Leaving certificate from the grammar school in Anklam for Otto Lilienthal

• paper/cardboard
• 1864
• height: 34 cm

The leaving certificate for Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal, born in Anklam on 23 May 1848 as son to a deceased merchant, indicates his mediocre performance. It states: 'While dutiful in his conduct, his attention and application revealed opposite proclivities with a tendency toward idleness. Hence the standard of his knowledge is as follows: He showed insufficient dedication to his production of essays in German and in consequence accomplished little. His comprehension of Caesar and Ovid was good in Latin, provided he prepared assiduously, but his understanding of grammar was indifferent. His attendance of classes in Greek morphology and some syntax did not equip him with clear understanding; he read two books from Xenophon's Anabasis. He is familiar with regular conjugation and some irregular verbs in French, but neither his knowledge nor his usage is reliable.

His understanding of the written works was satisfactory overall. The aspects addressed in religious studies usually evoked no more than a mediocre result. In mathematics he has studied geometry up to the theory of similarity and in arithmetic to simple formulae, and overall his performance has been satisfactory. His progress in geography, history and natural history has been negligible, although he has acquired an elementary comprehension of these sciences. His participation in drawing was avid and skilful, and his performance in gymnastics was mediocre. We send him our blessings and best wishes as he leaves our school (to enter civic life).