or other of the political          
parties--all soon understood that  it   
was better to yield1 and that the best  
policy was to find some new  way of     
defending their interests and           
principles4 ,there were then sharp      
struggles for the control of the        
schools1 and these struggles continue   
to-day in every civilised country2      
sometimes the republican  middle-class  
triumphs1 sometimes the clergy4 ,all    
parties appreciate the  importance of   
the issue1 and they shrink from no      
sacrifice to win the  victory4 8,the    
school0 is the cry of every party4 ,the 
public good must  be recognised in this 

zeal4 ,everybody seeks to raise himself 
and  improve his condition by education4
 ,in former times it might have been    
said3 8,those people want to keep thee  
in ignorance in order the better  to    
exploit thee3 we want to see thee       
educated and free40 ,that is no  longer 
possible2 schools of all kinds rise on  
every side4    ,in regard to this       
general change of ideas among the       
governing classes  as to the need of    
schools1 ,i may state certain reasons   
for distrusting  their intentions and   
doubting the efficacy of the means of   
reform which  are advocated by certain  
writers4 ,as a rule1 these reformers    
care  little about the social           
significance of education2 they are men 
who  eagerly embrace scientific truth1  
but eliminate all that is foreign to    
the object of their studies4 ,they are  
patiently endeavouring to  understand   
the child1 and are eager to know--though
 their science is  young1 it must be    
remembered--what are the best methods to

 promote its  intellectual development4 
,this kind of professional indifference 
is1 in my opinion1 very  prejudicial to 
the cause they seek to serve4 ,i do not 
in the least  think them insensible of  
the realities of the social world1 and  
,i know  that they believe that the     
public welfare will be greatly furthered
 by  their labours4 8,seeking to        
penetrate the secrets of the life of    
man10  they reflect1 8and unravelling   
the normal process of his physical and  
psychic development1 we shall direct    
education into a channel which  will be 
favourable to the liberation of energy4 
,we are not immediately  concerned with 
the reform of the school1 and indeed we 
are unable to  say exactly what lines it
 should follow4 ,we will proceed slowly1
  knowing that1 from the very nature of 
things1 the reform of the school  will  
result from our research4 ,if you ask us
 what are our hopes1 we  will grant     
that1 like you1 we foresee a revolution 
in the sense of a  placing of the child 

and humanity under the direction of     
science2 yet  even in this case we are  
persuaded that our work makes for that  
object1  and will be the speediest and  
surest means of promoting it40    ,this 
reasoning is evidently logical4 ,no one 
could deny this1 yet there  is a        
considerable degree of fallacy in it1   
and we must make this clear4  ,if the   
ruling classes have the same ideas as   
the reformers1 if they are  really      
impelled by a zeal for the continuous   
reorganisation of society  until poverty
 is at last eliminated1 we might        
recognise that the power  of science is 
enough to improve the lot of peoples4   
,instead of this1  however1 we see      
clearly that the sole aim of those who  
strive to attain  power is the defence  
of their own interests1 their own       
advantage1 and  the satisfaction of     
their personal desires4 ,for some time  
now we have  ceased to accept the       
phrases with which they disguise their  
ambitions4  ,it is true that there are  

some in whom we may find a certain      
amount of  sincerity1 and who imagine at
 times that they are impelled by a zeal 
for the good of their fellows4 ,but     
these become rarer and rarer1 and  the  
positivism of the age is very severe in 
raising doubts as to the  real          
intentions of those who govern us4      
,and just as they contrived to adapt    
themselves when the necessity  arose1   
and prevented education from becoming a 
danger1 they also  succeeded in         
organising the school in accord with the
 new scientific  ideas in such a way    
that nothing should endanger their      
supremacy4 ,these  ideas are difficult  
to accept1 and one needs to keep a sharp
 look-out  for successful methods and   
see how things are arranged so as to    
avoid  verbal traps4 ,how much has been1
 and is1 expected of education6 ,most   
progressive people expect everything of 
it1 and1 until recent years1  many did  
not understand that instruction alone   
leads to illusions4 ,much  of the       

knowledge actually imparted in schools  
is useless2 and the hope  of reformers  
has been void because the organisation  
of the school1  instead of serving an   
ideal purpose1 has become one of the    
most  powerful instruments of servitude 
in the hands of the ruling class4 ,the  
teachers are merely conscious or        
unconscious organs of their will1 and   
have been trained on their principles4  
,from their tenderest years1 and  more  
drastically than anybody1 they have     
endured the discipline of  authority4   
,very few have escaped this despotic    
domination2 they are  generally         
powerless against it1 because they are  
oppressed by the  scholastic            
organisation to such an extent that they
 have nothing to do  but obey4 ,it is   
unnecessary here to describe that       
organisation4 ,one  word will suffice to
 characterise it--,violence4 ,the school
 dominates the  children physically1    
morally1 and intellectually1 in order to
 control  the development of their      

faculties in the way desired1 and       
deprives  them of contact with nature in
 order to modify them as required4 ,this
  is the explanation of the failure2 the
 eagerness of the ruling class to       
control education and the bankruptcy of 
the hopes of reformers4  8,education0   
means in practice domination or         
domestication4 ,i do not  imagine that  
these systems have been put together    
with the deliberate  aim of securing the
 desired results4 ,that would be a work 
of genius4  ,but things have happened   
just as if the actual scheme of         
education  corresponded to some vast and
 deliberate conception2 it could not    
have  been done better4 ,to attain it   
teachers have inspired themselves solely
  with the principles of discipline and 
authority1 which always appeal to       
social organisers2 such men have only   
one clear idea and one will--the        
children must learn to obey1 to believe1
 and to think according to the          
prevailing social dogmas4 ,if this were 

the aim1 education could not be  other  
than we find it to-day4 ,there is no    
question of promoting the  spontaneous  
development of the child's faculties1 or
 encouraging it to  seek freely the     
satisfaction of its physical1           
intellectual1 and moral  needs4 ,there  
is question only of imposing ready-made 
ideas on it1 of  preventing it from ever
 thinking otherwise than is required for
 the  maintenance of existing social    
institutions--of making it1 in a word1  
an  individual rigorously adapted to the
 social mechanism4    ,it cannot be     
expected that this kind of education    
will have any  influence on the progress
 of humanity4 ,i repeat that it is      
merely an  instrument of domination in  
the hands of the ruling classes1 who    
have  never sought to uplift the        
individual1 and it is quite useless to  
expect any good from the schools of the 
present day4 ,what they have  done up to
 the present they will continue to do in
 the future4 ,there is  no reason       

whatever why they should adopt a        
different system2 they have  resolved to
 use education for their purposes1 and  
they will take  advantage of every      
improvement of it4 ,if only they        
preserve the spirit  of the school and  
the authoritative discipline which rules
 it1 every  innovation will tend to     
their advantage4 ,for this they will    
keep a  constant watch1 and take care   
that their interests are secured4    ,i 
would fix the attention of my readers on
 this point3 the whole value  of        
education consists in respect for the   
physical1 intellectual1 and  moral      
faculties of the child4 ,as in science1 
the only possible  demonstration is     
demonstration by facts2 education is not
 worthy of the  name unless it be       
stripped of all dogmatism1 and unless it
 leaves to  the child the direction of  
its powers and is content to support    
them in  their manifestations4 ,but     
nothing is easier than to alter this    
meaning  of education1 and nothing more 

difficult than to respect it4 ,the      
teacher is always imposing1 compelling1 
and using violence2 the true  educator  
is the man who does not impose his own  
ideas and will on the  child1 but       
appeals to its own energies4    ,from   
this we can understand how easily       
education is conducted1 and how  light  
is the task of those who seek to        
dominate the individual4 ,the  best     
conceivable methods become in their     
hands so many new and more  effective   
means of despotism4 ,our ideal is that  
of science2 we appeal  to it in         
demanding the power to educate the child
 by fostering its  development and      
procuring a satisfaction of its needs as
 they manifest  themselves4    ,we are  
convinced that the education of the     
future will be entirely  spontaneous4   
,it is plain that we cannot wholly      
realise this1 but the  evolution of     
methods in the direction of a broader   
comprehension of  life and the fact that
 all improvement involves the           

suppression of  violence indicate that  
we are on solid ground when we look to  
science  for the liberation of the      
child4    ,is this the ideal of those   
who actually control the scholastic     
system8  ,is this what they propose to  
bring about8 ,are they eager to abandon 
violence8 ,only in the sense that they  
employ new and more effective  methods  
to attain the same end--that is to say1 
the formation of  individuals who will  
accept all the conventions1 all the     
prejudices1  and all the untruths on    
which society is based4    ,we do not   
hesitate to say that we want men who    
will continue  unceasingly to develop2  
men who are capable of constantly       
destroying  and renewing their          
surroundings and renewing themselves2   
men whose  intellectual independence is 
their supreme power1 which they will    
yield  to none2 men always disposed for 
things that are better1 eager for the   
triumph of new ideas1 anxious to crowd  
many lives into the one life  they have4

 ,society fears such men2 you cannot    
expect it to set up a  system of        
education which will produce them4      
,what1 then1 is our mission8 ,what is   
the policy we must adopt in order  to   
contribute to the reform of the school8 
,let us follow closely the work of the  
experts who are engaged in the  study of
 the child1 and let us endeavour to find
 a way of applying  their principles to 
the education we seek to establish1     
aiming at an  increasingly complete     
emancipation of the individual4 ,but how
 are we to  do this8 ,by putting our    
hand energetically to the work1 by      
promoting  the establishment of new     
schools in which1 as far as possible1   
there  shall rule this spirit of freedom
 which1 we feel1 will colour the whole  
education of the future4    ,we have    
already had proof that it leads to      
excellent results4 ,we can  destroy     
whatever there is in the actual school  
that savours of  violence1 all the      
artificial devices by which the children

 are  estranged from nature and life1   
the intellectual and moral discipline   
which has been used to impose ready-made
 thoughts1 all beliefs which  deprave   
and enervate the will4 ,without fear of 
injury we may place the  child in a     
proper and natural environment1 in which
 it will find itself  in contact with   
all that it loves1 and where vital      
impressions will be  substituted for the
 wearisome reading of books4 ,if we do  
no more than  this1 we shall have done  
much towards the emancipation of the    
child4    ,in such an environment we may
 freely make use of the data of science 
and work with profit4 ,it is true that  
we could not realise all our  hopes2    
that often we shall find ourselves      
compelled1 from lack of  knowledge1 to  
use the wrong means4 ,but we shall be   
sustained by the  confident feeling     
that1 without having achieved our entire
 aim1 we  shall have done a great deal  
more than is being done by the actual   
school4 ,i would rather have the free   

spontaneity of a child who knows        
nothing than the verbal knowledge and   
intellectual deformation of one  that   
has experienced the existing system of  
education4    ,what we have sought to do
 in ,barcelona is being done by others  
in  various places4 ,all of us saw that 
the work was possible4 ,dedicate        
yourself to it at once4 ,we do not hope 
that the studies of children  will be   
suspended that we may regenerate the    
school4 ,let us apply what  we know1 and
 go on learning and applying4 ,a scheme 
of rational  education is already       
possible1 and in such schools as we     
advocate the  children may develop      
freely according to their aspirations4  
,let us  endeavour to improve and extend
 the work4    ,those are our aims4 ,we  
know well the difficulties we have to   
face2 but  we have made a beginning in  
the conviction that we shall be assisted
 in  our task by those who work in their
 various spheres to deliver men from    
the dogmas and conventions which secure 

