Chapter 16 - Religion and Educational Aspects

CHAPTER XVI

RELIGION AND EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS

THE religious question in Belgium requires very careful handling, more especially as it has become mixed up with party politics. But it will clear the ground to mention that while there is no state religion in modern Belgium, there is only one religion in the country and that is the Catholic, or, as we say for distinction, the Roman Catholic. In a population now approaching eight millions there are said to be 10,000 Protestants (French and English churches) and 5,000 Jews. Flemings and Walloons alike are Catholics. There is, of course, a difference in the intensity of their faith and fervor, and, speaking broadly, irreligion and free-thought are somewhat marked characteristics of some classes among the Walloons, while they must be considered as totally nonexistent among the Flemings. Among those practicing a religion there is no difference between Walloons and Flemings.

This being the case, it will be interesting to explain how it is that there is no State religion in Belgium, and that in the eyes of the law the faith of the whole people counts no more than the cults of a small minority, chiefly aliens.

Before the French Revolution the Church ranked among the States with the nobility and the citizens. When the States or National Parliament were summoned, the dioceses sent their bishops, deans, and abbots to the assembly. Liege and Stavelot did not send to the States, but they had their own separate constitutions based on the supremacy of the Church, and more or less dependent on the Pope. The French Revolution ended this system, and after the downfall of the Empire it was not restored. The explanation of this may be found in the fact that the creation of the kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 was based on the supremacy, tacit if not expressed, of a Protestant dynasty. Catholic bishops and deans could not expect much consideration from the House of Orange. They received even less than they expected. By Articles 190-6 of the Fundamental Law of 1815 all creeds alike were promised protection, and there was to be perfect freedom of conscience. A still ruder blow was dealt by the refusal to sanction even a partial restoration of the lands confiscated in 1794, for the Church found itself almost stripped of its possessions, and without the means of organizing the defense of what remained of its ancient privileges. During the whole of the Dutch regime the Church was in a languishing condition, and only in Ghent and Bruges did its leaders continue the struggle with an unfriendly Government.

Such was the position of affairs so far as the Church was concerned when the Belgian revolution broke out in August, 1830. The revolution was in a certain sense the sequel of the July revolution in France which dispossessed the Legitimist Bourbons for the Constitutional Orleanists. It was certainly brought about to a large extent by French influences which at that moment were non-clerical. It was also not at all clear what would be put in the place of the deposed Dutch administration. For these reasons and also on account of its own internal difficulties the Church did not take a prominent part in the Belgian insurrection, and when the National Congress was summoned, the Clerical party was the least numerous and influential section in the assembly. Besides, French ideas as well as language prevailed. No one would have the audacity to speak in Flemish, and Flanders was even then the stronghold of the Church. No one in Belgium would have proposed that the Church lands refused in 1815 should be restored in 1830-31.

This situation explains how it was that in a Congress composed of Catholics no one protested when the Constitution framers recommended the separation of Church and State. But the Church itself betrayed unusual apathy in not making some effort to recover at least part of its ancient rights and position. The overthrow of the Protestant Dutch Government did not entail any difference in the religious clause of the fundamental law. All cults were to be free and equal in the eyes of the law ; no one was to be disqualified from public office on account of his religious opinions. One reservation only was made. It was stipulated that the Sovereign of the country should be a Catholic, but the condition had to be waived in the case of Leopold I, who refused to change his religion. His children were, however, brought up in the old faith, and the clause of the Constitution stipulating that the Sovereign must be a member of the Catholic Church may now be regarded as possessing full and permanent force.

Since the reign of Philip II, when the Pope first created the dignity and conferred it on the celebrated Cardinal Granvelle, the Archbishop of Malines has been Primate of Belgium. The number of bishops dependent on him has varied at different periods, but since modern Belgium came into existence they have been limited to five. They are Liege, Ghent, Bruges, Tournai, and Namur. The last official return shows that the total number of the clergy in the six dioceses amounts to 190 of the rank of deans and 5,602 of the inferior ranks of the hierarchy. All these ministers receive a salary from the State. The Archbishop is allowed $4,500 a year and each Bishop $3,000 a year.

Each diocese is divided into a certain number of cures, and each cure receives $410 a year and is provided with a house. The vicaires, who correspond to curates with us, rarely receive more than $150 a year, but they reside in the cure's house. In measuring the importance of these salaries it must be remembered that the clergy are all celibates. Besides in each church or chapel there are special collecting boxes for the support of the clergy, and a part of the general offertories goes to the up-keep of the Church, which necessarily includes the sustenance of its clergy. The regular clergy are consequently far more comfortable and well cared for than the small official salary would seem to convey. All receipts go into a common fund, and it is breaking no secret to say that they live very well. Good food and plenty of it is still an ideal of Belgian life, and the priests are no exception to the rule. They are also very hospitable, and when they detain a friend to dinner, a bottle of Burgundy will not fail to be forthcoming. In the provinces the house of the cure has always a vegetable garden, and generally a wall for fruit, and for the favored guest there will follow a choice dessert as well.

