Why is "length" attribute public in String class?

Question

In Java, I'm wondering why the "length" attribute of the String class isn't private? Isn't it a bad practice according to encapsulation principle? Why is there no method like "getLength()" for instance?

PS: Sorry for my English, I'm still improving it.

Answer 1

In fact, it really is private. Maybe your confusing with the length() method?