the prolongation of the present  unjust 
arrangement of society4                 
,,chapter ,x4    ,,no ,,reward ,,or     
,,punishment      ,rational education   
is1 above all things1 a means of defence
 against  error and ignorance4 ,to      
ignore truth and accept absurdities is1 
unhappily1 a common feature in our      
social order2 to that we owe the        
distinction of classes and the          
persistent antagonism of interests4     
,having admitted and practised the      
co-education of boys and girls1 of  rich
 and poor--having1 that is to say1      
started from the principle of           
solidarity and equality--we are not     
prepared to create a new inequality4    
,hence in the ,modern ,school there will
 be no rewards and no punishments2      
there will be no examinations to puff up
 some children with the  flattering     
title of 8excellent10 to give others the
 vulgar title of  8good10 and make      
others unhappy with a consciousness of  
incapacity and  failure4    ,these      

features of the existing official and   
religious schools1 which  are quite in  
accord with their reactionary           
environment and aim1 cannot1  for the   
reasons ,i have given1 be admitted into 
the ,modern ,school4 ,since  we are not 
educating for a specific purpose1 we    
cannot determine the  capacity or       
incapacity of the child4 ,when we teach 
a science1 or art1  or trade1 or some   
subject requiring special conditions1 an
 examination  may be useful1 and there  
may be reason to give a diploma or      
refuse one2  ,i neither affirm nor deny 
it4 ,but there is no such specialism in 
the  ,modern ,school4 ,the              
characteristic note of the school1      
distinguishing it  even from some which 
pass as progressive models1 is that in  
it the  faculties of the children shall 
develop freely without subjection to    
any dogmatic patron1 not even to what it
 may consider the body of  convictions  
of the founder and teachers2 every pupil
 shall go forth  from it into social    

life with the ability to be his own     
master and  guide his own life in all   
things4    ,hence1 if we were rationally
 prevented from giving prizes1 we could 
not  impose penalties1 and no one would 
have dreamed of doing so in our  school 
if the idea had not been suggested from 
without4 ,sometimes  parents came to me 
with the rank proverb1 8,letters go in  
with blood10  on their lips1 and begged 
me to punish their children4 ,others who
 were  charmed with the precocious      
talent of their children wanted to see  
them  shine in examinations and exhibit 
medals4 ,we refused to admit either     
prizes or punishments1 and sent the     
parents away4 ,if any child were        
conspicuous for merit1 application1     
laziness1 or bad conduct1 we  pointed   
out to it the need of accord1 or the    
unhappiness of lack of  accord1 with its
 own welfare and that of others1 and the
 teacher might  give a lecture on the   
subject4 ,nothing more was done1 and the
 parents  were gradually reconciled to  

the system1 though they often had to be 
corrected in their errors and prejudices
 by their own children4                 
,nevertheless1 the old prejudice was    
constantly recurring1 and ,i saw  that  
,i had to repeat my arguments with the  
parents of new pupils4 ,i  therefore    
wrote the following article in the      
,bulletin3--          ,the conventional 
examinations which we usually find held 
at the end      of a scholastic year1 to
 which our fathers attached so much     
importance1 have had no result at all2  
or1 if any result1 a bad      one4      
,these functions and their accompanying 
solemnities seem to      have been      
instituted for the sole purpose of      
satisfying the vanity      of parents   
and the selfish interests of many       
teachers1 and in order      to put the  
children to torture before the          
examination and make them      ill      
afterwards4 ,each father wants his child
 to be presented in      public as one  
of the prodigies of the college1 and    

regards him with      pride as a learned
 man in miniature4 ,he does not notice  
that for a      fortnight or so the     
child suffers exquisite torture4 ,as    
things are      judged by external      
appearances1 it is not thought that     
there is any      real torture1 as there
 is not the least scratch visible on the
      skin4444        ,the parent's lack
 of acquaintance with the natural       
disposition of      the child1 and the  
iniquity of putting it in false         
conditions so      that its intellectual
 powers1 especially in the sphere of    
memory1      are artificially           
stimulated1 prevent the parent from     
seeing that      this measure of        
personal gratification may1 as has      
happened in many      cases1 lead to    
illness and to the moral1 if not the    
physical1 death      of the child4      
,on the other hand1 the majority of     
teachers1 being mere      stereotypers  
of ready-made phrases and mechanical    
inoculators1      rather than moral     

fathers of their pupils1 are concerned  
in these      examinations with their   
own personality and their economic      
interests4 ,their object is to let the  
parents and the others who      are     
present at the public display see that1 
under their guidance1      the child has
 learned a good deal1 that its knowledge
 is greater in      quantity and quality
 than could have been expected of its   
tender      years and in view of the    
short time that it has been under the   
charge of this very skilful teacher4    
,in addition to this wretched vanity1   
which is satisfied at the cost      of  
the moral and physical life of the      
child1 the teachers are      anxious to 
elicit compliments from the parents and 
the rest of the      audience1 who know 
nothing of the real state of things1 as 
a kind      of advertisement of the     
prestige of their particular school4    
,briefly1 we are inexorably opposed to  
holding public examinations4      ,in   
our school everything must be done for  

the advantage of the      pupil4        
,everything that does not conduce to    
this end must be      recognised as     
opposed to the natural spirit of        
positive education4      ,examinations  
do no good1 and they do much harm to the
 child4      ,besides the illness of    
which we have already spoken1 the       
nervous      system of the child        
suffers1 and a kind of temporary        
paralysis is      inflicted on its      
conscience by the immoral features of   
the      examination2 the vanity        
provoked in those who are placed        
highest1      envy and humiliation1     
grave obstacles to sound growth1 in     
those who      have failed1 and in all  
of them the germs of most of the        
sentiments      which go to the making  
of egoism4      ,in a later number of   
the ,bulletin ,i found it necessary to  
return to the  subject3--          ,we  
frequently receive letters from         
,workers' ,educational ,societies       
and ,republican ,fraternities asking    

that the teachers shall chastise        
the children in our schools4 ,we        
ourselves have been disgusted1          
during our brief excursions1 to find    
material proofs of the fact      which  
is at the base of this request2 we have 
seen children on      their knees1 or in
 other attitudes of punishment4         
,these irrational and atavistic         
practices must disappear4 ,modern       
pdagogy entirely discredits them4 ,the  
teachers who offer their      services  
to the ,modern ,school1 or ask our      
recommendation to teach      in similar 
schools1 must refrain from any moral or 
material      punishment1 under penalty 
of being disqualified permanently4      
,scolding1 impatience1 and anger ought  
to disappear with the ancient      title
 of 8master40 ,in free schools all      
should be peace1 gladness1      and     
fraternity4 ,we trust that this will    
suffice to put an end to      these     
practices1 which are most improper in   
people whose sole ideal      is the     

training of a generation fitted to      
establish a really      fraternal1      
harmonious1 and just state of society4  
,,chapter ,,xi4    ,,the ,,general      
,,public ,,and ,,the ,,library      ,in 
setting out to establish a rational     
school for the purpose of  preparing    
children for their entry into the free  
solidarity of  humanity1 the first      
problem that confronted us was the      
selection of  books4 ,the whole         
educational luggage of the ancient      
system was an  incoherent mixture of    
science and faith1 reason and unreason1 
good and  evil1 human experience and    
revelation1 truth and error2 in a word1 
totally unsuited to meet the new needs  
that arose with the formation of  a new 
school4    ,if the school has been from 
remote antiquity equipped not for       
teaching  in the broad sense of         
communicating to the rising generation  
the gist  of the knowledge of previous  
generations1 but for teaching on the    
basis  of authority and the convenience 

of the ruling classes1 for the purpose  
of making children humble and           
submissive1 it is clear that none of the
  books hitherto used would suit us4    
,but the severe logic of this  position 
did not at once convince me4 ,i refused 
to believe that the  ,french democracy1 
which worked so zealously for the       
separation of  ,church and ,state1      
incurred the anger of the clericals1 and
 adopted  obligatory secular            
instruction1 would resign itself to a   
semi-education  or a sophisticated      
education4 ,i had1 however1 to yield to 
the evidence1  against my prejudice4 ,i 
first read a large number of works in   
the  ,french code of secular            
instruction1 and found that ,god was    
replaced by  the ,state1 ,christian     
virtue by civic duty1 religion by       
patriotism1  submission to the king1 the
 aristocracy1 and the clergy by         
subservience  to the official1 the      
proprietor1 and the employer4 ,then ,i  
consulted an  eminent ,freethinker who  

held high office in the ,ministry of    
,public  ,instruction1 and1 when ,i had 
told him my desire to see the books they
  used1 which ,i understood to be purged
 of traditional errors1 and  explained  
my design and ideal to him1 he told me  
frankly that they had  nothing of the   
sort2 all their books were1 more or less
 cleverly and  insidiously1 tainted with
 untruth1 which is the indispensable    
cement of  social inequality4 ,when ,i  
further asked if1 seeing that they had  
replaced the decaying idol of deity by  
the idol of oligarchic  despotism1 they 
had not at least some book dealing with 
the origin of  religion1 he said that   
there was none2 but he knew one which   
would suit  me--,malvert's ,science and 
,religion4 ,in point of fact1 this was  
already  translated into ,spanish1 and  
was used as a reading-book in the       
,modern  ,school1 with the title ,origin
 of ,christianity4    ,in ,spanish      
literature ,i found several works       
written by a distinguished  author1 of  

some eminence in science1 who had       
produced them rather in  the interest of
 the publishers than with a view to the 
education of  children4 ,some of these  
were at first used in the ,modern       
,school1 but1  though one could not     
accuse them of error1 they lacked the   
inspiration  of an ideal and were poor  
in method4 ,i communicated with this    
author  with a view to interesting him  
in my plans and inducing him to write   
books for me1 but his publishers held   
him to a certain contract and he  could 
not oblige me4    ,in brief1 the ,modern
 ,school was opened before a single work
 had been  chosen for its library1 but  
it was not long before the first        
appeared--a  brilliant book by ,jean    
,grave1 which has had a considerable    
influence on  our schools4 ,his work1   
,the ,adventures of ,nono1 is a kind of 
poem in  which a certain phase of the   
happier future is ingeniously and       
dramatically contrasted with the sordid 
realities of the present social  order2 

the delights of the land of ,autonomy   
are contrasted with the  horrors of the 
kingdom of ,argirocracy4 ,the genius of 
,grave has raised  the work to a height 
at which it escapes the strictures of   
the  sceptical and conservative2 he has 
depicted the social evils of the        
present truthfully and without          
exaggeration4 ,the reading of the book  
enchanted the children1 and the         
profundity of his thought suggested     
many opportune comments to the teachers4
 ,in their play the children  used to   
act scenes from ,autonomy1 and their    
parents detected the causes  of their   
hardships in the constitution of the    
kingdom of ,argirocracy4    ,it was     
announced in the ,bulletin and other    
journals that prizes were  offered for  
the best manuals of rational            
instruction1 but no writers  came       
forward4 ,i confine myself to recording 
the fact without going into  the causes 
of it4 ,two books were afterwards       
adopted for reading in  school4 ,they   

were not written for school1 but they   
were translated for  the ,modern ,school
 and were very useful4 ,one was called  
,the ,note ,book1  the other            
,colonisation and ,patriotism4 ,both    
were collections of  passages from      
writers of every country on the         
injustices connected with  patriotism1  
the horrors of war1 and the iniquity of 
conquest4 ,the  choice of these works   
was vindicated by the excellent         
influence they  had on the minds of the 
children1 as we shall see from the      
little  essays of the children which    
appeared in the ,bulletin1 and the fury 
with which they were denounced by the   
reactionary press and  politicians4     
,many think that there is not much      
difference between secular and          
rationalist education1 and in various   
articles and propagandist  speeches the 
two were taken to be synonymous4 ,in    
order to correct this  error ,i         
published the following article in the  
,bulletin3--          ,the word         

