In every department of national education, the spirit of a broad and liberal government is to be seen, and even in the private schools and the colleges supported by benevolent institutions the influence of modern reform is general and unmistakable. The most notable tendency of education in Peru to-day is toward an increase of knowledge among the poorer classes. Under the traditional system of instruction, now passing away, the distinctions of caste were fostered and strengthened, because of the character and scope of the old-time school. The higher classes of society received more instruction than they applied in the course of their after lives, while the lower classes were neglected, or taught only so much as tended to impress on them their inferiority and the duties of submission. Under such a system it was inevitable that tyranny should flourish, and that the rich and governing class should abuse their power over the poor and ignorant. But with the patriotic ideas which have grown up and which now stimulate both the governing and the governed, the question of education has become one of the national requirements, and its benefits are enjoyed by all classes. It means the development of the middle class, which a great economist calls “the bulwark of a nation.” [Illustration: THE COLLEGE OF LAW, LIMA.] [Illustration: ALAMEDA DE LOS DESCALZOS, LIMA.] CHAPTER XVI THE BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES OF PERU [Illustration: STREET SCENE ON THE FEAST DAY OF LA MERCED, LIMA.] Charity and kindness of heart are qualities that radiate from moral worth as truly as learning and refinement reflect intellectual superiority, and the benevolent institutions of a country deserve to be as great a source of pride as its schools and colleges. The establishment of hospitals, asylums, and other charitable organizations in Peru dates from the time of the Conquest; for, whatever may have been the evils of colonial rule, they did not include negligence of the duties of Christian charity. During the period of the viceroyalty, asylums for the gratuitous care of the sick and destitute were founded in Lima and other cities of Peru, the funds for their maintenance being derived partly from donations, and partly from the rents of property set aside to furnish a permanent and independent revenue for their use.