Besides the regular clergy there are the various religious orders which have always been prominent and prosperous in Belgium. Before the French Revolution it was computed that they owned half the land in Belgium, and it is still the practice of the Socialists to denounce them, because by the mere fact that they are better organized than ordinary individuals their wealth accumulates, and their possessions by growth attract more notice.

The following statistics show their exact strength and position in the country. In the year 1900 (the latest for which these statistics were published) there were 2,474 separate religious houses in the country. These were divided into 291 for men and 2,183 for women. They were inhabited by 6,237 priests or brothers, and 31,668 nuns and sisters. Of the former 4,597 were born in Belgium and of the latter 26,368. It follows that 1,690 men and 5,300 women of the total conventional population of Belgium were foreigners.

The greater number of these orders are devoted to practical objects. There are 389 houses devoted to the care of the sick, 1,248 to education, and only 178 to an exclusively religious ministration; 47 combine nursing and religious contemplation, and 263 teaching and religious contemplation. Over 17,000 nuns and sisters are engaged in some form or other of female instruction. Most of the nursing in Belgium is done by the religious orders, and some of them have taken up the profession in full conformity with the rules and requirements of modern science. This is especially the case in the large cities.

In 1907 the Government grant to the Catholic clergy amounted to $1,250,000 for the year, and a further sum of $180,000 was allocated for Church buildings. Other expenses figured at $10,000. The reader will be able to form an opinion for himself as to the relative position of the several creeds in Belgium when it is stated that the grants to Protestants and Jews together amounted to no more than $29,400. It is impossible to give any idea of the total value of the Church possessions in Belgium, but perhaps $250,000,000 is not an overstatement.

Although the Church of Rome then is not the State Church in Belgium, it possesses an unquestioned predominance that no one could dispute. When modern Belgium was formed, it happened to be in a languishing and embarrassed condition. For many years it possessed no efficient organization and the spoils of power remained with the party which was antiCatholic. But fifty years ago the Catholics decided to make their influence felt, and they, too, began to organize as their opponents had been doing for thirty years before in the press and among the public. This they did with such consummate skill that they ousted the Liberals from office in 1884, and they have retained the administrative power ever since. The hold which they have established on the mass of the people is not altogether due to cleverness and skill. It has been effected and strengthened by the great services the clergy have rendered and are rendering to the people of Belgium. It is impossible to ignore the fact that they do their best to assist their congregations in every way, and the credit of all the best work in Belgium for the relief of the poor and the suffering must go to them. The so-called Liberal organization is purely political. It is not marked by any beneficent work, it aims wholly at the placing of a particular party in power.

It would be impossible to give even a skeleton of a list of the Catholic institutions in Belgium which are engaged in beneficent work. But the Benedictine Abbey of Maredsous combines the utilitarian and the aesthetic in such a superb degree that it may be chosen as an example. Over Belgium are strewn the remains of ancient and mediaeval abbeys that were the pride of Christian Europe. Orval and Villers in their way have never been surpassed. Maredsous is not the legacy of the past. It is a recreation of the Middle Ages, dating no farther back in its origin than 1782, but here the early builders of the Church might find cause of envy. The admirer of pointed Gothic might find it difficult to choose between the modern abbey of Maredsous (in Entre Sambre and Meuse) and any of its prototypes. Here, thanks in the first place to the philanthropy of a rich Belgian of Tournai, the Benedictine order of Beuron in Suabia (a noble order) established itself and has flourished marvelously. The Benedictines are the intellectual propagandists of their Church. They claim the best teachers in Belgium. They are ready to take up any work that may be imposed upon them. But at Maredsous they have a special and beautiful mission. Nowhere else are pupils trained to such perfection in the pure Gregorian chant. To hear Salve Regina chanted among the aisles of the abbey of Maredsous is a treat for the senses not to be enjoyed out of St. Peter's at Rome. The Abbey of Maredsous is a magnificent modern achievement, and the contrast may be found close at hand in the ruins of Montaigle. It is true that it is somewhat remote, lying on the branch line from Tamines to Dinant, but the trouble of getting there will be amply rewarded. The Benedictine brothers are very hospitable to those who have any claim to expect it, and for those who have not there is an excellent hotel at Emmaus, almost at the gates of the abbey's domain.

