ry was also taught as a means of stimulating
patriotism. The Jewish child was early made acquainted with the
Scriptures, and history, law, and prophecy became familiar to every Jew.
As there were no schools, this was all done in the home by the parents.
Religion was the central thought of all education, and preparation for
the service of the tabernacle and the worship of God was early given to
every child. Thus in an atmosphere of love and piety the Jew discharged
his sacred duty with care and faithfulness. Obedience to the commands of
parents, veneration for the aged, wholesome respect for their ancestors,
and familiarity with the Jewish law were instilled into the minds of all
children. Music and dancing were taught in every household, not for
pleasure, but as a means of religious expression. By prayer and holy
living, by precept and example, by word and deed, the father discharged
the duty committed to him by God, leading his children by careful
watchfulness toward the ideal manhood which was revealed to him by the
teachings of Holy Writ.

There were no castes among the Hebrews, and the same kind of training
was given to the children of rich and poor, high and low, alike. No
other race of people has given such careful home training to its
children, from earliest times to the present.

=The Jewish School.=--There were no elementary Jewish schools until
after the destruction of the nation and the loss of their civil liberty.
After the defeat at Jena the Prussians turned to education as the sole
means of retrieving their national greatness; the same was true of the
Austrians after the defeat of Sadowa, and of the French after the fall
of the empire at Sedan. But the Jewish people had set this example
eighteen centuries before. Dittes says, "If ever a people has
demonstrated the power of education, it is the people of Israel."

The rabbis required, A.D. 64, that every community should
support a school, and that attendance should be compulsory. This is the
first instance of compulsory education on record. If a town was divided
by a stream without a connecting bridge, a school was supported in each
part. Not more than twenty-five pupils could be assigned to one
teacher, and where the number was greater an assistant was employed. If
there were forty pupils, there were two teachers. It will thus be seen
that the Jews put into practice eighteen centuries ago a condition of
things which, owing to the complexity of our civili