, 1877-08-02

Tho report Of tho Dritiah Education De-
pnrtnaent, recently submitted to Parliament,
shows tho growth Of the now 8chool.syste,n
in q strong light. During the year rrureai1g
the report the number Of elementary scl,ools
In England and WalcB Ind bccu Increased by
1,O50, making total Of 1928. Accofnmo-
dation Is now afforded fora, i1G, 900 children,
or for 100000 moro thau lust yoar. The
Education vote for the current year WINS
$D.550, 900, an incroaso Of $l,0l8,870 on
the estimate Of last yoar. In order to ap-
prcciate the full import Of these figures, 1t is
necessary to rocnll the fact that tho present
school-syste1n Of Great Dritain, 80 far rs
elementary education IL concerned, dates
back only to 1870. fn that Year an act of
Parliament was passed directing that - there
shall bo established in evory sclioo1 district a
sufficient amount Of accommodation In
public elementary schools available for
MI tho clillrun resident in such
district, for wLoso elementary odu-
cation efficient aad suitable provision
is not otherwise made" BY the same act
froo tuition IL furnished children whose pa-
rents nro unable to pay, and tho expenses
arc discharged out Of the local rates. School
Boards aro also established, and empowered
to compel tho attendance ut school, during
certain portion Of tho year, Of all children
between tho ages Of aud u years. In con-
sequence Of this net, aud tho rigid measures
takon under it, tho average number of chil-
dren In attendance in tic elementary schools
Of Great britain has Increased from 1885,
OBI in 1870 10 2,03i,4 In 1916, and tho &C.
commodations wore enlarged from 1,05o, ,G41
in 1870 to 3,420,0 600 fu 1876. Thus the
growth IN tho Six years wns about st pcr
cont. Tho liberality Of Parlinmont has
increased In corresponding ratio. In
1870 the Parliamentary grants for pub
lie primary schools in England and
Wales amounted Ia $4,573,Go5, and for
tho current year, as atready stated, to
$9,550,00o, or mora than twice as much
as six years ago. Since 1870, 1000 Boarl
schools md 1000 voluntary schools lavc
been established, accommodating in all
1,loo, 600 children. In the same period $95,-
00D, 0o0 havo been expended on schools ly
tho country,-ss2o, ,ooo, GOO by Boards, $685.
000,o ,o00 by voluntary effort, aud II, 1000, 600
by Government.
The ngurea given above are exclusive Of
Scotland and Iroland. and the population
thus provided for, including only England
aud Walca, ia scarcely moro than 2a, GOO, 600.
Tic school accommodations Of England and
Walos, therefore, compare favorably with
those Of tho United States, where, with q
population Of about 10000, 600, the avc1nge
daily attendance IL reported by the Commis-
sioner Of Education at 4,215,3B0. Great
britain has been making creator strides than
the United States Of late yeara in the way
Of providing M elementary education for
the masses, aud 1t the rate OF progress In
both countries does rot soon change
we shnli soon DO ontstrippcd by
the conservative institutions Of Old England.
Tue Mothcr Country, Of courao, las tho asl-
vantage in tho optional and partial System Of
compulsory education, which has been more
largely put In practice thero than with us.
Tho statesmen Of England have Ind reason
10 appreciate Of late yeafa the necessity for
making common-sohool education the con-
dition and basis Of m extended suffrage, and
perhaps tho sooia} disturbances through which
our country AaB just passed. may not eventu.
ally be without their effect in making the
common-soAool system even moro efficient
than 1t Ia at present,