The system of education in force in Belgium is simple, comprehensive, and free. No one has to pay for the education of his children if he cannot afford to do so. The instruction given by the State includes practical as well as theoretical subjects. For instance, girls are taught to cook and sew, and youths are inculcated in the rudiments of agriculture or some industrial pursuit. At the universities degrees can be taken in the several schools at fees that bring them within the most moderate means.

State education is divided into three categories - primary, secondary, and superior. Primary education is based on the fundamental law of 1842 which made education compulsory and free, but left religious instruction in the hands of the different churches - that is to say, for nine-tenths of the population the Church of Rome. The law required each commune to maintain at least one free school. The old law was modified in 1879 (abrogated), and again in 1884, 1895, and 1910; but the effect of these subsequent enactments has not been to modify the essential provisions of the original law, That of 1910 is the most radical, for it will possibly lead to the substitution of Flemish for French as the vernacular language in many of the schools of Brabant and Hainaut. In the year 1908 there were 914,709 pupils in primary schools subject to State inspection, and of these only 50,861 paid any fees. There were in the year named 7,355 schools divided between 4,629 communal and 2,726 "adopted" schools. The adopted schools are those recognized as existing at the time of the passing of the law of 1842. They are chiefly Church schools, and with regard to female education they are more numerous than those belonging to the commune. The total cost of these schools in 1907 is given at about $10,600,000, of which the State provided nearly 21, the commune nearly 27, the provinces 2^2, and parents 1^4, all in million francs, the balances coming from minor sources. The total number of teachers in the year 1908 was 19,707. These may be subdivided into 8,313 male lay teachers, and 795 priests, and 5,113 female lay teachers, and 5,486 sisters of the different religious orders. This, in its way, furnishes proof that the Church has a closer hold on female than male education.

Primary education is not confined to children. There are primary schools for adults whose education has been neglected or never commenced. In 1908, which showed an enormous increase in the system as compared with previous years, there were 4,473 of those schools with a total attendance of 227,220. The communal schools had 71,433 males and 14,159 females inscribed on their lists, while the totals for the adopted schools were 53,673 males and 87,955 females. The grand total of persons receiving primary education is over 1,142,000.

According to the law primary education is supposed to continue till the age of fourteen, but as a matter of fact it ceases at twelve unless it is intended that the pupil shall pass into a secondary school. These, of course, are a comparative minority and consist chiefly of candidates for Government posts.

Secondary education is divided into two grades, preparatory and superior. Of preparatory schools there are over 78 State, 6 communal, and 5 under priests' patronage for boys, and 34 State and 10 communal for girls. In 1909 the numbers of pupils at the former, taken in their order, were 15,375, 2,662, and 623 ; and for girls 6,207 and 2,665 respectively.

The superior grade schools are 20 Royal Athenaeums, 7 Communal Colleges, and 8 Colleges under private patronage. In 1909 the Athenaeums had 6,047 pupils, the Communal Colleges 724, and the patronized 1,133. The Athenees, or Athenaeums, which are called Royal, because they are under the direct patronage of the King, are the nearest approach to the British Grammar School. Classics and mathematics form part of the regular curriculum, and it is assumed that most of the scholars will proceed to one of the Universities.

The majority of the pupils are non-resident, but the masters are allowed to take in boarders. The twenty Athenees are situated at Antwerp, Malines, Brussels, Ixelles, Louvain, Bruges, Ostend, Ghent, Ath, Charleroy, Chimay, Mons, Tournai, Huy, Liege, Verviers, Hasselt, Tongres, Arlon, and Namur.

In 1907 the State contributed $862,229.40, and the communes $434,289.80 towards secondary education.

Superior or High education in Belgium is given at the four Universities: Ghent, Liege, Brussels, and Louvain, the two first named being State, and the latter Free Universities. Special Schools are attached to the Universities, but these are more important at the State Universities than the others. The following are the number of the students in 1908-09, distinguishing between the regular faculties and the Special Schools:

Name of University Faculties Schools Total

Ghent 443 640 1,083

Liege 1,670 970 2,640

Brussels 845 369 1,214

Louvain 2,075 250 2,325

Grand Totals 5,033 2,229 7,262

It may be mentioned that at Ghent the principal special course is for Civil Engineering, at Liege for Mining and Electrical Engineering, at Brussels for social and political science, and at Louvain for Theology and Agricultural Science.

Notwithstanding the excellence of its laws on public instruction, there is more illiteracy in Belgium than would be expected. Some writers have placed it as high as 30 per cent, but although that is excessive, it is not easy to say what is the correct proportion. It is easier to explain the cause of it. The teachers in the primary schools do not possess sufficient qualifications for their mission, and what is learnt before twelve is very easily forgotten when no subsequent occasion to turn it to account or stimulus to fresh exertions presents itself.

