of that 'long correspondence on the establish- | fault to find with these simplifications. It is ment of a school' (Ib. i. p. 325), over which many a school-manager has sighed.

and until the teacher was able to make up his salary by other means.

The scheme of individually examining all children who claim the capitation grant, in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and of withholding one-third upon failure in any one of these subjects, is contrary to the judgment of Sir James Kay Shuttleworth, and of Mr. Tufnell, nor does it meet the approval of Dr. Temple, who is the real author of so many of the Commissioners' and Committee's recommendations. Sir James Kay Shuttleworth says:

'I think that the tendency of such a system would be this:-Instead of examining the general moral relations of the school, and all the phenomena which meet the eye, the atten tion of the inspector would be concentrated necessarily upon some two or three elements of education. I think that it would be quite impossible for him by examining those three elements of education to test the condition of the school.'-(Report, i. p. 231.)

In his second letter to Lord Granville, Sir James proposes a modified examination-plan of his own, which would undoubtedly be preferable to that of the Revised Code, but which still is far too complicated and cumbrous. There is, at first sight, something very attractive in the idea of payment according to results proved by separate and individual examination in elementary subjects. It is only on looking closely into it that its difficulties become apparent. In 1853 something of the sort was attempted, but it was

The next question is, as to the expediency of the change. Is it wise to throw all the public grants into the form of one capitation grant? It is a recommendation of the Commissioners, borrowed by them from Dr. Temple, and now adopted by the Committee of Council. One objection is, that there neither is, nor can be, any means of checking an almost unlimited amount of cheating. The inspector may verify the registers,' but what shall have prevented the master from cooking the registers to any extent the evening before the arrival of the inspector, or, if he wishes to be more cautious, week by week, or day by day? He has nothing to do but to add dots instead of leaving blanks, or, still more easy, to forget to insert an a to denote absence; and for each dot that he adds, or each a that he forgets to insert, one penny will go into his own pocket out of the public purse. We say with confidence that it is impossible to devise a scheme by which the accuracy of the registers can be tested. Single-entry or double-entry, arrange it how you will, you have nothing but the honesty of the master on which to rely. In the case of masters and mistresses who have been carefully trained for two years in colleges conducted on a religious basis, and who are brought under the influence of a high-minded and energetic clergyman, we do not doubt that this honesty may be relied on. But the school-given up as soon as tried, because the inspecmasters of England are a large and increasing body. At present the capitation money. does not go to the teachers. It belongs to the general fund of the school, while the teachers' grant is a definite sum allowed them in the form of an augmentation of their salary. But according to the proposed scheme a penny is to be paid for every time that a child comes to school, morning, afternoon, or evening, after the first hundred attendances. Out of these pence are to be paid teachers, pupil-teachers, and all miscellaneous expenses of the school. The manager will say to the master, I require so much for pupil-teachers, so much for miscellaneous expenditure; I guarantee you the same sum that I pay you 'A capitation grant,' says Sir J. K. Shuttleat present, and you must make up your aug-vidual children, does not pay for the work done worth, 'based upon an examination of indimentation grant, which you now lose, by the in the school. It is impossible by examination, extra capitation pence.' Consequently every without arrangements too minute and expensive surreptitiously added dot or forgotten a will to be practicable, accurately to test individually be, in the master's estimation, a penny in the the work done in the elementary schools of a master's pocket. Is it right to expose him great nation. To do this the following arrangeto this temptation? * ments are indispensable:-An impartial examiner, on the entrance of each child (or within a short time afterwards, a week for example), *The schoolmasters and mistresses, rightly or must record its state of cleanliness, aptitude for wrongly, consider themselves aggrieved by their salary being cut off. We have heard of their en ing their registers in an unlimited degree, and so couraging each other with the prospect of falsify-revenging themselves for their loss.

tors declared it to be impracticable. This was stated by Mr. Lingen; but no attention was paid to the statement. The truth is, that the migratory state of the population, the indifference and caprice of parents, the gross ignorance of immigrant children, the incapacity of naturally inapt scholars, and the irregularity of attendance at school, make it an impossibility to judge what is the real amount of work which a teacher has done throughout the year, by an examination of each child that happens to be present on one day of the year in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

