the Confederation is the first to take the initiative in erecting a monument to our lamented Sovereign Edward VII." He also warmly defended the National Park proposal and the measure became law in due course.

There were several other incidents in the Session which was closed on Mch. 24th after passing 165 Bills. J. O. Mousseau's measure revising the Quebec Medical Act so as to establish reciprocity among the Provinces in recognition of medical degrees and the right to practice, each Province having to make a separate arrangement with Quebec, was passed. So was Clement Robillard's measure amending the Montreal City Charter in various directions and dealing with expropriatory powers, taxation, the vote of joint stock companies and street control. During the Session it was stated by Mr. Taschereau that the projected Legislative Library would be one of the finest buildings in Canada and cost about $400,000; great interest was taken in the action of the Archbishop of Quebec in placing La Vigie and Le Soleil under the ban but nothing was said publicly pending an appeal to the Papal Delegate; it was stated during the Montreal debates in the Legislature that the City paid two-thirds of the taxes of the whole Province $2,300,000 on Liquor licenses, corporation taxes, law stamps and succession dues alone; at the close of the year Olivier C. F. Delage, LL.D., was announced as the new Speaker of the Assembly in succession to Dr. Pelletier.

Educational
and Other
Problems in
Quebec

On Feb. 23rd, 1911, the Royal Commission on Schools appointed by the Government under Orderin-Council of July 29, 1909, and composed of Senator R. Dandurand (President), Abbé Ph. Perrier and Dr. E. J. C. Kennedy, with Dr. L. P. de Grandpré as Secretary, presented its Report to the Legislature through the Provincial Secretary. The object of the Commission was to inquire into the advisability of organizing a Catholic School Board for Montreal with jurisdiction throughout the City and its environs. The evidence and opinions of many persons were reviewed in the document and the following conclusion of the Commission stated: "It rejects the idea of dividing the present School Board of the City of Montreal into parochial boards because the administration of the said Board has given full satisfaction to the ratepayers, especially as regards the distribution of the schools. Your Commission is in favour of the amalgamation into a single Board of all the school municipalities comprised within the present limits of the city of Montreal." As to details various suggestions were made including a periodical meeting of ratepayers and fathers of families in each Parish to choose a representative whose duty it would be to visit the schools and make representations to the Central Board; the selection of School Commissioners by delegates rather than by the people-three,

however, out of the 12 to be elected by the Catholics every two or four years at the time of the Municipal elections and three to be appointed by the City Council from outside its membership. Attention was drawn to the fact that Montreal was the only city in the world which allowed 30 different school boards within its limits.

During the ensuing Session a measure was presented by Mr. C. Robillard, and passed, authorizing the existing Board of School Commissioners in Montreal to establish infant schools and primary Superior Schools. In his annual Report dated Dec. 30, 1911, M. Boucher de la Bruère, Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction, reviewed the conditions of the school-year, 1910-11. He described meetings held by the 8 Principals of the Roman Catholic Normal Schools of the Province for the purpose of creating_uniformity of policy and action; the Congress of Secondary Education held at Laval in June with representatives present from 18 affiliated Colleges and the formation of a standing Committee to study problems of Secondary Education-the Rev. Abbés Roy, Sabourin, Chartier, Labelle, Camirand, Morin and Lebon; the appointment on Jan. 5th, 1911, of C. J. Magnan of the Laval Normal School as Inspector-General of Catholic Schools and J. C. Sutherland of Protestant Schools; the affiliation of the Agricultural School of the Trappists of Oka to Laval and the awarding of the Province's first diploma of Bachelor of Agricultural Science; the encouragement of house-keeping instruction in Convents, etc., the preparation of an 8-year course of study which combined classical instruction with house-keeping and was suited to the changing intellectual conditions of young girls. The statistics of the year 1910-11 may be summarized from a mass of detail as follows:

During the year the Roman Catholic Committee of the Council of Public Instruction held various meetings and on May 10-11 it recommended drawing as an element of instruction in primary schools, urged the Government to forbid the grant of Liquor licenses within a distance of 500 feet from any school-house, requested that it be made lawful to supply school books to all children at the cost of the municipality concerned, and urged by Resolution the Catholic School Boards to select Canadian works for school books as far as possible especially those relating to the history of Canada. The Protestant Committee (Feb. 17) made strong representation as to the study of French in the Protestant schools: "We are of the opinion that the work required in this subject can be done by those only who have been specially trained for that purpose. The salary necessary to secure such teachers must be large enough, not only to compensate them for the extra expense of their special training, but to attract to the arduous work of language-teaching a number sufficient to meet the demand. Without a special grant many school boards would be unable to secure and retain the services of such teachers. We, therefore, recommend that a special grant of not less than $100 nor more than $200 per annum be given to such school boards as engage a specially-qualified teacher of French who shall teach the subjects in all grades of the school."