Teachers in the Primary Schools are selected from those who pass through the Secondary Schools, and the selection is made by the Communes. There were in 1908 nineteen normal male and thirty-five normal female establishments, at which there were 2,180 and 2,575 persons of the two sexes in training respectively, as teachers in the Primary Schools. Of these 470 and 563 received the necessary diploma of efficiency in the year named, but the supply far exceeds the demand.

The pay of the school teacher is, according to our ideas, very low. The law stipulates that it shall never be less than $200 per annum, and leaves everything else in the hands of the commune. The headmaster of a school receives from $240 a year in a small, to $480 a year in a large commune. He also has an allowance for a house ranging from $40 to $160 per annum. Finally, an annual increment at the rate of $5 per annum is allowed for a period of twenty-four years.

Although the State does not take an active part in the management of the schools, it exercises a certain control over them by inspection. Subject to the Ministry of the Interior and Education, are District Inspectors who are supposed to visit every school in their district twice a year, and to preside at a meeting of all the teaching staff once a quarter. These officials receive a salary of from $600 to $900 a year. Above these are nine chief Inspectors, one for each Province, at a salary of $1,500 per annum. They are supposed to visit every school once in two years, and they report direct to the Minister in Brussels.

A few words may be said in conclusion about a certain number of special educational institutions which do not come under the regular routine of the educational laws. These exist for technical training purposes.

There are sixty-eight commercial schools run by different communes with an attendance (in 1908) of 4,950; 183 free schools with an attendance of 19,004. There are eighty-one industrial schools subject to the communes with an attendance of 23,418, and eight free, attended by 1,686 students. Special schools of a higher grade are to be found at Antwerp, Liege, Mons, and Ghent. Among them may be named the Superior Commercial Institute and the St. Ignatius Institute, both at Antwerp, the High Commercial Schools at Liege and Louvain, both intended for training consular agents, the Manufacturers' School at Mons, and different technical schools of minor importance at Ghent (brewing and distilling), Verviers (textiles), and Virton (arts and trades). There are also seventy-nine schools for special training in household work and duties with an inscribed list of 2,865 attending. In addition to the schools there are 195 special household classes with an attendance of 6,947 attached to different elementary schools.

There are two special schools for military education. They are the Ecole Militaire in Brussels, and the School of Cadets at Namur. The former is far the more important, and the scholars number on an average 240. Formerly it was located in the old Abbey of the Cambre near the Bois of that name, but the position was unhealthy, and a fine new school near the Pare du Cinquantenaire and the Avenue de Tervueren now accommodates the scholars, who wear a military uniform. On State occasions the Ecole Militaire take the lead of all the troops present.

The Cadets School at Namur dates only from 1897, and there were, in 1908-09, 108 civil and eighty-three military cadets on its list. The military cadets supply the army with non-commissioned officers, and the civil cadets are supposed to be intended for some branch of the public service.

In the same way, it does not follow that all the cadets at the Ecole Militaire enter the army. The educational course there being highly esteemed, many parents decide to send their sons to this school in preference to an Athenee, the tone of the place being higher. But the best of all the schools in Belgium is that kept by the Jesuit order in Brussels, near the Palais de Justice. Only Catholics of good family are received, and the order aims at turning out gentlemen as well as scholars. In the same way, the highest class schools for young ladies are those attached to Convents. One of the most famous of these is at St. Hubert.

Special schools exist for educating the blind and deaf mutes. In 1908 there were in the kingdom 3,218 of the former and 4,036 of the latter, and with comparatively few exceptions they are returned as susceptible of receiving instruction. Of these 1,145 males and 972 females were receiving primary education in nineteen schools endowed by the State. Finally, there are three training-schools for the mercantile marine. They are at Ostend, Antwerp, and Nieuport with 160, ninetyfive, and eight pupils respectively in 1908. A training-ship has also been commissioned, but its cruises are somewhat rare, and since the mishap to the training-ship Smet de Naeyer, named after a recent Premier, there has been a lull in the effort to endow Belgium with the cadre for a navy.

Free public or popular libraries exist in many of the communes. There are 913 libraries in the 2,629 communes. There were nearly 3,322,644 readers, and 1,535,523 volumes were borrowed. These figures do not include the returns of the Brussels Library, which corresponds to our British Museum. In 1908, 40,997 persons used the reading-room, these showing an average daily attendance of 137. In addition 1,245 students attended the MSS. room, and 8,956 persons made use of the room set aside for periodicals.

Source: Boulger, Demetrius C. Belgium. Detroit: Published for the Bay View Reading Club, 1913. Print.

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