The first is the passive acceptance of a prescribed regulation， and nowhere does a rule applied from above bind and direct the whole life by such precise and multiplied injunctions as under the University régime. School life is circumscribed and marked out according to a rigid， unique system， the same for all the colleges and lycées of the Empire， according to an imperative and detailed plan which foresees and prescribes everything even to the minutest point， labor and rest of mind and of body， material and method of instruction， class-books， passages to translate or to recite， a list of fifteen hundred volumes for each library with a prohibition against introducing another volume into it without the Grand-Master's permission， hours， duration， application and sessions of classes， of studies， of recreations and of promenades causing the premeditated stifling of native curiosity， of spontaneous inquiry， of inventive and personal originality， both with the masters and still more， with the scholars. This to such an extent that one day， under the second Empire， a minister， drawing out his watch， could exclaim with satisfaction，"At this very time， in such a class， all the scholars of the Empire are studying a certain page in Virgil."Well -informed， judicious， impartial and even kindly-disposed foreigners，[57] on seeing this mechanism which everywhere substitutes for the initiative from below the compression and impetus from above， are very much surprised. "The law means that the young shall never for one moment be left to themselves； the children are under their masters' eyes all day" and all night. Every step outside of the regulations is a false one and always arrested by the ever-present authority. And， in cases of infraction， punishments are severe；"according to the gravity of the case，[58] the pupils will be punished by confinement from three days to three months in the lycée or college， in some place assigned to that purpose； if fathers， mothers or guardians object to these measures， the pupil must be sent home and can no longer enter any other college or lycée belonging to the university， which， as an effect of university monopoly， thereafter deprives him of instruction， unless his parents are wealthy enough to employ a professor at home. "Everything that can be effected by rigid discipline is thus obtained[59] and better， perhaps， in France than in any other country，" for if， on leaving the lycée， young people have lost a will of their own， they have acquired "a love of and habits of subordination and punctuality" which are lacking elsewhere.
Meanwhile， on this narrow and strictly defined road， whilst the regulation supports them， emulation pushes them on. In this respect， the new university corps， which， according to Napoleon himself， must be a company of "lay Jesuits，" resumes to its advantage the double process which its forerunners， the former Jesuits， had so well employed in education. On the one hand， constant direction and incessant watchfulness； on the other hand， the appeal to amour-propre and to the excitements of parades before the public. If the pupil works hard， it is not for the purpose of learning and knowing， but to be the first in his class； the object is not to develop in him the need of truthfulness and the love of knowledge， but his memory， taste and literary talent； at best， the logical faculty of arrangement and deduction， but especially the desire to surpass his rivals， to distinguish himself， to shine， at first in the little public of his companions， and next， at the end of the year， before the great public of grown-up men. Hence， the weekly compositions， the register of ranks and names， every place being numbered and proclaimed； hence， those annual and solemn awards of prizes in each lycée and at the grand competition of all lycées， along with the pomp， music， decoration， speeches and attendance of distinguished personages. The German observer testifies to the powerful effect of a ceremony of this kind[60]：
"One might think one's self at the play， so theatrical was it；"and he notices the oratorical tone of the speakers， "the fire of their declamation，" the communication of emotion， the applause of the public， the prolonged shouts， the ardent expression of the pupils obtaining the prizes， their sparkling eyes， their blushes， the joy and the tears of the parents. Undoubtedly， the system has its defects；very few of the pupils can expect to obtain the first place； others lack the spur and are moreover neglected by the master. But the élite make extraordinary efforts and， with this， there is success. "During the war times，" says again another German， "I lodged a good many French officers who knew one half of Virgil and Horace by heart."Similarly， in mathematics， young people of eighteen， pupils of the Polytechnic School， understand very well the differential and integral calculus， and， according to the testimony of an Englishman，[61] "they know it better than many of the English professors."V. Military preparation and the cult of the Emperor.