Home life in Hellas, Greece and the Greeks - eBooks4Greeks.gr

EDUCATION 253of fact many Gymnasium pupils engage in commercialpursuits. Boys are eligible at the age offifteen, provided they have passed the examinationof the Hellenic Schools. They remain at theGymnasium four years. The fees amount totwenty-five drachmas (£i) a year, though thebooks cost considerably more. The workinghours are from thirty-one to thirty-five a week,ten of which are given to ancient Greek. Themore difficult authors are read, including Homer,^Eschylus, Sophocles, Plato, Thucydides, andthe orators. The course provides for advancedLatin and a progressive reading of authors,beginning with Caesar and Cornelius Nepos, andgoing on to Livy, Sallust, Cicero, Ovid, Horace,and Virgil, The mathematical course includestrigonometry. Philosophy is taken much in thesame way as in a French Lycee, and is accompaniedby the teaching of formal logic.Physicalscience is represented by courses of botany andzoology. The history of Europe is taught downto 1815, and in the last year the geography ofthe world. In addition to this there is a courseof sacred history and theology,and three hoursa week are given to the French language.Gymnasticsoccupy five hours a week.The scholastic year for schools of all gradesbegins on the 14th September and ends on the14th June. There is a short vacation at Easter.There are five training colleges for teachers inthe Demotic Schools, situated respectively at