The universities of the Middle Ages emphasized scholastic
philosophy, though in some institutions law and medicine also received much
attention. Greek, of course, was not taught, the vernacular languages of Europe
were not studied, and neither science nor history enjoyed the esteem of the
learned. The Renaissance brought about a partial change in this curriculum. The
classical languages and literatures, after some opposition, gained an entrance
into university courses and displaced scholastic philosophy as the chief
subject of instruction. From the universities the study of the
"humanities" descended to the lower schools, where they still hold a
leading place.
VITTORINO DA FELTRE, 1378-1446 A.D.
An Italian humanist, Vittorino da Feltre, was the pioneer
of Renaissance education. In his private school at Mantua, the "House of
Delight," as it was called, Vittorino aimed to develop at the same time
the body, mind, and character of his pupils, so as to fit them to "serve
God in Church and State." Accordingly, he gave much attention to religious
instruction and also set a high value on athletics. The sixty or seventy young
men under his care were taught to hunt and fish, to run and jump, to wrestle
and fence, to walk gracefully, and above all things to be temperate. For
intellectual training he depended on the Latin classics as the best means of
introducing students to the literature, art, and philosophy of ancient times.
Vittorino's name is not widely known to-day; he left no writings, preferring,
as he said, to live in the lives of his pupils; but there is scarcely a modern
teacher who does not consciously or unconsciously follow his methods. More than
anyone else, he is responsible for the educational system which has prevailed
in Europe almost to the present day.
