, 1865-06-06
Answer to Revd. Dubois communications re-
garding the Country schools in st. Croix.
(see Minority Report, May 1869

Professedly the object of the Revd. Dubois,
in publishing my annual report for 1864, and
commenting on it, is-"to secure to our people
the full benefits of one of the most liberal edu-
"cational endowments in the Westindies."
First We must understand in what the liberia
lily of this endowment consists. l fear it would
be charging the Revd. writer with a want Of
sincerity, if We were to imagine, that he means
any thing besides The amount of money, which
is granted for school-cxpences, mainly for the
salary ofthe teachers. If this be his meaning,
no objection can be made, in this respect the
liberality of the country with regard to the
schools which have been established must be
acknowledged by all. But, unfortunately, if
even the grant ofmOney were still more liberal,
we cannot buy with it a greater amount of
SchOoltime for the country children, nor can
we effect by it a more regular attendance, neil
Their would we be able to establish such an adj
ditional number of schools, as are wanted, to
prevent overcrDWdedness, and without a suffici-
ency of these things the Country schools cannot
effect a more liberal education, however liberal
the grant of money may be it is plainly absurd
to deny this, for no mar can do in one day what
he would be able to do in three, or four days,
let his wages be raised ever so much, and the
best endowed teacher cannot teach children,
who do not attend. That part of the endow-
cut VI Jul OOohliy cNuOOlS3 vi NhASLA viz plOS
perity, or success of these schools, ]. c. the edu-
"cational benefits which the children ought to
enjoy, chiefly depends, is by no means one of
the most liberal in the Westindies, but the very
contrary, and probably the most illiberal of all
There is no school of some note in the other
Westindia islands, where the children attend
only a few hours in the forenoon generally the
attendance is three hours in the forenoon, and
two or three hours in the afternoon, with an
hour for lunch and recreation at noon. There
is no negroe-school in the english islands from
which the children must be dismissed at the age
of ten years, after an attendance of from two to
four years. In those islands the children attend
eight years, viz. from the sixth year to the age
of fourteen, and frequently to their fifteenth and
sixteenth year and this advantage must not
be computed only by the number of years, for
with ten years, when we must send our children
from school, their minds first really open, and
the best time for learning begins Moreover
every experienced teacher knows, how much in
q large school depends on the competency of
the monitors, and that competent monitors are
rarely found among children under twelve years.
Our monitors are poorly fitted for their Office,
and they in particular are often kept from
school.
Again there will be but few schools in the
Westindies, where the attendance, though vo-
luntary, is so wretched as in later years it has
been, and is to this day, here in St. Croix, more
especially in the larger schools, for instance in
Friedensfeld. After the most careful inyestigq-
ton, made in the beginning of this month, there
are found on the list and bound to attend 277
children, besides 81 who have left for one of the
towns. Now, with two or three exceptions,
these 277 children do all attend, but SO irregu-
larly, that last month, and generally, 1873, or
precisely one half of the number, were daily
staying away.
As regards overcrowdedness there are GER
tainly some large schools also in the english ISL
ands, but they are rather exceptions, and they
have the great advantage of good monitors,
we'll qualified by their age. Generally the
schools in the english islands are small, but
there are many. Already 25 years ago there
were in Antigua about strty elementary schools,
among less than twenty thousand country peo-
pie. In 1868 there were in Antigua forty-eight
elementary schools, which received grants from
the Government. I add a list of the average
attendance:
English charch schools
Sc. IS. "a. Is. SO. So. SO. 95. 90. 160. rs. 50.
81. 90. 25. So. As, &c. Sc. 37 36