education should not be accompanied by  
any qualification4      ,it means simply
 the need and duty of the generation    
which is in the      full development of
 its powers to prepare the rising       
generation and      admit it to the     
patrimony of human knowledge4 ,this is  
an entirely      rational ideal1 and it 
will be fully realised in some future   
age1      when men are wholly freed from
 their prejudices and superstitions4    
,in our efforts to realise this ideal we
 find ourselves confronted      with    
religious education and political       
education3 to these we must      oppose 
rational and scientific instruction4    
,the type of religious      education is
 that given in the clerical and convent 
schools of all      countries2 it       
consists of the smallest possible       
quantity of useful      knowledge and a 
good deal of ,christian doctrine and    
sacred history4      ,political         
education is the kind established some  
time ago in      ,france1 after the fall

 of the ,empire1 the object of which is 
to      exalt patriotism and represent  
the actual public administration as     
the instrument of the common welfare4   
,sometimes the qualification free or    
secular is applied abusively      and   
maliciously to education1 in order to   
distract or alienate      public        
opinion4 ,orthodox people1 for instance1
 call free schools      certain schools 
which they establish in opposition to   
the really      free tendency of modern 
pdagogy2 and many are called secular    
schools which are really political1     
patriotic1 and      anti-humanitarian4  
,rational education is lifted above     
these illiberal forms4 ,it has1      in 
the first place1 no regard to religious 
education1 because      science has     
shown that the story of creation is a   
myth and the gods      legendary2 and   
therefore religious education takes     
advantage of the      credulity of the  
parents and the ignorance of the        
children1      maintaining the belief in

 a supernatural being to whom people may
      address all kinds of prayers4     
,this ancient belief1 still             
unfortunately widespread1 has done a    
great deal of harm1 and will            
continue to do so as long as it         
persists4 ,the mission of education     
is to show the child1 by purely         
scientific methods1 that the more       
knowledge we have of natural products1  
their qualities1 and the way      to use
 them1 the more industrial1 scientific1 
and artistic      commodities we shall  
have for the support and comfort of     
life1 and      men and women will issue 
in larger numbers from our schools with 
a      determination to cultivate every 
branch of knowledge and action1         
under the guidance of reason and the    
inspiration of science and      art1    
which will adorn life and reform        
society4        ,we will not1 therefore1
 lose our time praying to an imaginary  
,god      for things which our own      
exertions alone can procure4        ,on 

the other hand1 our teaching has nothing
 to do with politics4 ,it      is our   
work to form individuals in the full    
possession of all their      faculties1 
while politics would subject their      
faculties to other      men4 ,while     
religion has1 with its divine power1    
created a      positively abusive power 
and retarded the development of         
humanity1      political systems also   
retard it by encouraging men to depend  
for      everything on the will of      
others1 on what are supposed to be men  
of      a superior character--on those1 
in a word1 who1 from tradition or       
choice1 exercise the profession of      
politics4 ,it must be the aim of        
the rational schools to show the        
children that there will be      tyranny
 and slavery as long as one man depends 
upon another1 to      study the causes  
of the prevailing ignorance1 to learn   
the origin      of all the traditional  
practices which give life to the        
existing      social system1 and to     

direct the attention of the pupils to   
these      matters4        ,we will not1
 therefore1 lose our time seeking from  
others what we      can get for         
ourselves4        ,in a word1 our       
business is to imprint on the minds of  
the children      the idea that their   
condition in the social order will      
improve in      proportion to their     
knowledge and to the strength they are  
able to      develop2 and that the era  
of general happiness will be the more   
sure to dawn when they have discarded   
all religious and other                 
superstitions1 which have up to the     
present done so much harm4 ,on      that
 account there are no rewards or        
punishments in our schools2 no          
alms1 no medals or badges in imitation  
of the religious and      patriotic     
schools1 which might encourage the      
children to believe in      talismans   
instead of in the individual and        
collective power of      beings who are 
conscious of their ability and          

knowledge4        ,rational and         
scientific knowledge must persuade the  
men and women      of the future that   
they have to expect nothing from any    
privileged      being 7fictitious or    
real72 and that they may expect all that
 is      reasonable from themselves and 
from a freely organised and accepted    
social order4      ,i then appealed in  
the ,bulletin and the local press to    
scientific  writers who were eager for  
the progress of the race to supply us   
with  text-books on these lines4 ,they  
were1 ,i said1 8to deliver the minds of 
the pupils from all the errors of our   
ancestors1 encourage them in the  love  
of truth and beauty1 and keep from them 
the authoritarian dogmas1  venerable    
sophisms1 and ridiculous                
conventionalities which at present      
disgrace our social life40 ,a special   
note was added in regard to the         
teaching of arithmetic3--          ,the 
way in which arithmetic has hitherto    
been generally taught has      made it a

 powerful instrument for impressing the 
pupils with the      false ideals of the
 capitalist rgime which at present      
presses so      heavily on society4 ,the
 ,modern ,school1 therefore1 invites    
essays on      the subject of the reform
 of the teaching of arithmetic1 and     
requests those friends of rational and  
scientific instruction who      are     
especially occupied with mathematics to 
draw up a series of      easy and       
practical problems1 in which there shall
 be no reference      to wages1 economy1
 and profit4 ,these exercises must deal 
with      agricultural and industrial   
production1 the just distribution of    
the raw material and the manufactured   
articles1 the means of                  
communication1 the transport of         
merchandise1 the comparison of          
human labour with mechanical1 the       
benefits of machinery1 public           
works1 etc4 ,in a word1 the ,modern     
,school wants a number of problems      
showing what arithmetic really ought to 

be--the science of the      social      
economy 7taking the word 8economy0 in   
its etymological sense      of 8good    
distribution074        ,the exercises   
will deal with the four fundamental     
operations      7integrals1 decimals1   
and fractions71 the metrical system1    
proportion1 compounds and alloys1 the   
squares and cubes of numbers1      and  
the extraction of square and cube roots4
 ,as those who respond      to this     
appeal are1 it is hoped1 inspired rather
 with the ideal of      a right         
education of children than with the     
desire of profit1 and      as we wish to
 avoid the common practice in such      
circumstances1 we      shall not appoint
 judges or offer any prizes4 ,the       
,modern ,school      will publish the   
,arithmetic which best serves its       
purpose1 and will      come to an       
amicable agreement with the author as to
 his fee4      ,a later note in the     
,bulletin was addressed to teachers3--  
,we would call the attention of all who 

dedicate themselves to the      noble   
ideal of the rational teaching of       
children and the      preparation of the
 young to take a fitting share in life  
to the      announcements of a          
,compendium of ,universal ,history by   
,clmence      ,jacquinet1 and ,the      
,adventures of ,nono by ,jean ,grave1   
which will be      found on the cover4  
#g ,the works which the ,modern ,school 
has      published or proposes to       
publish are intended for all free and   
rational teaching institutions1 centres 
of social study1 and      parents1 who  
resent the intellectual restrictions    
which dogma of      all                 
kinds--religious1 political1 and        
social--imposes in order to             
maintain privilege at the expense of the
 ignorant4 ,all who are      opposed to 
,jesuitism and to conventional lies1 and
 to the errors      transmitted by      
tradition and routine1 will find in our 
publications      truth based upon      
evidence4 ,as we have no desire of      

profit1 the      price of the works     
represents almost their intrinsic value 
or      material cost2 if there is any  
profit from the sale of them1 it        
will be spent upon subsequent           
publications4      ,in a later number of
 the ,bulletin 7,no4 #f1 second year7   
the  distinguished geographer ,elise    
,reclus wrote1 at my request1 a lengthy 
article on the teaching of geography4   
,in a letter which ,reclus  afterwards  
wrote me from the ,geographical         
,institute at ,brussels1  replying to my
 request that he should recommend a     
text-book1 he said  that there was 8no  
text-book for the teaching of geography 
in  elementary schools02 he 8did not    
know one that was not tainted with      
religious or patriotic poison1 or1 what 
is worse1 administrative  routine40 ,he 
recommended that the teachers should use
 no manual in the  ,modern ,school1     
which he cordially commended 7,february 
#bf1 #aijc74    ,in the following number
 7#g7 of the ,bulletin ,i published the 

following  note on the origin of        
,christianity3--          ,the older    
pdagogy1 the real1 if unavowed1 aim of  
which was to      impress children with 
the uselessness of knowledge1 in order  
that      they might be reconciled to   
their hard conditions and seek          
consolation in a supposed future life1  
used reading-books in the               
elementary school which swarmed with    
stories1 anecdotes1 accounts      of    
travels1 gems of classical literature1  
etc4 ,there was a good      deal of     
error mixed with what was sound and     
useful in this1 and the      aim was not
 just4 ,the mystical idea predominated1 
representing that      a relation could 
be established between a ,supreme ,being
 and men by      means of priests1 and  
this priesthood was the chief foundation
 of      the existence of both the      
privileged and the disinherited1 and the
      cause of much of the evil that    
they endured4        ,among other books 
of this class1 all tainted with the same

 evil1 we      remember one which       
inserted an academic discourse1 a marvel
 of      ,spanish eloquence1 in praise  
of the ,bible4 ,the gist of it is       
expressed in the barbarous declaration  
of ,omar when he condemned      the     
,library of ,alexandria to the flames3  
8,the whole truth is      contained in  
the sacred book4 ,if those other books  
are true1 they      are superfluous2 if 
they are not true1 they should be       
burned40        ,the ,modern ,school1   
which seeks to form free minds1 with a  
sense of      responsibility1 fitted to 
experience a complete development of    
their powers1 which is the one aim of   
life1 must necessarily adopt      a very
 different kind of reading-book1 in     
harmony with its method      of         
teaching4 ,for this reason1 as it       
teaches established truth and      is   
interested in the struggle between light
 and darkness1 it has      deemed it    
necessary to produce a critical work    
which will enlighten      the mind of   

the child with positive facts4 ,these   
may not be      appreciated in          
childhood1 but will later1 in manhood1  
when the      child takes its place in  
social life and in the struggle against 
the errors1 conventions1 hypocrisies1   
and infamies which conceal              
themselves under the cloak of mysticism4
 ,this work reminds us that      our    
books are not merely intended for       
children2 they are destined      also   
for the use of the ,adult ,schools which
 are being founded on      every side by
 associations of workers1 ,freethinkers1
 ,co-operators1      social students1   
and other progressive bodies who are    
eager to      correct the illiteracy of 
our nation1 and remove that great       
obstacle to progress4        ,we believe
 that the section of ,malvert's work    
7,science and      ,religion7 which we  
have entitled 8,the ,origin of          
,christianity0 will      be useful for  
this purpose4 ,it shows the myths1      
dogmas1 and      ceremonies of the      

