The opening of XXXV. (Continued)
LUTHER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOCIETY AND EDUCATION
3. Elementary Schools and Higher Education
Luther’s Appeals on Behalf of the Schools
In a pamphlet of 1524, on the need of establishing schools, Luther spoke some emphatic and impressive words.[1]
There could be nothing worse, he declared, than to abuse and neglect the precious souls of the little ones; even a hundred florins was not too much to pay to make a good Christian of a boy; it was the duty of the magistrates and authorities to whom the welfare of the town was confided to see to this, the parents being so often either not pious or worthy enough to perform this office, or else too unlearned or too much hampered by their business or the cares of their household. The well-being of a town was not to be gauged by its fine buildings, but rather by the learning, good sense, and honourable behaviour of the burghers; given this the other sort of prosperity would never be lacking.