school discipline and instruction, capacity, and | For the first time a line has been drawn beactual acquirements. Then the inspector, hav- tween secular and religious instruction; and ing before him these facts, and the number of the lesson is practically taught, that the days which the scholar has attended in each Queen or the Queen's officers care nothing month of the preceding year, might form an ap- for the religious knowledge of the children proximate opinion on the work done in the school. He would still be ignorant of the of the poor, provided only they can read, amount of hindrances in the home of the child, write, and cipher. but he might accept irregularity of attendance That this is a point which has been always as a scale with which to measure these. But it jealously guarded, will be shown by the folis obvious that any system so minute and deli-lowing very valuable reminiscence of what cate presents insuperable difficulties, from the is now becoming to many a matter of history, cost of the machinery required to carry it into execution.'—(Letter on the Revised Code, p. 31.) rather than of their own experience:—

can in no way be more effectually promoted than by the encouragement of moral and religious education throughout all classes of our people." These representations were at first ineffectual, and the Committee resolved that, instead of any longer recommending applications for aid to the Committee of Council, they would, on the contrary, advise the clergy and promoters of schools But there is a more serious objection than not to accept grants of public money until inany of these to the intended examination. | spection was placed upon a more satisfactory

declined it.

tion of the master (and that from the most
influential of all reasons) on other subjects,
to the exclusion of religious knowledge.
It is thought by some that religious know-

basis. The result of this resolution was that, out of two hundred and four applicants for Government aid, only forty-four accepted it; and of that small number fourteen afterwards Some months afterwards, the late Arch-ledge will take care of itself; but this has bishop of Canterbury, as Primate, entered into been for ever disproved, even as concerns the negociations with the Committee of Council for middle classes, by the experiment of the the adjustment of this difference, and prevailed Oxford Middle Class Examinations. And upon their Lordships to issue an Order in Coun- how much less will it be the case amongst cil, dated the 10th of August, 1840, by which the poor; and yet, with them, school is the it was arranged that the Archbishops, each with only place where they can be imbued with regard to his own province, should be at liberty to recommend any person or persons for the a religious spirit, or acquire religious knowoffice of inspector; that without their concurledge! Others think that the managers, berence no inspector should be appointed or re- ing mainly clergy, would take care that the tained in office; that the instructions to the in- religious part of the children's education spectors with regard to religious teaching should was not neglected; but this implies a conbe framed by the Archbishops; and that copies stant clerical supervision, to be exercised not of the reports on Church schools should be sent in co-operation with, but in antagonism to to the Archbishop of the province and the the master, and the working of the system Bishop of the diocese. will necessarily militate against any such interference. For the manager will be dependent on the success of the examination for reimbursement of the considerable sums which he has prepaid to the pupil-teachers, and for a great portion of the funds with which the school is supported. If, then, the master represents to him that time spent upon Scripture, Catechism, and Liturgy will tend to the loss of the capitation grant, it is more than probable that Scripture, Catechism, and Liturgy will be shelved for the mechanical drill of reading, writing, and arithmetic. We are happy to hear from Mr. Cory and from Mr. Lowe, that religious examination by the inspector is still to continue; but how will this be practicable? There is nothing in the Code to require it; and after having not only examined, but reported, the special merits or defects of each one of perhaps two hundred children in reading, writing, and ciphering, is it likely that public officers would be able to go through this additional and gratuitous labour?

'This concordat contained all the securities that the Church could desire with reference to inspection; and accordingly at a meeting of the Committee of the National Society, held on the 15th of August, 1840, the above Order in Council having been read by the Archbishop, the following resolution was unanimously agreed upon:-"That the best thanks of the committee be conveyed to his Grace the President, for the trouble he has taken in conducting the negotiations with the Committee of Council, and for concluding an arrangement by which the National Society is enabled to resume its recommendation of cases for aid out of the sums voted by Parliament for education."* The concordat of 1840 has now been in operation above twenty years; it has given universal satisfaction; no voice has ever been raised against it; upon the faith of it millions have been expended on national education; and yet the Royal Cominissioners do not hesitate to make the above-quoted gratuitous expression of opinion,-"The majority of us think that the inquiries of the inspector should be confined in all cases to the secular instruction."(Discouragements to Religious Teaching, &c., p. 1.)

The Committee of Council does not go so far as the majority of the Commissioners, but It we pass from the machinery by which a school is to be tested to the machinery the new regulations will undoubtedly tend in the same direction, both by drawing the by which it is to be taught, we find that, line of distinction, which be readily hereafter widened, and by fixing the atten

·

may

* Had Dr. Vaughan been aware of these facts, he could not have written the last few pages of his temperate but somewhat superficial pamphlet. It is assumed by him, and still more by others, that the clamour which greeted the introduction of our existing system' has been proved by events to have been wholly senseless. A perusal of Sir James K. Shuttleworth's evidence before the Royal Commissioners will show that the clamour' in question had the effect of changing the whole character of the Government educational scheme, and of converting it from a comprehensive and non-religious to a denominational and religious system.

for reasons which we cannot here state at

length, the result of the Revised Code will be the abolition of pupil-teachers in all schools where the average attendance for the year is less than eighty a day, that is, in all but large town schools. The monitorial system would therefore to a very great extent once more supersede the system of pupil-teachers. Before committing ourselves to so great an extent to this change, it may be well, again, to call to mind what was formerly the state of teaching and discipline in schools conducted by monitors, and how great an amount of evidence there is to the superiority of pupil teachers over them.

