, 1865-05-09
MINORITY p
ON H
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
INSPECTOR OF THE COUNTRY Schools
FOR A. D. 1863-64.
OF THE
FOR A. D. 1863--64.

We, the undersigned Members of the Coun-
try School Commission, forming the Minority
on the vote of that Body lately given on the
81, feeling convinced that there are state
ments in that Report which We cannot endorse,
and which if unchallenged, must tend to give
very erroneous impressions on the subject Of
the working of those Schools, and their results,
deem it our imperative duty to submit herein
our objection to, and protest against, that doc
ument.
I. We beg leave to take exception to the vague
charge, made at the very opening OF this Re
port, to the effect that the illness of the
Children registered at these Schools is made
ga vain but very welcome pretext to the
parents &c" for keeping them from School
long after their health is actually restored.
We consider that any such charge as this
should, in all justice and propriety, be brought
plainly home to the delinQuents, and not be
insinuated in this vague manner, under the
form of an &C., against any class Of indlvidu-
ais. That the Parents may, in many cases,
avail themselves Of such excuses for not
sending their children to school, we do not
deny; this being the natural consequence Of
the almost universal observation among
them that little or no benefit is derived by
the vast majority Of children in attendance;
but if it be within the knowledge Of the Su-
perintendent that any other persons welding
any influence over the children are guilty OF
this charge, then such persons or class should
be specified; and we maintain that no charge,
so serious in its character, and yet 50 indetin-
tie in its application, should have a place in
an official document such as that now under
discussion.
II. We take exception again, on the very same
grounds, to the statement on this Report i'm
mediately succeeding the last which we have
noticed, namely-that the children of tho
labOring classes care trained in early years
"to transgress the laws of Government"
Amounting, as this language undcniabIy
does, TO a formal declaration that these child
rem are wilfully and Systematically taught
to despiSe and violate the laws of the coun-
try, this becomes an even more serious
charge than the former yet here again we
find no definite application made Of it to any
particular individual or class, and again there
fore do we feel called upon to protest against
this vague and loose method Of framing Off
cial Reports. In the absence Of any such
definite application Of this charge by the SUI
perintendent, we venture to deny 1t m toto
We unheSitatingIy assert our conviction that
the native laboring class of this Island is, as
a body, as tractable, and law-abiding a peo-
pie as any, in the same position, in the world
and we earnestly contend that if the Su-
perintendent of the Schools considers himself
compelled to bring such grave charges as
these against any individual, or class, of the
Community, he should, in all justice, desig-
nate such individuals or class, and not thus
deal IN generalities. Until this course be
adopted by him we consider ourselves @justifi-
ed in concluding that he has no confidence in
his own allegations, and therefore in withhold
ing our assent to them, as we now do.
III. While regreting sincerely with the Super
intendent that any decrease in the attendance
at the Schools should have taken place in
late years, we yet cannot agree with him in
attributing this so much to the neglect of the
Authorities in enforcing attendance, as to
other causes, entirely overlooked by him in
his Report. To enforce the attendance of the
children, contrary to the wishes of the Pa
rents, and in the face of such excuses as are
constantly offered for their absence, is sim
ply, in many cases, impossible. But we are
convinced that the chief cause of this lament
able lukewarmness of the Parents lies in the