orship, haunted me for many a day.

CHAPTER XIII

EDUCATION AND THE PRIESTHOOD

Education, especially that of the masses, has made great strides since
the Revolution. At that time perfect liberty of religion and of
instruction was established, and in this particular the somewhat
retrograde movement at the Restoration, in allowing the return of the
religious orders banished in the early years of the century, has only
resulted in a greater number of private schools being established by the
Jesuits and other teaching orders. With the public instruction they have
never been allowed to interfere.

Every town and village has now its municipal and free schools, kept up
by the _Diputacion provincial_. In all the chief towns there are
technical and arts and crafts schools, also free, the expenses being
borne by the Ministry of Fomento. Besides these are many private
schools, taught by Jesuits and other teaching orders. The Ministry of
Fomento is at present trying to bring in a law making education
compulsory, and bringing all schools under State control. There are
numerous girls' schools, managed by committees of ladies, as well as
the convent schools and other private establishments. There are also
normal schools, maintained by the Ministry of Fomento, where women and
girls, as well as men, can take degrees and gain certificates for
teaching purposes. In every capital of Spain one of these schools is
established. There are ten universities, of which the principal is that
of Madrid. In some of these only medicine and law are studied, but
others are open for every class of learning. In all these numerous
schools and colleges great advance has been made in late years; in the
department of science, electricity has taken a very noticeable step
forward, and in applied electricity Spain probably compares favourably
with any of the European nations. Even the small towns and some villages
are lighted by electricity, having gone straight from petroleum to
electric light. Most of the large towns have, besides the light,
electric tramways, telephones, etc., the engineers and artisans employed
in these works being of a very high class. Electrical engineers are not
under Government control, as the civil and mechanical engineers are, and
have therefore better chances of coming to the front and making a career
for themselves. The Government engineers, however, are kept up to the
mark of other countries, and an attempt has been made