It was urged that McGill University should provide courses of instruction in this connection and a special Inspector of teachers beginning to give instruction in French was suggested. A small sum was voted to aid teachers in attending McGill's Summer School for this purpose. Mr. Justice J. C. McCorkill was elected Chairman in place of the late Rev. Dr. W. I. Shaw but was unable to act and Principal W. Peterson, C.M.G., of McGill was then chosen. In his first Report Mr. Sutherland drew attention to the indifference of many Protestant School Boards to all regulations or official advice. Mr. Magnan reviewed the Catholic part of the problem as follows:

The pupils in our primary schools leave school too soon as a rule. Not being sufficiently educated, they do not think of going to the special schools-the agricultural, commercial and technical schools. The increase in the number of male teachers in the country parts, thanks to the special grant of $10,000, will have the effect of keeping boys between 10 and

16 years longer at school. The most important of all school problems set by the Inspectors, and one which must be solved within a brief delay, is that of teachers without diplomas. And the most serious matter is that a number of municipalities engage unqualified teachers without even obtaining the Superintendent's authorization as required by Article 26 of the Revised Regulations of the Catholic Committee. Thus, while the Government is multiplying Normal Schools and the Central Board continues to award diplomas every year after thorough examination to hundreds of young persons, the number of teachers without diplomas increases yearly.

McGill University made history for itself in 1911. The students in attendance for the Session, 1910-11, were 2,294 of whom 627 were in Arts, 60 in Law, 610 in Applied Science, 304 in Medicine, 73 in Music. There were six Medical graduates taking the Public Health course, 83 students in the Graduate School, 80 taking Extension lectures, 160 in the French Summer School and 325 students in Macdonald College. Financially, the University commenced the year with a condition of continued retrogression. Despite the princely gifts received year after year from Lord Strathcona and Sir W. C. Macdonald its financial responsibilities seemed to become heavier rather than the reverse. The Star put the public situation as follows on Jan. 26: "McGill is one of the assets of the Province. Its success is a world-accepted test of our prosperity. The prestige of the Province cannot be divorced from the prestige of McGill. Why, then, should the Province grant McGill no more than $3,000 a year when Ontario grants $750,000 annually to Toronto University?"

Private benefactions, however, continued. A splendid collection of rare works on the diseases and surgery of the eye was presented to the Medical Library early in the year by Dr. Casey A. Wood of Chicago while Dr. W. Gordon Byers, Professor Birkett, Dr. William Osler and Sir Lauder Brunton added important collections of books or engravings. The opening of the new building of the Medical Faculty in June marked a million dollars of invested capital to which Lord Strathcona had contributed $450,000 and of which about $350,000 came from insurance on the old building. More endowment was, however, needed. Through the generosity of Sir William Macdonald the University, on July 4th, was placed in possession of an important and valuable block of real estate having an area of 1,087,000 square feet and known as the Law-Molson property. It adjoined land already owned by the institution, was said to have cost the donor $1,000,000 and apparently ensured the permanency of McGill as a Montreal institution. Endowment was again required and while the problem of land and of room for expansion was removed, the problem for adequate maintenance was increased.

Recurring deficits were stated at this time to have impaired in five years the invested funds of the University by $154,600 and, in the current year ending June 30th, the revenues were $773,844

and the expenditures $832,638 with only two self-supporting departments-the Faculty of Law and the Royal Victoria College for Women. Hence a large deputation which waited on Sir Lomer Gouin on Nov. 17 and asked for a yearly Provincial subsidy of $100,000. Mr. C. M. Hays said: " McGill University is the principal asset of the City of Montreal and possibly of the Province. It represents a total outlay of $20,000,000, all from private sources, and has always been maintained through contributions from private individuals. The time has come when the enterprise has developed to such an extent that it is impossible for the Board of Governors to make ends meet if they have to depend on the generosity of a few citizens. It is an institution rendering service to the whole community and, in many instances, relieving the Government of obligations regarding Education." The reply was sympathetic but uncertain.

Following this came an appeal to the citizens of Montreal for a million dollar Endowment Fund which was started on Nov. 19th by subscriptions of $100,000 from Dr. James Douglas of New York, $50,000 from R. B. Angus, $25,000 from George E. Drummond and $10,000 from E. B. Greenshields. The Chairmen of Committees were James Ballantyne, Dr. H. S. Birkett, H. J. Fuller, C. C. Holland, George Lyman, Lieut.-Col. E. A. Whitehead, J. W. McConnell, G. H. Montgomery, Percy Molson, W. Rutherford, Lieut.-Col. C. A. Smart and R. J. Younge. Once these Committees were organized for work the money poured in and by Nov. 25th $1,526,765 had been subscribed. A few only of the larger contributors, in addition to those mentioned above, can be recorded:

The amount raised, with promised additions, was expected to give the University an endowment of $100,000 a year. The Committee raising the largest amount was Mr. McConnell's ($367,720) with Percy Molson's second ($308,731) and the Executive Committee, having the whole matter in hand, was composed of R. B. Angus (Chairman) and G. E. Drummond, W. N. Birks, C. J. Fleet, K.C., C. B. Gordon, J. W. Ross, R. Reford and