,christian religion in their original   
form2      sometimes as exoteric symbols
 concealing a truth known to the        
initiated1 sometimes as adaptations of  
earlier beliefs1 imposed by      sheer  
routine and preserved by malice4 ,as we 
are convinced and have      ample       
evidence of the usefulness of our work1 
we offer it to the      public with the 
hope that it will bear the fruit which  
we      anticipate4 ,we have only to add
 that certain passages which are        
unsuitable for children have been       
omitted2 the omissions are              
indicated1 and adults may consult the   
passages in the complete      edition4  
,,chapter ,,xii4    ,,sunday ,,lectures 
,the ,modern ,school did not confine    
itself to the instruction of  children4 
,without for a moment sacrificing its   
predominant character  and its chief    
object1 it also undertook the           
instruction of the people4  ,we arranged
 a series of public lectures on         
,sundays1 and they were  attended by the

 pupils and other members of their      
families1 and a large  number of workers
 who were anxious to learn4    ,the     
earlier lectures were wanting in method 
and continuity1 as we had  to employ    
lecturers who were quite competent in   
regard to their own  subjects1 but gave 
each lecture without regard to what     
preceded or  followed4 ,on other        
occasions1 when we had no lecturer1 we  
substituted  useful readings4 ,the      
general public attended assiduously1 and
 our  advertisements in the ,liberal    
press of the district were eagerly      
scanned4    ,in view of these results1  
and in order to encourage the           
disposition of  the general public1 ,i  
held a consultation with ,dr4 ,andrs    
,martnez  ,vargas and ,dr4 ,odn de      
,buen1 ,professors at the ,barcelona    
,university1 on  the subject of creating
 a popular university in the ,modern    
,school4 ,in  this the science which is 
given--or1 rather1 sold--by the ,state  
to a  privileged few in the universities

 should be given gratuitously to the    
general public1 by way of restitution1  
as every human being has a right  to    
know1 and science1 which is produced by 
observers and workers of all  ages and  
countries1 ought not to be restricted to
 a class4    ,from that time the        
lectures became continuous and regular1 
having  regard to the different branches
 of knowledge of the two lecturers4 ,dr4
  ,martnez ,vargas expounded physiology 
and hygiene1 and ,dr4 ,odn de ,buen     
geography and natural science1 on       
alternate ,sundays1 until we began to   
be persecuted4 ,their teaching was      
eagerly welcomed by the pupils of the   
,modern ,school1 and the large audiences
 of mixed children and adults4  ,one of 
the ,liberal journals of ,barcelona1 in 
giving an account of the  work1 spoke of
 the function as 8the scientific ,mass40
    ,the eternal light-haters1 who      
maintain their privileges on the        
ignorance of the people1 were greatly   
exasperated to see this centre of       

enlightenment shining so vigorously1 and
 did not delay long to urge the         
authorities1 who were at their disposal1
 to extinguish it brutally4 ,for  my    
part1 ,i resolved to put the work on the
 firmest foundation ,i could  conceive4 
,i recall with the greatest pleasure    
that hour we devoted once a week to  the
 confraternity of culture4 ,i           
inaugurated the lectures on ,december   
#ae1 #aija1 when ,don ,ernesto ,vendrell
 spoke of ,hypatia as a martyr to the   
ideals of science and beauty1 the victim
 of the fanatical ,bishop ,cyril  of    
,alexandria4 ,other lectures were given 
on subsequent ,sundays1 as ,i  said1    
until1 on ,october #e1 #aijb1 the       
lectures were organised in regular      
courses of science4 ,on that day ,dr4   
,andrs ,martnez ,vargas1 ,professor  of 
the ,faculty of ,medicine 7child        
diseases7 at ,barcelona ,university1    
gave his first lecture4 ,he dealt with  
the hygiene of the school1 and          
expounded its principles in plain terms 

adapted to the minds of his  hearers4   
,dr4 ,odn de ,buen1 ,professor of the   
,faculty of ,science1 dealt  with the   
usefulness of the study of natural      
history4    ,the press was generally in 
sympathy with the ,modern ,school1 but  
when  the programme of the third        
scholastic year appeared some of the    
local  journals1 the ,noticiero         
,universal and the ,diario de           
,barcelona1 broke  out4 ,here is a      
passage that deserves recording as an   
illustration of  the way in which       
conservative journals dealt with        
progressive  subjects3--          ,we   
have seen the prospectus of an          
educational centre established in       
this city1 which professes to have      
nothing to do with 8dogmas and          
systems40 ,it proposes to liberate      
everybody from 8authoritarian           
dogmas1 venerable sophisms1 and         
ridiculous conventions40 ,it seems      
to us that this means that the first    
thing to do is to tell the      boys and

 girls--it is a mixed school--that there
 is no ,god1 an      admirable way of   
forming good children1 especially young 
women who      are destined to be wives 
and mothers4      ,the writer continues 
in this ironical manner for some time1  
and ends as  follows3--          ,this  
school has the support of a professor of
 ,natural ,science 7,dr4      ,odn de   
,buen7 and another of the ,faculty of   
,medicine4 ,we do not      name the     
latter1 as there may be some mistake in 
including him      among the men who    
lend their support to such a work4      
,these insidious clerical attacks were  
answered by the anti-clerical  journals 
of ,barcelona at the time4              
,,chapter ,,xiii4    ,,the ,,results    
,at the beginning of the second         
scholastic year ,i once more drew up a  
programme4 ,let us1 ,i said1 confirm our
 earlier programme2 vindicated by       
results1 approved in theory and         
practice1 the principle which from the  
first informed our work and governs the 

,modern ,school is now  unshakable4     
,science is the sole mistress of our    
life4 ,inspired with this thought1  the 
,modern ,school proposes to give the    
children entrusted to it a  mental      
vitality of their own1 so that when they
 leave our control they  will continue  
to be the mortal enemies of all kinds of
 prejudices and  will form their own    
ideas1 individually and seriously1 on   
all subjects4    ,further1 as education 
does not consist merely in the training 
of the  mind1 but must include the      
emotions and the will1 we shall take the
  utmost care in the training of the    
child that its intellectual  impressions
 are converted into the sap of          
sentiment4 ,when this attains  a certain
 degree of intensity1 it spreads through
 the whole being1  colouring and        
refining the individual character4 ,and 
as the conduct of  the youth revolves   
entirely in the sphere of character1 he 
must learn  to adopt science as the sole
 mistress of his life4    ,to complete  

our principle we must state that we are 
enthusiastically in  favour of mixed    
education1 so that1 having the same     
education1 the  woman may become the    
real companion of man1 and work with him
 for the  regeneration of society4 ,this
 task has hitherto been confined to man2
  it is time that the moral influence of
 woman was enlisted in it4  ,science    
will illumine and guide her rich vein of
 sentiment1 and utilise  her character  
for the welfare of the race4 ,knowing   
that the chief need  in this country is 
a knowledge of natural science and      
hygiene1 the  ,modern ,school intends to
 help to supply it4 ,in this it has the 
support  of ,dr4 de ,buen and ,dr4      
,vargas1 who lecture1 alternately1 on   
their  respective subjects4    ,on ,june
 #cj1 #aijc1 ,i published in the        
,bulletin the following  declaration3-- 
,we have now passed two years in        
expounding our principles1              
justifying them by our practice1 and    
enjoying the esteem of all who      have

 co-operated in our work4 ,we do not see
 in this any other      triumph than    
that we are able to confirm confidently 
all that we      have proclaimed4 ,we   
have overcome the obstacles which were  
put in      our way by interest and     
prejudice1 and we intend to persevere in
      it1 counting always on that       
progressive comradeship which dispels   
the darkness of ignorance with its      
strong light4 ,we resume work      next 
,september1 after the autumn vacation4  
,we are delighted to be      able to    
repeat what we said last year4 ,the     
,modern ,school and its      ,bulletin  
renew their life1 for they have filled1 
with some measure      of satisfaction1 
a deeply-felt need4 ,without making     
promises or      programmes1 we will    
persevere to the limit of our powers4   
,in the same number of the ,bulletin was
 published the following list of  the   
pupils who had attended the school      
during the first two years3--           
----------------------------------------

-----------------------                 
,,girls4             ,,boys4            
,,total4      ,,months4                 
#aija-b4 #aijb-c4  #aija-b4 #aijb-c4    
#ast ,yr4 #bnd ,yr4                     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------    ,opening day 
#ab      --        #ah      --          
#cj      --    ,september       #af     
#bc       #bc      #dj       #ci        
#fc    ,october         #ah      #bh    
#be      #dj       #dc      #fh         
,november        #ba      #ca       #bi 
#dj       #ej      #ga    ,december     
#bb      #ca       #cj      #dj         
#eb      #ga    ,january         #bb    
#ca       #cb      #dd       #ed        
#ge    ,february        #bc      #ca    
#cb      #dh       #ee      #gi         
,march           #be      #cc       #cd 
#dg       #ei      #hj    ,april        
#bf      #cb       #cg      #dh         
#fc      #hj    ,may             #cj    
#cc       #ch      #dh       #fh        
#ha    ,june            #cb      #cd    

#ch      #dh       #gj      #hb         
----------------------------------------
-----------------------      ,at the    
beginning of the third year ,i published
 with special pleasure  the following   
article in the ,bulletin on the progress
 of the ,school3--          ,on the     
eighth of the present month we opened   
the new scholastic      year4 ,a large  
number of pupils1 their relatives1 and  
members of the      general public who  
were in sympathy with our work and      
lectures1      filled the recently      
enlarged rooms1 and1 before the         
commencement of      the function1      
inspected the collections which give the
 school the      appearance of a museum 
of science4 ,the function began with a  
short      address from the director1   
who formally declared the opening of the
      third year of school life1 and    
said that1 as they now had more         
experience and were encouraged by       
success1 they would carry out           
energetically the ideal of the ,modern  

,school4        ,dr4 de ,buen           
congratulated us on the enlargement of  
the ,school1 and      supported its     
aims4 ,education should1 he said1       
reflect nature1 as      knowledge can   
only consist in our perception of what  
actually      exists4 ,on the part of   
his children1 who study at the ,school  
and      live in the neighbourhood1 he  
paid a tribute to the                   
good-comradeship among the pupils1 with 
whom they played and      studied in a  
perfectly natural way4 ,he said that    
even in orthodox      education1 or     
rather on the part of the professors    
engaged in it1      there were1 for all 
its archaic features1 certain tendencies
      similar to those embodied in the  
,modern ,school4 ,this might be         
gathered from his own presence1 and that
 of ,dr4 ,vargas and other              
professors4 ,he announced that there was
 already a similar school at            
,guadalajara1 or that one would shortly 
be opened there1 built by      means of 

a legacy left for the purpose by a      
humanitarian4 ,he wished      to        
contribute to the redemption of children
 and their liberation      from         
ignorance and superstition2 and he      
expressed a hope and very      strong   
wish that wealthy people would1 at their
 death1 restore      their goods in this
 way to the social body1 instead of     
leaving them      to secure an imaginary
 happiness beyond the grave4        ,dr4
 ,martnez ,vargas maintained1 against   
all who thought otherwise1      that the
 purely scientific and rational         
education given in the      ,modern     
,school is the proper basis of          
instruction2 no better can be           
conceived for maintaining the relations 
of the children with their      families
 and society1 and it is the only way to 
form1 morally and      intellectually1  
the men of the future4 ,he was glad to  
hear that the      scholastic hygiene   
which had been practised in the ,modern 
,school      during the previous two    

