The Express.
London, England, 1865-03-30 00:00:00

JOHN BROGDEN.

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LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 3A

Tax Schools Inquiry Commissioners arejustify-
log the hopes of the middle classes in regard to
the interests of female education. They have in-
timated their readiness tooomprehend girls' schools
and colleges in their inquiry. It may be remem-
bered that in January last a Memorial was in pre-
paration on behalf of snob an extension of the
inquiry ; and probably some of our readers
may have felt a certain interest in the
action of the Memorialists, and anxiety about
its result. The Memorial, presented on the 23rd
of January, was signed by a remarkable group
of the friends of female education—
from some of the most eminent churchmen and
lay professors of our time to unassuming country
school-mistresses. To all, throughout the range of
signatures, it was plain that girls' schools needed,
as much as boys' schools, to be inquired into; and
the good reason for an investigation was pointed
out that some of the old endowments, proposed to
be turned to educational uses, were expressly de-
vised to recipients of both sere► It is indeed time
that a atop should be put to the lionise with which
bequests for the benefit of men sadtwornen are
appropriated to schools foe boys only ; and it ap-
pears, by the Commissioners' reply to the Memorial,
. .

that no such perversion will be countenaDoed by
them. It is not their business to occupy them-
selves with the appropriation of endowments; but,
where endowments for educational porpoise exist,
they will look into their operation in the case of
girls as well as of boys. They freely reoognise the
examination of girls' schools as oomiog within
the terms of their commission ; and they will

go to work upon them accordingly. They
anxiously explain that circumstances narrow the
inquiry very much in the ciao of the existing ge-
nerationof girls, and that the endowments in which
these have an interest are far inferior in number
and value to Qom enjoyed by the other sex ; and
thus, the Commissioners cannot give anything like
an equal amount of time and attention to the two
classes of schools. It is hardly likely that any
fault will be found with this honest warning by
middle class people at least, for none know so well
as they how many girls never go to school at all,
or only for a short time. But the large propor-
tion of children educated at home, by p►rents,
governesses or masters, have as real au interest
as anybody in the Commissioners' dealings with
schools and colleges, because their own go-
vernesses or other instructors must receive
their training in the institutions to be now exa-
mined. The object is not that as many of the one
set of schools as of the other should be investi-
gated ; but that the quality of existing schools
should be carefully ascertained, and that the suffi-
ciency or insufficiency of the actual means of edu-
cation for girls should be broadly represented at
the close of the inquiry. The important questions
are—first, how far the education provided in
schools is what it ought to be, and professes to ;
and next, how much of deficiency, in quantity and
quality, remains which should be snpplied by
existing or by feasible means. Subject to the
limitations inherent in the case, the Commissioners
say they will endeavour to embrace in their in-
quiry the education of both sexes alike.

- Their method is to send Assistant Commis-
sioners into selezted districts, to report on the
girls' as well as the boys' schools in those dis-
tricts. This looks fair enough : but the first idea
that will occur to everybody will be that the whole
value and success of the inquiry will depend on,
not only the general quality, but the special
fitness of these Assistant Commissioners. We are
not aware that they have yet been named; so that
there can be nothing invidious in saying that much
depends on whether these gentlemen are young and
unpractised in the study of female education, or
so far experienced as to know what to look for in
the process of developing the intellect of girls, and
how to understand many things that they will see,
differing from the mental training of boys. If
these gentlemen were sent out merely as examiners,
they would have simply to apply the same tests to
the classical or mathematical or other attainments
of the pupils of both sexes. But the present
task is very different from this. It is to
ascertain what is taught to middle class
girls in England—whether it is properly
taught ; whether more might not be put within
reach of the actual pupils; and whether there is
any deficiency of means for girls to obtain what
they ought to have the opportunity of learning.
In brief, the business of these gentlemen will be
to ascertain among them the proportion which a
sound and thorough education bell= in England
to the girls who ought to be profiting by it. It is
clear that the doubt about the sufficiency of the
Assistants of the Commission has occurred to the
Principals who are going to send them forth ; for
their reply contains a virtual appeal to the Memo-
rialists to indicate the persons, throughout the
country, whose opinions and whose evidence will
be likely to throw light upon the ease. From
such persons the Commissioners "expect to derive
" much important information." Again, they
express gratitude to the Memorialista, who
are all persons practically experienced, or
at least interested, in female education, for
their offer of assistaithe. Such being the
position of affairs, the question proses on all rea-
sonable rainds--why do not the Commissioners