, 1865-06-09

AoAoANN ChOleAA Nv SlioS 0AAOO ~
they are eight years old, is not correct. The
writer shows that he is not well Informed about
the schools in those islands, else he would know,
that there are many infant schools, which the
children enter at the age Of four years, SO that
when with seven or eight years they enter the
Juvenile, or mixed schools, they have already
laid a good foundation for reading. The infant
schools are a great help, but children enter also
the mixed schools at the age of six. That ge-
neraHy speaking, the schools in the english
islands suffer from want of books, schoolhouses,
funds, etc. is somewhat new to me, and as re
CARDS books, astonishing too. However, II we
could turn six of our splendid large Schoolhousest
each'into two smaller and very common wooden.
ones, and have in each a teacher, with half as
many children, we would turn out many more
readers all, I hope. If the bishop of Antigua
has not said that "if his schools did not turn
out fifty per cent good readers, he would close
them at once'-he had at least every reason to
say so. And is it any thing great, If seventy
five per cent of the scholars in Barbados can,
"at the ace Of ten gears, read tolerably any
average passage from the New testament :"
In Sept. 1864, not only seventy five, but hum
bred per cent, or all the children at Easthill
and La VaI6e, who were ten years old, with
the exception Of one boy who had entered when
nine years old and many more ~nder ten years,
could read well any part of the bible, or larger
reading book, and consequently more than those
average pasSage-readerS and have these chill
dren at Easthill and La Vall6e had as much
schooling as those in Barbados, even during
the same number of years :! We may also be
allowed to ask, whether the latter can write as
we'll as our readers. 1t appears then, that at
least in the way of reading, in two of our Coun-
try schools, more is effected, and in less time,
than in those at Barbados there must be
a reason for it, and what is it ?-But why can
we not say as much of the other six schools :
To reason according to the writer Of the Mino-
rity report, we might ask: are the other school
houses not as good, nay even greater? Are
there not the same schoOlb0oks, lessOnboards,
etc? "Is not the same language taught there,
to the same race and class of people z" Nay,
do not the teachers follow the same plan of
teaching Every one can easily find out the
answer, and learn something from it. These
two schools have simply the advantage of not
being overcrowded, but they also want an ex-
tension of the schooItime, and better attendance
to make sure of the hundred per Cent in Sept,
for times are not equally favourable but that
even now these children learn more, during the
same number of years, than the children in Bar
BADGES, who have more schooling daily, and
much better monitors, also pupil-Jeachers nay,
and the good old spelling system, IS proof
enough, that our way Of teaching is not quite
bad after all and in addition, their children
are not taught by rote.
But let me be short: If those evils which we
complain of "do not account satisfactorily fer
'the great deficiency apparent in the results of
"our schools" if the phonetic system is entirely
the cause, that we are so much behind the peo-
pie in the english islands, then let us settle the
business fairly, let US have every thing just as
they have It; viz
~ "The good old PATH or the old spelling
system bat also aAat foU0ws, Mss as the
condition
81 School in the fore and afternoon, at least
five hours daily, for the same children. One
hour for lunch and recreation.
81 School attendance to the fourteenth, or ff-
teenth year of the children's age, from their
sixth, or seventh year.
A. In proportion to the number of schools in
Antigua, let us have at least twenty more
Country schools, and in addition some infant
schools,
When in this way we shall have been brought
somewhat to a level with the people in the en-
glish islands, as regards the means of education,
then I shall hare no objection to a comparison,
even not, if we were to retain the phonetic sys-
TEN. In fact, 1 would say, let US first try to
go on witAout the old system, for we should be