years1 involving a periodical           
examination      of the children1 and   
expounded in the public lectures1 had   
received      the solemn sanction of the
 ,hygienic ,congress lately held at     
,brussels4        ,going on to resume   
his lectures1 and as a means of         
enforcing oral      instruction by      
visual perception1 he exhibited a series
 of      lantern-slides illustrating    
various hygienic exercises1 certain     
types of disease1 unhealthy organs1     
etc41 which the speaker      explained  
in detail4 ,an accident to the lantern  
interrupted the      pictures2 but the  
professor continued his explanations1   
speaking of      the mischievous effects
 of corsets1 the danger of microbic     
infection by trailing dresses or by     
children playing with soil1             
insanitary houses and workshops1 etc41  
and promised to continue his            
medical explanations during the coming  
year4        ,the audience expressed its
 pleasure at the close of the meeting1  

and the sight of the great joy of the   
pupils was some consolation      amid   
the hardships of the present1 and a good
 augury for the      future4            
,,chapter ,,xiv4    ,a ,,defensive      
,,chapter      ,our programme for the   
third scholastic year 7#aijc-d7 was as  
follows3--          ,to promote the     
progressive evolution of childhood by   
avoiding all      anachronistic         
practices1 which are merely obstacles   
placed by the      past to any real     
advance towards the future1 is1 in sum1 
the      predominant aim of the ,modern 
,school4 ,neither dogmas nor systems1   
moulds which confine vitality to the    
narrow exigencies of a      transitory  
form of society1 will be taught4 ,only  
solutions approved      by the facts1   
theories accepted by reason1 and truths 
confirmed by      evidence1 shall be    
included in our lessons1 so that each   
mind shall      be trained to control a 
will1 and truths shall irradiate the    
intelligence1 and1 when applied in      

practice1 benefit the whole of          
humanity without any unworthy and       
disgraceful exclusiveness4        ,two  
years of success are a sufficient       
guarantee to us4 ,they prove1      in   
the first place1 the excellence of mixed
 education1 the      brilliant          
result--the triumph1 we would almost    
say--of an elementary      common sense 
over prejudice and tradition4 ,as we    
think it      advisable1 especially that
 the child may know what is happening   
about it1 that physical and natural     
science and hygiene should be           
taught1 the ,modern ,school will        
continue to have the services of ,dr4   
de ,buen and ,dr4 ,vargas4 ,they will   
lecture on alternate ,sundays1      from
 eleven to twelve1 on their respective  
subjects in the      school-room4 ,these
 lectures will complete and further     
explain the      classes in science held
 during the week4        ,it remains    
only to say that1 always solicitous for 
the success of      our work of reform1 

we have enriched our scholastic material
 by the      acquisition of new         
collections which will at once assist   
the      understanding and give an      
attractiveness to scientific knowledge2 
and that1 as our rooms are now not large
 enough for the pupils1 we      have    
acquired other premises in order to have
 more room and give a      favourable   
reply to the petitions for admission    
which we have      received4      ,the  
publication of this programme attracted 
the attention of the  reactionary press1
 as ,i said4 ,in order to give them a   
proof of the  logical strength of the   
position of the ,modern ,school1 ,i     
inserted the  following article in the  
,bulletin3--          ,modern pdagogy1  
relieved of traditions and conventions1 
must raise      itself to the height of 
the rational conception of man1 the     
actual      state of knowledge1 and the 
consequent ideal of mankind4 ,if from   
any cause whatever a different tendency 
is given to education1 and      the     

master does not do his duty1 it would be
 just to describe him      as an        
impostor2 education must not be a means 
of dominating men for      the advantage
 of their rulers4 ,unhappily1 this is   
exactly what      happens4 ,society is  
organised1 not in response to a general 
need      and for the realisation of an 
ideal1 but as an institution with a     
strong determination to maintain its    
primitive forms1 defending      them    
vigorously against every reform1 however
 reasonable it may be4        ,this     
element of immobility gives the ancient 
errors the character      of sacred     
beliefs1 invests them with great        
prestige and a dogmatic      authority1 
and arouses conflicts and disturbances  
which deprive      scientific truths of 
their due efficacy or keep them in      
suspense4      ,instead of being enabled
 to illumine the minds of all and       
realise      themselves in institutions 
and customs of general utility1 they are
      unhappily restricted to the sphere

 of a privileged few4 ,the effect       
is that1 as in the days of the ,egyptian
 theocracy1 there is an      esoteric   
doctrine for the cultivated and an      
exoteric doctrine for      the lower    
classes--the classes destined to labour1
 defence1 and      misery4        ,on   
this account we set aside the mystic and
 mythical doctrine1 the      domination 
and spread of which only befits the     
earlier ages of      human history1 and 
embrace scientific teaching1 according  
to its      evidence4 ,this is at       
present restricted to the narrow sphere 
of the      intellectuals1 or is at the 
most accepted in secret by certain      
hypocrites who1 so that their position  
may not be endangered1 make      a      
public profession of the contrary4      
,nothing could make this absurd         
antagonism clearer than the following   
parallel1 in which we see the           
contrast between the imaginative dreams 
of the ignorant believer      and the   
rational simplicity of the scientist3-- 

,,the ,,bible4                          
,,anthropism4    ,the ,bible contains   
the annals of     ,one of the main      
supports of the  the heavens1 the earth1
 and the      reactionary system is what
 we may  human race2 like the ,deity    
call 8anthropism40 ,i designate by      
himself1 it contains all that was1      
this term that powerful and  is1 and    
will be4 ,on its first page   world-wide
 group of erroneous  we read of the     
beginning of time     opinions which    
opposes the human  and of things1 and on
 its last       organism to the whole of
 the rest  page the end of time and of  
of nature1 and represents it as  things4
 ,it begins with ,genesis1      the     
preordained end of organic  which is an 
idyll1 and ends with     creation1 an   
entity essentially  ,revelation1 which  
is a funeral       distinct from it1 a  
god-like  chant4 ,genesis is as         
beautiful as    being4 ,closer          
examination of this  the fresh breeze   
which sweeps over   group of ideas shows

 it to be made  the world2 as the first 
dawn of      up of three different      
dogmas1  light in the heavens2 as the   
first   which we may distinguish as the 
flower that opens in the meadows2       
anthropocentric1 the  as the first word 
of love spoken     anthropomorphic1 and 
the  by men2 as the first appearance of 
anthropolatrous4  the sun in the east4  
,revelation is  as sad as the last      
palpitation of    #a4 ,the              
anthropocentric dogma  nature2 as the   
last ray of the       culminates in the 
idea that man is  sun2 as the last      
breath of a dying   the preordained     
centre and aim of  man4 ,and between the
 funeral chant   all terrestrial        
life--or1 in a  and the idyll there pass
 in          wider sense1 of the whole  
succession before the eyes of ,god      
universe4 ,as this error is  all        
generations and all peoples4            
extremely conducive to man's  ,the      
tribes and the patriarchs go            
interest1 and as it is intimately  by2  

the republics and the                   
connected with the creation-myth        
magistrates2 the monarchies and      of 
the three great ,mediterranean  their   
kings2 the empires and their            
religions1 and with the dogmas of       
emperors4 ,babylon and all its          
the ,mosaic1 ,christian1 and            
abominations go by2 ,nineveh and        
,mohammedan theologies1 it still  all   
its pomps2 ,memphis and its             
dominates the greater part of the       
priests2 ,jerusalem and its             
civilised world4  prophets and temple2  
,athens and  its arts and heroes2 ,rome 
and its    #b4 ,the anthropomorphic     
dogma1  diadem of conqueror of the      
world4    also1 is connected with the   
,nothing lasts but ,god2 all else       
creation-myth of the three  passes and  
dies1 like the froth      aforesaid     
religions and of many  that tips the    
wave4                  others4 ,it      
likens the creation and                 
control of the world by ,god to the     

artificial creation of an able          
engineer or mechanic1 and to the  ,a    
prodigious book1 which mankind          
administration of a wise ruler4  began  
to read three and thirty       ,god1 as 
creator1 sustainer1 and  centuries ago1 
and of which1 if it   ruler of the      
world1 is thus  read all day and night1 
it would     represented after a purely 
human  not exhaust the wealth4 ,a       
fashion in his thought and work4        
prodigious book in which all was        
,hence it follows that man in turn      
calculated before the science of     is 
god-like4 8,god made man to his         
arithmetic was invented2 in which    own
 image and likeness40 ,the  the origin  
of language is told       older1 naive  
theology is pure  without any knowledge 
of             8homotheism10 attributing
 human  philology2 in which the         
shape1 flesh1 and blood to the          
revolutions of the stars are            
gods4 ,it is more intelligible than     
described without any knowledge of   the

 modern mystic theosophy which          
astronomy2 in which history is          
adores a personal ,god as an  recorded  
without any documents of                
invisible--properly speaking1  history2 
in which the laws of                    
gaseous--being1 yet makes him  nature   
are unveiled without any      think1    
speak1 and act in human  knowledge of   
physics4 ,a prodigious   fashion2 it    
offers us the  book1 that sees          
everything and       paradoxical picture
 of a gaseous  knows everything2 that   
knows the     vertebrate4  thoughts     
hidden in the hearts of  men and those  
in the mind of ,god2    #c4 ,the        
anthropolatric dogma  that sees what is 
happening in the   naturally results    
from this  abysses of the sea and in the
        comparison of the activity of   
,god  bowels of the earth2 that records 
and man2 it ends in the apotheosis  or  
foretells all the catastrophes    of    
human nature4 ,a further result  of     
nations1 and in which are         is the

 belief in the personal  accumulated all
 the treasures of     immortality of the
 soul1 and the  mercy1 of justice1 and  
of            dualistic dogma of the    
twofold  vengeance4 ,a book1 in fine1   
which1   nature of man1 whose 8immortal0
  when the heavens are folded like a    
soul is conceived as the temporary      
gigantic fan1 and the earth sinks1      
inhabitant of a mortal frame4 ,thus  and
 the sun withdraws its light1     these 
three anthropistic dogmas1  and the     
stars are extinguished1      variously  
adapted to the  will remain with ,god1  
because it     respective professions of
 the  is his eternal word1 echoing for  
different religions1 came at  ever in   
the heights4 #h             length to be
 vested with                            
extraordinary importance1 and           
proved to be the source of the          
most dangerous errors4 #i          ,in  
face of this antagonism1 maintained by  
ignorance and      self-interest1       
positive education1 which proposes to   

teach truths      that issue in         
practical justice1 must arrange and     
systematise the      established results
 of natural research1 communicate them  
to      children1 and thus prepare the  
way for a more equitable state of       
society1 in which1 as an exact          
expression of sociology1 it must        
work for the benefit of all as well as  
of the individual4 ,moses1 or           
whoever was the author of ,genesis1 and 
all the dogmatisers1 with      their six
 days of creation out of nothing after  
the ,creator has      passed an eternity
 in doing nothing1 must give place to   
,copernicus1      who showed the        
revolution of the planets round the sun2
 to ,galileo1      who proclaimed that  
the sun1 not the earth1 is the centre of
 the      planetary universe2 to        
,columbus and others who1 believing the 
earth      to be a sphere1 set out in   
search of other peoples1 and gave a     
practical basis to the doctrine of human
 brotherhood2 to ,linnus      and       

