Thank God Leberecht Schulze

Gottlob Leberecht Schulze (born April 25, 1779 in Hirschfeld ; † April 6, 1856 in Dresden ) was a German theologian, secret church and school council, pastor, teacher and author of the first Saxon elementary school law of 1835.

Life

Born in Hirschfeld in 1779, Schulze moved with his family to Werdau at the age of six , where his father had been appointed second boy teacher and cantor . The schooling in his new hometown by his father and the rector was followed in 1791 by training at the state school in Grimma , the quality of which he later strongly criticized. In 1796, supported by grants, he moved to the University of Leipzig for four years in order to prepare for a future pastor's office. In addition to physics and astronomy, on which he later published several works, he devoted himself to music and modern languages, above all to philological, philosophical and theological topics.

After completing his studies, he worked from 1800 as a tutor at the Ratsfreischule in Leipzig , which was characterized by an enlightening spirit , where he came into contact with rationalistic approaches to religious instruction. In 1804 Schulze took up the position of third teacher at the lyceum in Schneeberg , where his father had previously been taught, and gave lessons mainly in the ancient languages. In 1809 Schulze took over the parish of the Polenz Church . The owner of the village, Chief Forester Gottlob Heinrich von Lindenau , was the father of one of Schulze's students and had found him the job. After the death of the old schoolmaster and the election of the new teacher by Schulze, the two men began to improve the local school system in the spirit of the Enlightenment.

Again von Lindenau arranged for Schulze to be transferred. He approached the cabinet minister Detlev von Einsiedel , whereupon Schulze was appointed church and school councilor to Bautzen in 1823 , where he could pursue his ideas on a larger scale and wrote several theoretical papers on the school system. His work was so well received by the Saxon Ministry of Culture that Schulze was appointed to the Secret Church and School Council in 1832. As early as 1830, the University of Leipzig had given him an honorary doctorate in theology. Schulze earned his greatest merit with the elementary school law drafted by him, which came into force in 1835. For health reasons, Schulze resigned from his position in 1847 and lived in Dresden until his death in 1856.

Works

• Brief presentation of the planetary system of our sun, as far as it can be grasped by the more mature mind of a well-informed youth, upon further verbal explanation. Leipzig 1808. Second edition, Leipzig: Baumgärtner, 1825.
• The solar system as it is now known , Leipzig 1811.
• Representation of the World System A Guide to Teaching Astronomy in Schools. , Leipzig 1811.
• Textbook of astronomy for schools and for self-teaching for educated nature lovers. With the clearest description of the most excellent astronomical instruments, observation methods and tools for sensualization. Second, completely revised edition of the "Sun System as it is now known." With four copper plates. Leipzig; Sorau: Friedrich Fleischer, 1821.
• The Most Excellent Objects in Country Education and its Improvement , 1826.
• Legographology, or instructions for a thorough and natural treatment of elementary lessons in reading and spelling , 1830.
• Astronomia per Nicolaum Copernicum instaurata religionis et pietatis christianae per Martinum Lutherum ad scripturae sacrae normam repurgatae egregia adjutrix. Commentatio astronomico-theologica, quam SV theologorum ordini in academia Lipsiensi pro summis in theologia honoribus inter sacra saecularia traditae ante trecentos annos Augustanae Confessionis ipsi oblatis. Adjectae sunt adnotationes singulis quibusdam locis illustrandis inservientes. Bautzen: EG Monsius, 1830. Digitized , Google Books
• The elementary school law for the royal Saxon states of June 6, 1835.
• Explanations of the script: The illustrated world system, or the basic doctrines of astronomy and their easy and reliable illustration using peculiar sensualization tools; together with a precise description of these tools and complete instructions for their versatile use. Dresden; Leipzig: Karl Tauchnitz, 1838.
• Small mathematical handbook and auxiliary book for understanding popular astronomical and physical writings and lectures , 1839.
• First exercise book for reading students , 1845.
• Astronomy in popular representation. With many woodcuts and a lithographed star map. Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz jun., 1847.

Honors

• 1830 honorary doctorate from the University of Leipzig
• 1839 honorary citizen of the city of Werdau on the occasion of his 60th birthday
• 1844 Knight of the Royal Saxon Order of Civil Merit
• Dr.-Leberecht-Schulze-Straße in Werdau is named after him.

literature

• Johannes Reh: Gottlob Leberecht Schulze: the author of the first Saxon elementary school law of 1835. Leipzig: Dürr, 1919.
• Hans Martin Moderow: Elementary school between state and church: The example of Saxony in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cologne (et al.): Böhlau, 2007, p. 104ff.

Web links

• Literature by and about Gottlob Leberecht Schulze in the catalog of the German National Library