1

Again, the cutting off of the pupil-teachers | Lowe's speech in moving the estimates on would cut off the supply of suitable students education. The tone of what he then said for training colleges: there would be a cor- is in many respects most satisfactory. He responding diminution of trained and certi- quietly puts aside the main proposals of the ficated masters; and thus a stop would be Commissioners. He lays down some prinput to the flow of the fountains, which by the ciples of which we heartily approve. So quiet working of natural laws are now gradu- long as certain indispensable conditions are ally and yet quickly supplying the needs of complied with,' he says, 'you ought to miniour poorer parishes, and making them reci- mize your interference with the management pients of the public bounty. The Commis- of schools.' (P. 30.) That we think a sound. sioners emphatically declared that they did principle; and we are glad to read the folnot recommend any reduction of aid at lowing:- -The schools will continue to be present given to the colleges in various forms' denominational, and religious teaching must (Rep. i. p. 143). The Revised Code curtails be the foundation of all. The inspectors their funds; cuts off their teachers; cuts off will still conduct a religious examination, their scholars; and takes away from the stu- where they conduct one now; in short, there dents all motive for remaining beyond one is no proposal to make any change in the year under training, thereby still further religious character of the schools.' We are diminishing their income. If it be said that glad to learn on such good authority that the certificated masters have been overtaught no change of this nature was intended, during their residence in the training institu- though such would have been the effect. tions, the plea may be partially allowed, So far we say Mr. Lowe's speech is most without these consequences being therefore satisfactory; but there are two points to admitted to be needful. It is using the knife which we feel bound to call attention, as for a disease which would readily yield to they underlie the Code, out of sight, but mild treatment. The subjects taught in nearer to the surface than is usually suptraining schools may be lowered with advan- posed, and awaiting the proper time at tage, and we hope that a set will be made which to emerge. One of them is a matter against the pernicious habit of cramming which Mr. Lowe has more than once brought wherever it exists; but the masters and mis- forward in Parliament, and on which he tresses must be themselves educated; and it has expressed strong personal opinions. may be doubted whether that high moral speaking of an increase in the number of character which it is so supremely necessary inspectors which will be necessary to carry that they should have could be stamped out the system instituted by the new Minute, upon them, considering their origin and pre- he says,— vious opportunities, in less than two years.

If it is urged that the real argument for the Code is the financial argument, we must say that the framers of it do not bring it forward on economical grounds. They profess to give by it the same amount of assistance that was given before, although, it is true, they made their calculation so badly that they would, in fact, have cut off at a blow, one-third or two-fifths of the aid now

In

'But let me say that if the number of inspectors should become too large, the Government hands. The number of inspectors is far larger and the House have the remedy in their own than it need be at this moment, because each denomination has its own inspectors, and it often happens that three or four gentlemen are sent to the same town to inspect the schools in it. That, of course, involves an enormous waste of time and money; and some good might be all classes of schools, with the exception perhaps effected by making the same gentleman inspect of those belonging to the Roman Catholics.'(p. 32.)

given. If economy of the grant is aimed at, let it be openly declared, and effected in the best way that can be devised, not by a sidewind. Sir James K. Shuttleworth points out how the abruptness of the present blow, in- Mr. Lowe was, of course, not aware that stead of developing local resources to take he was mistaken when he made this statethe place of the public grant, would paralyse | ment, but he might have been aware of it the efforts of managers of schools in poor had he consulted the evidence given to the districts. At the same time he indicates a Commissioners, or applied his own mind plan by which a gradual withdrawal of the closely to the subject. Mr. Cook points State aid would elicit local means, and out (Evidence, 1022) that the denominareduce the grant from its future maximum of tional character of the inspectors cannot pos1,200,000l. to a sum not greater than that sibly make the last difference in the number which was voted last year. of inspectors that are employed. Each inspector by his instructions necessarily visits five (or, if they are small, seven) schools a-week; and he would not visit more, what

If we wish to know the animus with which the change has been made, we must turn to the only official commentary upon it-Mr.