,cuvier1 the founders of natural        
history2 to ,laplace1 the      inventor 
of the established cosmogony2 to        
,darwin1 the author of the              
evolutionary doctrine1 which explains   
the formation of species by      natural
 selection2 and to all who1 by means of 
observation and      experiment1 have   
discredited the supposed revelation1 and
 tell us      the real nature of the    
universe1 the earth1 and life4          
,against the evils engendered by        
generations sunk in ignorance and       
superstition1 from which so many are now
 delivered1 only to fall      into an   
anti-social scepticism1 the best remedy1
 without excluding      others1 is to   
instruct the rising generation in purely
 humanist      principles and in the    
positive and rational knowledge provided
 by      science4 ,women educated thus  
will be mothers in the true sense of    
the word1 not transmitters of           
traditional superstitions2 they will    
teach their children integrity of life1 

the dignity of life1 social             
solidarity1 instead of a medley of      
outworn and sterile dogmas and          
submission to illegitimate hierarchies4 
,men thus emancipated from      mystery1
 miracle1 and distrust of themselves and
 their fellows1 and      convinced that 
they were born1 not to die1 as the      
wretched teaching      of the mystics   
says1 but to live1 will hasten to bring 
about such      social conditions as    
will give to life its greatest possible 
development4 ,in this way1 preserving   
the memory of former      generations   
and other frames of mind as a lesson and
 a warning1 we      will once for all   
close the religious period1 and enter   
definitely      into that of reason and 
nature4      ,in ,june1 #aijd1 the      
,bulletin published the following       
figures in regard  to the attendance at 
school4 ,at that time the publications  
of the  ,modern ,school were in use in  
thirty-two other schools throughout the 
country1 and its influence was thus felt

 in ,seville and ,malaga1  ,tarragona   
and ,cordova1 and other towns1 as well  
as ,barcelona and the  vicinity4 ,the   
number of scholars in our schools was   
also steadily  rising1 as the following 
table shows3--        ,,list ,,of ,,the 
,,pupils ,,in ,,the ,,modern ,,school   
,,during ,,the ,,first ,,three ,,years4 
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
---                        ,,girls4     
,,boys4                ,,total4         
,,months4                               
#aija-b4 #aijb-c4  #aijc-d4  #aija-b4   
#aijb-c4  #aijc-d4 #ast    #bnd   #crd  
year4  year4 year4                      
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
---  ,opening day     #ab      -       -
         #ah      -        -        #cj 
-     -  ,september       #af      #bc  
#bd        #bc      #dj       #dj       
#ci   #fc    #fd  ,october         #ah  
#bh      #dc        #be      #dj        
#ei       #dc   #fh   #ajb  ,november   

#ba      #ca      #dd        #bi        
#dj       #ei       #ej   #ga   #ajc    
,december        #bb      #ca      #de  
#cj      #dj       #ei       #eb   #ga  
#ajd  ,january         #bb      #ca     
#dg        #cb      #dd       #fj       
#ed   #ge   #ajg  ,february        #bc  
#ca      #dg        #cb      #dh        
#fa       #ee   #gi   #ajh  ,march      
#be      #cc      #di        #cd        
#dg       #fa       #ei   #hj   #aaj    
,april           #bf      #cb      #ej  
#cg      #dh       #fa       #fc   #hj  
#aaa  ,may             #cj      #cc     
#ea        #ch      #dh       #fb       
#fh   #ha   #aac  ,june            #cb  
#cd      #ea        #ch      #dh        
#fc       #gj   #hb   #aad              
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
---                  ,,chapter ,,xv4    
,,the ,,ingenuousness ,,of ,,the ,,child
      ,in the ,bulletin of ,september   
#cj1 #aijc1 we published the work of the
  pupils in the various classes of the  

,modern ,school1 which had been read  on
 the closing day of the second          
scholastic year4 ,in these writings1 in 
which the children are requested to     
apply their dawning judgment to  some   
particular subject1 the influence of    
mind over the inexpert1  ingenuous      
reasoning power1 inspired by the        
sentiment of justice1 is  more apparent 
than the observance of rules4 ,the      
judgments are not  perfect from the     
logical point of view1 only because the 
child has not  the knowledge necessary  
for the formation of a perfectly sound  
opinion4  ,this is the opposite of what 
we usually find1 as opinions are        
generally  founded only on prejudice    
arising from traditions1 interests1 and 
dogmas4    ,a boy of twelve1 for        
instance1 gave the following principle  
for judging  the value of nations3--    
,to be called civilised1 a nation or    
,state must be free from the            
following--      ,let me interrupt for a
 moment to point out that the young     

author  identifies 8civilised0 with     
8just10 and especially that1 putting    
aside  prejudice1 he describes certain  
evils as curable1 and regards the       
healing of them as an essential         
condition of justice4 ,these evils      
are3--          #a4 ,the co-existence of
 poor and rich1 and the resultant       
exploitation4      #b4 ,militarism1 a   
means of destruction employed by one    
nation          against another1 due to 
the bad organisation of society4        
#c4 ,inequality1 which allows some to   
rule and command1 and obliges           
others to humble themselves and obey4   
,this principle is fundamental and      
simple1 as we should expect to find  in 
an imperfectly informed mind1 and it    
would not enable one to solve a         
complete sociological problem2 but it   
has the advantage of keeping the  mind  
open to fresh knowledge4 ,it is as if   
one asked3 ,what does a sick  man need  
to recover health8 ,and the reply is3   
,his suffering must  disappear4 ,this is

 a naive and natural reply1 and would   
certainly not  be given by a child      
brought up in the ordinary way2 such a  
child would  be taught first to consider
 the will of supposed supernatural      
beings4  ,it is clear that this simple  
way of putting the problem of life does 
not shut out the hope of a reasonable   
solution2 indeed1 the one  logically    
demands the other1 as the same child's  
essay shows3--          ,i do not mean  
that1 if there were no rich1 or         
soldiers1 or rulers1      or wages1     
people would abuse their liberty and    
welfare1 but that1      with everybody  
enjoying a high degree of civilisation1 
there would      be universal cordiality
 and friendship1 and science would make 
much      greater progress1 not being   
interrupted by wars and political       
stagnation4      ,a girl of nine made   
the following sensible observation1     
which we leave  in her own incorrect    
language3--          ,a criminal is     
condemned to death2 if the murderer     

deserves this      punishment1 the man  
who condemns him and the man who kills  
him are      also murderers2 logically1 
they ought to die as well1 and so       
humanity would come to an end4 ,it would
 be better1 instead of      punishing a 
criminal by committing another crime1 to
 give him good      advice1 so that he  
will not do it again4 ,besides1 if we   
are all      equal1 there would be no   
thieves1 or assassins1 or rich people1  
or      poor1 but all would be equal and
 love work and liberty4      ,the       
simplicity1 clearness1 and soundness of 
this observation need no  commentary4   
,one can understand our astonishment to 
hear it from the  lips of a tender and  
very pretty little girl1 who looked more
 like a  symbolical representation of   
truth and justice than a living reality4
    ,a boy of twelve deals with         
sincerity1 and says3--          ,the man
 who is not sincere does not live       
peacefully2 he is always      afraid of 
being discovered3 when one is sincere1  

if one has done      wrong1 the sincere 
declaration relieves the conscience4 ,if
 a man      begins to tell lies in      
childhood1 he will tell bigger lies when
 he      grows up1 and may do much harm4
 ,there are cases in which one need     
not be sincere4 ,for instance1 if a man 
comes to our house1 flying      from the
 police1 and we are asked afterwards if 
we have seen him1      we must deny it2 
the contrary would be treachery and     
cowardice4      ,it is sad that the mind
 of a child who regards truth as an     
incomparable  good1 8without which it is
 impossible to live10 is induced by     
certain  grave abuses to consider lying 
a virtue in some cases4    ,a girl of   
thirteen writes of fanaticism1 and1     
regarding it as a  characteristic of    
backward countries1 she goes on to seek 
the cause3--          ,fanaticism is the
 outcome of the state of ignorance and  
backwardness of women2 on that account  
,catholics do not want to see      women
 educated1 as they are the chief support

 of their system4      ,a profound      
observation on the causes of fanaticism1
 and the cause of  the causes4 ,another 
girl of thirteen indicates the best     
remedy of the  evil in the following    
lines3--          ,the mixed school1 for
 both sexes1 is supremely necessary4    
,the boy      who studies1 works1 and   
plays in the society of girls learns    
gradually to respect and help her1 and  
the girl reciprocally2      whereas1 if 
they are educated separately1 and the   
boy is told that      the girl is not a 
good companion and she is worse than he1
 the boy      will not respect women    
when he is a man1 and will regard her as
 a      subject or a slave1 and that is 
the position in which we find           
women4 ,so we must all work for the     
foundation of mixed schools1            
wherever it is possible1 and where it is
 not possible we must try      to remove
 the difficulties4      ,a boy of twelve
 regards the school as worthy of all    
respect1 because we  learn in it to     

read1 write1 and think1 and it is the   
basis of morality  and science2 he      
adds3--          ,if it were not for the
 school we should live like savages1    
walk      naked1 eat herbs and raw      
flesh1 and dwell in caves and trees2    
that      is to say1 we should live a   
brutal life4 ,in time1 as a result of   
the school1 everybody will be more      
intelligent1 and there will be      no  
wars or inflamed populations1 and people
 will look back on war      with horror 
as a work of death and destruction4 ,it 
is a great      disgrace that there are 
children who wander in the streets and  
do      not go to school1 and when they 
become men it is more disgraceful4      
,so let us be grateful to our teachers  
for the patience they show in           
instructing us1 and let us regard the   
school with respect4      ,if that child
 preserves and develops the faculties it
 exhibits1 it will  know how to         
harmonise egoism and altruism for its   
own good and that of  society4 ,a girl  

of eleven deplores that nations destroy 
each other in  war1 and laments the     
difference of social classes and that   
the rich  live on the work and privation
 of the poor4 ,she ends3--          ,why
 do not men1 instead of killing each    
other in wars and hating      each other
 for class-differences1 devote          
themselves cheerfully to      work and  
the discovery of things for the good of 
mankind8 ,men ought      to unite to    
love each other and live fraternally4   
#aj      ,a child of ten1 in an essay   
which is so good that ,i would insert it
  whole if space permitted1 and if it   
were not for the identity in  sentiment 
with the previous passages1 says of the 
school and the  pupil3--                
,reunited under one roof1 eager to learn
 what we do not know1      without      
distinction of classes there were       
children of university      professors  
among them1 it will be remembered1 we   
are children of      one family guided  
to the same end4444 ,the ignorant man is

 a      nullity2 little or nothing can  
be expected of him4 ,he is a warning    
to us not to waste time2 on the         
contrary1 let us profit by it1 and      
in due course we will be rewarded4 ,let 
us not miss the fruits of a      good   
school1 and1 honouring our teachers1 our
 family1 and society1      we shall live
 happily4      ,a child of ten          
philosophises on the faults of mankind1 
which1 in her  opinion1 can be avoided  
by instruction and goodwill3--          
,among the faults of mankind are lying1 
hypocrisy1 and egoism4 ,if      men1 and
 especially women1 were better          
instructed1 and women were      entirely
 equal to men1 these faults would       
disappear4 ,parents would      not send 
their children to religious schools1    
which inculcate false      ideas1 but to
 rational schools1 where there is no    
teaching of the      supernatural1 which
 does not exist2 nor to make war2 but to
 live in      solidarity and work in    
common4      ,we will close with the    

following essay1 written by a young lady
 of  sixteen1 which is correct enough in
 form and substance to quote in         
entirety3--          ,what inequality   
there is in the present social order6   
,some working      from morning to night
 without more profit than enough to buy 
their      insufficient food2 others    
receiving the products of the workers in
      order to enjoy themselves with the
 superfluous4 ,why is this so8 ,are     
we not all equal8 ,undoubtedly we are2  
but society does not      recognise it1 
while some are destined to work and     
suffering1 and      others to idleness  
and enjoyment4 ,if a worker shows that  
he      realises the exploitation to    
which he is subject1 he is blamed and   
cruelly punished1 while others suffer   
the inequality with patience4      ,the 
worker must educate himself2 and in     
order to do this it is      necessary to
 found free schools1 maintained by the  
wages which the      rich give4 ,in this
 way the worker will advance more and   

