Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction by Ian Nish
- Note on the Text
- VOLUME I THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- VOLUME II BRITAIN
- VOLUME III CONTINENTAL EUROPE, 1
- VOLUME IV CONTINENTAL EUROPE, 2
- VOLUME V CONTINENTAL EUROPE, 3; AND THE VOYAGE HOME
- 82 The Vienna Universal Exposition, 1
- 83 The Vienna Universal Exposition, 2
- 84 A Record of Switzerland
- 85 Switzerland's Mountain Scenery
- 86 A Record of Berne and Geneva
- 87 A Record of Lyons and Marseilles
- 88 Spain and Portugal
- 89 Political Practices and Customs in Europe
- 90 European Geography and Transportation
- 91 The Climate and Agriculture of Europe
- 92 European Industry
- 93 European Commercial Enterprise
- 94 The Voyage Through the Mediterranean
- 95 The Voyage Through the Red Sea
- 96 The Voyage Through the Arabian Sea
- 97 A Record of the Island of Ceylon
- 98 The Voyage Through the Bay of Bengal
- 99 The Voyage Through the China Sea
- 100 A Record of Hong Kong and Shanghai
- Index
86 - A Record of Berne and Geneva
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction by Ian Nish
- Note on the Text
- VOLUME I THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- VOLUME II BRITAIN
- VOLUME III CONTINENTAL EUROPE, 1
- VOLUME IV CONTINENTAL EUROPE, 2
- VOLUME V CONTINENTAL EUROPE, 3; AND THE VOYAGE HOME
- 82 The Vienna Universal Exposition, 1
- 83 The Vienna Universal Exposition, 2
- 84 A Record of Switzerland
- 85 Switzerland's Mountain Scenery
- 86 A Record of Berne and Geneva
- 87 A Record of Lyons and Marseilles
- 88 Spain and Portugal
- 89 Political Practices and Customs in Europe
- 90 European Geography and Transportation
- 91 The Climate and Agriculture of Europe
- 92 European Industry
- 93 European Commercial Enterprise
- 94 The Voyage Through the Mediterranean
- 95 The Voyage Through the Red Sea
- 96 The Voyage Through the Arabian Sea
- 97 A Record of the Island of Ceylon
- 98 The Voyage Through the Bay of Bengal
- 99 The Voyage Through the China Sea
- 100 A Record of Hong Kong and Shanghai
- Index
Summary
June 25th, 1873. Cloudy.
In the evening the president gave a banquet for us at a nearby hotel. All the members of the diplomatic corps attended. The food was sumptuous and music was played throughout the meal. Afterwards, we all went outside to converse in the pleasant coolness of the garden, which was decorated with Swiss lanterns. The hospitality offered us was extremely lavish.
June 27th. Fine.
At nine o'clock we were taken by Professor Schachter [?] to visit one of the city's elementary schools, which was housed in a large four-storey building. Some infants as young as four or five attended the school and were taught the rudiments of subjects such as writing and arithmetic, but most of the pupils were aged between seven or eight and thirteen or fourteen. The eight subjects taught here were reading, French language, writing, drawing, mathematics, history, geography and physics. They were also taught singing. The only history taught was that of Switzerland.
All eight of these subjects are indispensable to the people if they are to play their part as citizens fully. In addition, singing nurtures the people's poetic feelings and makes their dispositions gentler. Birds naturally sing – simply, it seems, for their own enjoyment – and there is no species with a voice which does not do the same. There is nowhere in any of the countries of Europe or in America where singing is not taught in the schools.
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- Japan RisingThe Iwakura Embassy to the USA and Europe, pp. 453 - 460Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009