About the same amount of French is taken in the Latin as in the real course of study though it is carried but for two years in the former and three in the latter.[25] More time is provided for it in the linguistic-historical course then in either of the others. Reference to the table on page 171 will indicate exactly the amount of time used and its distribution throughout the years.
The French language is not as closely related to the Norwegian as are the German and English. Greater variations are noted both in pronunciation and in vocabulary. Almost universally the Norwegians regard it as the most difficult of the three foreign languages to acquire.
The study of French is not begun until the pupils enter the gymnasium when they are fourteen or fifteen years old. English and German are begun three and four years before French. The teachers believe that a mistake is made in not beginning the study of French earlier. It is worthy of note that the Norwegian pedagogues who have tried beginning instruction in the languages at different times in the school course are definitely of the opinion that to begin the study of a foreign language early is a distinct advantage. It seems to the writer that American schools might profit by this experience and introduce the study of languages in the lower grades.
TABLE XI
Course of study showing weekly hours in Christiania Cathedral School (1910-1911).
| GYMNASIUM | |||||||||||||
| Courses | Real | Language-History | Latin | Middle School | |||||||||
| Classes | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | IV. | III. | II. | I. |
| Religion | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Norwegian | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3-1/2 | 3-1/2 | 4 | 5 |
| German | 3-1/2 | 3 | 3 | 3-1/2 | 3 | 3 | 3-1/2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| French | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| English | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Latin | 11 | 7 | |||||||||||
| History | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Geography | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Mathematics | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Natural Science | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Writing | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Drawing | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Vocal Music | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Gymnastics | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Manual Training | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| Total | 35-1/2 | 35 | 35 | 35-1/2 | 35 | 35 | 35-1/2 | 35 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
English
Class I. (Four hours.) Brekke and Western's Selections from English Authors for the First Gymnasium. The regulation sixty pages (matter from which examination is taken) is read and reviewed. Forty pages ex tempore. One synopsis or reproduction each second week. Knudsen's English Prepositions and Synonyms.