more1 until      he is regarded as he   
deserves1 since the most useful mission 
of      society depends on him4         
,whatever be the logical value of these 
ideas1 this collection shows the  chief 
aim of the ,modern ,school--namely1 that
 the mind of the child1  influenced by  
what it sees and informed by the        
positive knowledge it  acquires1 shall  
work freely1 without prejudice or       
submission to any  kind of sect1 with   
perfect autonomy and no other guide but 
reason1  equal in all1 and sanctioned by
 the cogency of evidence1 before which  
the darkness of sophistry and dogmatic  
imposition is dispelled4    ,in         
,december1 #aijc1 the ,congress of      
,railway ,workers1 which was then held  
at ,barcelona1 informed us that1 as a   
part of its programme1 the  delegates   
would visit the ,modern ,school4 ,the   
pupils were delighted1 and  we invited  
them to write essays to be read on the  
occasion of the  visit4 ,the visit was  
prevented by unforeseen circumstances2  

but we  published in the ,bulletin the  
children's essays1 which exhaled a      
delicate perfume of sincerity and       
unbiassed judgment1 graced by the  naive
 ingenuousness of the writers4 ,no      
suggestion was made to them1 and  they  
did not compare notes1 yet there was a  
remarkable agreement in  their          
sentiments4 ,at another time the pupils 
of the ,workers' ,school at  ,badalona  
sent a greeting to our pupils1 and they 
again wrote essays1  from which we      
compiled a return letter of greeting4   
#aa                  ,,chapter ,,xvi4   
,,the ,,bulletin      ,the ,modern      
,school needed and found its organ in   
the ,press4 ,the  political and ordinary
 press1 which at one time favoured us   
and at  another time denounced us as    
dangerous1 cannot maintain an impartial 
attitude4 ,it either gives exaggerated  
or unmerited praise1 or  calumnious     
censures4 ,the only remedy for this was 
the sincerity and  clearness of our own 
indications4 ,to allow these libels to  

pass without  correction would have done
 us considerable harm1 and the ,bulletin
  enabled us to meet them4    ,the      
directors published in it the programme 
of the school1 interesting  notes about 
it1 statistical details1 original       
pdagogical articles by  the teachers1   
accounts of the progress of rational    
education in our own  and other         
countries1 translations of important    
articles from foreign  reviews and      
periodicals which were in harmony with  
the main character  of our work1 reports
 of the ,sunday lectures1 and           
announcements of the  public            
competitions for the engagement of      
teachers and of our library4    ,one of 
the most successful sections of the     
,bulletin was that devoted to  the      
publication of the ideas of the pupils4 
,besides showing their  individual ideas
 it revealed the spontaneous            
manifestation of common  sense4 ,girls  
and boys1 with no appreciable difference
 in intellect  according to sex1 in     

contact with the realities of life as   
indicated by  the teachers1 expressed   
themselves in simple essays which1      
though  sometimes immature in judgment1 
more often showed the clear logic with  
which they conceived philosophical1     
political1 or social questions of  some 
importance4 ,the journal was at first   
distributed without charge  among the   
pupils1 and was exchanged with other    
periodicals2 but there  was soon a      
demand for it1 and a public subscription
 had to be opened4  ,when this was done1
 the ,bulletin became a philosophical   
review1 as well  as organ of the ,modern
 ,school2 and it retained this character
 until the  persecution began and the   
school was closed4 ,an instance of the  
important mission of the ,bulletin will 
be found in the following  article1     
which ,i wrote in ,no4 #e of the fourth 
year1 in order to correct  certain      
secular teachers who had gone astray3-- 
,a certain ,workers' ,school has        
introduced the novelty of               

establishing a savings-bank1            
administered by the pupils4 ,this piece 
of information1 reproduced in terms of  
great praise by the press as      a     
thing to be imitated1 induces us to     
express our opinion on the      subject4
 ,while others have their own right to  
decide and act1 we      have the same   
right to criticise1 and thus to create a
 rational      public opinion4          
,in the first place we would observe    
that the word economy is very           
different from1 if not the opposite of1 
the idea of saving4 ,one may      teach 
children the knowledge and practice of  
economy without      necessarily        
teaching them to save4 ,economy means a 
prudent and      methodical use of one's
 goods3 saving means a restriction of   
one's      use of one's goods4 ,by      
economising1 we avoid waste2 by saving1 
the      man who has nothing superfluous
 deprives himself of what is            
necessary4        ,have the children who
 are taught to save any superfluous     

property8      ,the very name of the    
society in question assures us that they
 have      not4 ,the workers who send   
their children to this school live on   
their wages1 the minimum sum1 determined
 by the laws of supply and      demand1 
which is paid for their work by the     
employers2 and as this      wage gives  
them nothing superfluous1 and the social
 wealth is      monopolised by the      
privileged classes1 the workers are far 
from      obtaining enough to live a    
life in harmony with the progress of    
civilisation4 ,hence1 when these        
children of workers1 and future         
workers themselves1 are taught to       
save--which is a voluntary              
privation under the appearance of       
interest--they are taught to            
prepare themselves to submit to         
privilege4 ,while the intention is      
to initiate them to the practice of     
economy1 what is really done is      to 
convert them into victims and           
accomplices of the present unjust       

order4        ,the working-class child  
is a human child1 and1 as such1 it has a
      right to the development of all   
its faculties1 the satisfaction of      
all its needs1 moral and physical4 ,for 
that purpose society was                
instituted4 ,it is not its function to  
repress or subject the      individual1 
as is selfishly pretended by the        
privileged and      reactionary class1  
and all who enjoy what others produce2  
it has to      hold the balance justly  
between the rights and duties of all    
members of the commonwealth4        ,as 
it is1 the individual is asked to       
sacrifice his rights1 needs1      and   
pleasures to society2 and1 as this      
disorder demands patience1              
suffering1 and sophistical reasoning1   
let us commend economy and      blame   
saving4 ,we do not think it right to    
teach children to look      forward to  
being workers in a social order in which
 the average      mortality of the poor1
 who live without freedom1 instruction1 

or      joy1 reaches an appalling figure
 in comparison with that of the         
class which lives in triumph on their   
labour4 ,those who1 from                
sociolatry1 would derogate in the least 
from the rights of man1      should read
 the fine and vigorous words of ,pi y   
,margall3 8,who art      thou to prevent
 my use of my human rights8 ,perfidious 
and      tyrannical society1 thou wert  
created to defend1 not to coerce us4    
,go back to the abyss whence thou came40
        ,starting from these principles1
 and applying them to pdagogy1 we       
think it necessary to teach children    
that to waste any class of      objects 
is contrary to the general welfare2 that
 if a child spoils      paper1 loses    
pens1 or destroys books1 it does an     
injustice to its      parents and the   
school4 ,assuredly one may impress on   
the child the      need of prudence in  
order to avoid getting imperfect things1
 and      remind it of lack of          
employment1 illness1 or age2 but it is  

not      right to insist that a         
provision be made out of a salary which 
does      not suffice to meet the needs 
of life4 ,that is bad arithmetic4       
,the workers have no university         
training2 they do not go to the         
theatre or to concerts2 they never go   
into ecstasies before the      marvels  
of art1 industry1 or nature2 they have  
no holiday in which      to fill their  
lungs with life-giving oxygen2 they are 
never      uplifted by reading books or 
reviews4 ,on the contrary1 they suffer  
all kinds of privations1 and may have to
 endure crises due to      excessive    
production4 ,it is not the place of     
teachers to hide these      sad truths  
from the children1 and to tell them that
 a smaller      quantity is equal to1 if
 not better than1 a larger4 ,in order   
that      the power of science and      
industry be shared by all1 and all be   
invited to partake of the banquet of    
life1 we must not teach in the          
school1 in the interest of privilege1   

that the poor should organise      the  
advantages of crumbs and leavings4 ,we  
must not prostitute      education4     
,on another occasion ,i had to censure a
 different departure from our           
principles3--          ,we were         
distressed and indignant on reading the 
list of      contributions voted by the 
,council of ,barcelona for certain      
popular      societies which are        
interested in education4 ,we read of    
sums      offered to ,republican        
,fraternities and similar societies2 and
 we      find that1 instead of rejecting
 them1 they forwarded votes of          
thanks to the ,council4        ,the     
meaning of these things in a ,catholic  
and ultra-conservative      nation is   
clear4 ,the ,church and the capitalist  
system only maintain      their         
ascendency by a judicious system of     
charity and protection4      ,with this 
they gratify the disinherited class1 and
 continue to      enjoy its respect4    
,but we cannot see republicans acting as

 if they      were humble ,christians   
without raising a cry of alarm4         
,beware1 we repeat1 beware6 ,you are    
educating your children badly1      and 
taking the wrong path towards reform1 in
 accepting alms4 ,you      will neither 
emancipate yourselves nor your children 
if you trust      in the strength of    
others1 and rely on official or private 
support4      ,let the ,catholics1      
ignorant of the realities of life1      
expect      everything of ,god1 or ,st4 
,joseph1 or some similar being1 and1 as 
they have no security that their prayers
 will be heard in this      life1 trust 
to receive a reward after death4 ,let   
gamblers in the      lottery fail to see
 that they are morally and materially   
victimised      by their rulers1 and    
trust to receive by chance what they do 
not      earn by energy4 ,but it is sad 
to see men hold out the hand of a       
beggar who are united in a revolutionary
 protest against the      present       
system2 to see them admitting and giving

 thanks for      humiliating gifts1     
instead of trusting their own energy1   
intellect1      and ability4            
,beware1 then1 all men of good faith6   
,that is not the way to set up      a   
true education of children1 but the way 
to enslave them4                        
,,chapter ,,xvii4    ,,the ,,closing    
,,of ,,the ,,modern ,,school      ,i    
have reached the culmination of my life 
and my work4 ,my enemies1 who  are all  
the reactionaries in the world1         
represented by the  reactionaries of    
,barcelona and of ,spain1 believed that 
they had  triumphed by involving me in a
 charge of attempted assassination4 ,but
  their triumph proved to be only an    
episode in the struggle of practical    
,rationalism against reaction4 ,the     
shameful audacity with which they       
claimed sentence of death against me 7a 
claim that was refused on  account of my
 transparent innocence rather than on   
account of the  justice of the court7   
drew on me the sympathy of all liberal  

men--all  true progressives--in all     
parts of the world1 and fixed attention 
on the  meaning and ideal of the        
,rational ,school4 ,there was a         
universal and  uninterrupted movement of
 protest and admiration for a whole     
year--from  ,may1 #aijf1 to ,may and    
,june1 #aijg--;echoed in the ,press of  
every civilised  country1 and in        
meetings and other popular              
manifestations4    ,it proved in the end
 that the mortal enemies of our work    
were its most  effective supporters1 as 
they led to the establishment of        
international  ,rationalism4    ,i felt 
my own littleness in face of this mighty
 manifestation4 ,led  always by the     
light of the ideal1 ,i conceived and    
carried out the  ,international ,league 
for the ,rational ,education of         
,children1 in the  various branches of  
which1 scattered over the world1 are    
found men in  the front ranks of culture
 ,anatole ,france1 ,ernst ,haeckel1     
etc44 ,it  has three organs1 ,l'cole    

,renove in ,france1 the ,bulletin in    
,barcelona1  and ,la ,scuola ,laica at  
,rome1 which expound1 discuss1 and      
spread all the  latest efforts of       
pdagogy to purify science from all      
defilement of  error1 to dispel all     
credulity1 to bring about a perfect     
harmony  between belief and knowledge1  
and to destroy that privileged esoteric 
system which has always left an exoteric
 doctrine to the masses4    ,this great 
concentration of knowledge and research 
must lead to a  vigorous action which   
will give to the future revolution the  
character  of practical manifestation of
 applied sociology1 without passion or  
demand of revenge1 with no terrible     
tragedies or heroic sacrifices1 no      
sterile movements1 no disillusion of    
zealots1 no treacherous returns to      
reaction4 ,for scientific and rational  
education will have pervaded the        
masses1 making each man and woman a     
self-conscious1 active1 and  responsible
 being1 guiding his will according to   

his judgment1 free for  ever from the   
passions inspired by those who exploit  
respect for  tradition and for the      
charlatanry of the modern framers of    
political  programmes4    ,if progress  
thus loses this dramatic character of   
revolution1 it will  gain in firmness1  
stability1 and continuity1 as evolution4
 ,the vision  of a rational society1    
which revolutionaries foresaw in all    
ages1 and  which sociologists           
confidently promise1 will rise before   
the eyes of  our successors1 not as the 
mirage of dreamy utopians1 but as the   
positive and merited triumph won by the 
revolutionary power of reason  and      
science4    ,the new repute of the      
educational work of the ,modern ,school 
attracted  the attention of all who     
appreciated the value of sound          
instruction4  ,there was a general      
demand for knowledge of the system4     
,there were  numbers of private secular 
schools1 or similar institutions        
supported  by societies1 and their      

directors made inquiry concerning the   
difference of our methods from theirs4  
,there were constant requests to  visit 
the school and consult me4 ,i gladly    
satisfied them1 removed their  doubts1  
and pressed them to enter on the new    
way2 and at once efforts  were made to  
reform the existing schools1 and to     
create others on the  model of the      
,modern ,school4    ,there was great    
enthusiasm and the promise of mighty    
things2 but one  serious difficulty     
stood in the way3 we were short of      
teachers1 and had  no means of creating 
them4 ,professional teachers had two    
disadvantages--traditional habits and   
dread of the contingencies of the       
future4 ,there were very few who1 in an 
unselfish love of the ideal1  would     
devote themselves to the progressive    
cause4 ,instructed young men  and women 
might be found to fill the gap2 but how 
were we to train them  8 ,where could   
they pass their apprenticeship8 ,now and
 again ,i heard  from workers' or       

political societies that they had       
decided to open a  school2 they would   
find rooms and appliances1 and we could 
count upon  their using our school      
manuals4 ,but whenever ,i asked if they 
had  teachers1 they replied in the      
negative1 and thought it would be easy  
to  supply the want4 ,i had to give in4 
,circumstances had made me the director 
of rationalist education1 and ,i  had   
constant consultations and demands on   
the part of aspirants for the  position 
of teacher4 ,this made me realise the   
defect1 and ,i endeavoured  to meet it  
by private advice and by admitting young
 assistants in the  ,modern ,school4    
,the result was naturally mixed4 ,there 
are now worthy  teachers who will carry 
on the work of rational education       
elsewhere2  others failed from moral or 
intellectual incapacity4    ,not feeling
 that the pupils of the ,modern ,school 
who devoted themselves  to teaching     
would find time for their work1 ,i      
established a ,normal  ,school1 of which

 ,i have already spoken4 ,i was         
convinced that1 if the  key of the      
social problem is in the scientific and 
rational school1 it  is essential1 to   
make a proper use of the key1 that      
fitting teachers be  trained for so     
great a destiny4    ,as the practical   
and positive result of my work1 ,i may  
say that the  ,modern ,school of        
,barcelona was a most successful        
experiment1 and that  it was            
distinguished for two characters3--     
#a4 ,while open to successive           
improvements1 it set up a standard of   
what education should be in a reformed  
state of society4        #b4 ,it gave an
 impulse to the spread of this kind of  
education4    ,there was up to that time
 no education in the true sense of the  
word4  ,there were1 for the privileged  
few in the universities1 traditional    
errors and prejudices1 authoritarian    
dogmas1 mixed up with the truths  which 
modern research has brought to light4   
,for the people there was  primary      

instruction1 which was1 and is1 a method
 of taming children4  ,the school was a 
sort of riding-school1 where natural    
energies were  subdued in order that the
 poor might suffer their hard lot in    
silence4  ,real education1 separated    
from faith--education that illumines the
 mind  with the light of evidence--is   
the creation of the ,modern ,school4    
,during its ephemeral existence #ab it  
did a marvellous amount of good4  ,the  
child admitted to the school and kept in
 contact with its  companions rapidly   
changed its habits1 as ,i have observed4
 ,it  cultivated cleanliness1 avoided   
quarrels1 ceased to be cruel to         
animals1 took no notice in its games of 
the barbarous spectacle which  we call  
the national entertainment bull-fight1  
and1 as its mind was  uplifted and its  
sentiments purified1 it deplored the    
social injustices  which abound on the  
very face of life4 ,it detested war1 and
 would not  admit that national glory1  
instead of consisting in the highest    

possible moral development and happiness
 of a people1 should be placed  in      
conquest and violence4    ,the influence
 of the ,modern ,school1 extended to    
other schools which had  been founded on
 its model and were maintained by       
various working-men  societies1         
penetrated the families by means of the 
children4 ,once they  were touched by   
the influence of reason and science they
 were  unconsciously converted into     
teachers of their own parents1 and these
  in turn diffused the better standards 
among their friends and  relatives4     
,this spread of our influence drew on us
 the hatred of ,jesuitism of all  kinds 
and in all places1 and this hatred      
inspired the design which  ended in the 
closing of the ,modern ,school4 ,it is  
closed2 but in reality  it is           
concentrating its forces1 defining and  
improving its plan1 and  gathering the  
strength for a fresh attempt to promote 
the true cause of  progress4    ,that is
 the story of what the ,modern ,school  

was1 is1 and ought to be4               
,,epilogue    ,by ,j4 ,m4      8,that is
 the story of what the ,modern ,school  
was1 is1 and ought to be40  ,when       
,ferrer wrote this1 in the summer of    
#aijh1 he was full of plans for  the    
continuation of his work in various     
ways4 ,he was fostering such  free      
schools as the ,government still        
permitted4 ,he was promoting his        
8popular university10 and multiplying   
works of science and sociology  for the 
million4 ,his influence was growing1 and
 he saw with glad eyes  the light       
breaking on the ignorant masses of his  
fellows4 ,in the summer  of #aiji he    
came to ,england to study the system of 
moral instruction  which1 under the     
inspiration of the ,moral ,instruction  
,league1 is used  in thousands of       
,english schools4 ,a friend in ,london  
begged him never to  return to ,spain1  
as his life was sought4 ,he knew it1 but
 nothing would  divert him from his     
ideal4 ,and three months later he was   

shot1 among  the graves of criminals1 in
 the trenches of ,montjuich4    ,form   
your own opinion of him from his words4 
,he conceals nothing4 ,he  was a rebel  
against religious traditions and social 
inequalities2 he  wished children to    
become as resentful of poverty and      
superstition as  he4 ,there is no law of
 ,spain1 or of any other country1 that  
forbids  such enterprise as his4 ,he    
might be shot in ,russia1 of course2 for
 the  law has been suspended there for  
more than a decade4 ,in ,spain men had  
to lie in order to take his life4       
,with the particular value of his scheme
 of education ,i am not  concerned4 ,he 
was well acquainted with pdagogical     
literature1 and  there were few         
elementary schools in ,spain to equal   
his4 ,writers who  have spoken          
slightingly of his school1 apart from   
its social dogmas1  know little or      
nothing about it4 ,ferrer was in close  
and constant  association with two of   
the ablest professors in the university 

of  ,barcelona1 one of whom sent his    
children to the school1 and with        
distinguished scholars in other lands4  
,there was more stimulating work  done  
in the ,modern ,school than1 probably1  
in any other elementary  school in      
,spain1 if not elsewhere4 ,all that can 
be questioned is the  teaching of an    
explicit social creed to the children4  
,ferrer would have  rejoined that there 
was not a school in ,europe that does   
not teach an  explicit social creed4    
,but1 however we may differ from his    
creed1 we  cannot fail to recognise the 
elevated and unselfish idealism of the  
man1 and deplore the brutality and      
illegality with which his genial  life  
was prematurely brought to a close4     
,,notes      #a ,this was in the early  
eighties1 when ,ferrer1 then in his     
early  twenties1 was secretary to the   
republican leader ,ruiz ,zorrilla4 ,to  
this  phase of his career1 which he     
rapidly outgrew1 belongs the            
revolutionary document which was        

malignantly and dishonestly used        
against him twenty-five years           
afterwards4--,j4 ,m4    #b ,mlle4       
,meunier died1 leaving about #cj1jjj    
unconditionally to  ,ferrer1 before he  
returned to ,spain in #aijj4--;,j4 ,m4  
#c ,these societies are particularly    
numerous in ,spain1 where the           
government system of education is       
deplorable1 and schools are often       
established in connection with          
them4--,j4 ,m4    #d ,it is especially  
commended in the life of ,benedict ,j4  
,labr and  others that they deliberately
 cultivated filthiness of person4--,j4  
,m4    #e ,these articles are reproduced
 in the ,spanish edition4 ,as they are  
not from ,ferrer's pen1 ,i omit         
them4--,j4 ,m4    #f #bj a year is a not
 uncommon salary of masters and         
mistresses in  ,spain1 and many cannot  
obtain even that4--,j4 ,m4    #g ,it    
should be stated that both the writers  
are ,anarchists1 in the  sense ,i have  
indicated in the ,preface4 ,except on   

special subjects--the  famous geographer
 ,odn de ,buen1 for instance1           
co-operated with ,ferrer  in regard to  
geography--no other writers were likely 
to embody ,ferrer's  ideals4 ,all1      
however1 were as opposed to violence as 
,ferrer himself1  and ,mr4 ,w4 ,archer  
has shown in his life of ,ferrer that   
the charges  brought against ,mme4      
,jacquinet by ,ferrer's persecutors at  
his trial are  officially denied by our 
,egyptian authorities4--,j4 ,m4    #h   
,extract from a speech delivered by     
,donoso ,corts at his admission  into   
the ,academy4    #i ,haeckel's ,riddle  
of the ,universe1 ,chap4 ,i4    #aj ,i  
omit some of ,ferrer's short comments on
 these specimens of  reasoning and      
sentiment1 as he regards them4 ,one can 
recognise the echo  of the teacher's    
words4 ,the children were repeating     
their catechism4  ,but 7#a7 this is no  
catechism of violence and class-hatred1 
and 7#b7  there is a distinct           
appreciation of the ideas and sentiments

 on the  part of the children4 ,i       
translate the passages as literally as  
possible4--,j4 ,m4    #aa ,this letter  
and the preceding essays are given in   
the ,spanish  edition4 ,as they are a   
repetition of the sentiments expressed  
in the  extracts already given1 it is   
unnecessary to reproduce them here4     
,except that ,i have omitted papers     
incorporated by ,ferrer1 but not        
written by him1 this is the only        
modification ,i have allowed            
myself4--,j4  ,m4    #ab  ,the ,modern  
,school was closed after ,ferrer's      
arrest in #aijf4--;,j4 ,m4