Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-06
TEACHING ENGLAND
The Requirements Very High and
the Wages Extremely Low.
1915 A YEAR THE AVERAGE.
Six Years Of Special Training Necessary for
That Salary.
THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM Is GOOD

|
England and Wales are returned at about
$4,000. Popular education is a thing of re-
cent origin over here. Prior to 1876 the
board school was unknown, all the training
possible to the children of the masses being
wholly, before that time, in the hands of
the church or at the discretion of private
individuals But in the year indicated a
marvellous advance was made. Not only
were school boards instituted, with liberal
provision for their maintenance by grants
from the State, but increased grants of
money and various other incentives to en-
! terprlse were offered to private and denomi-
national schools, and, in fact, the entire
educational machinery of the country was
overhauled, with the object of shaping it,
as far as seemed practicable at that time,
after the best models afforded in Europe
and the United States.
Since then ''the schoolmaster has been
| abroad in old England in fashion quite
beyond anything Lord Brougham could
Illiteracy, which was disgracefully common
before, is now rapidly disappearing. The
| elections afford a good test Of the progress
| along this line. A polling clerk in one
of the poorest districts in London expressed
| to me his delighted amazement that in q
vote of nearly 1000 at the last election the
ballots cast by those who could not read or
write were only about 50 In the Strand
division there were only q illiterates out of
6,S9S voters; in North Hackney only 10 out
of z, AT, with similar evidences OF improve
ment both in town and country all over the
nation, not excepting even Suffolk and
Cambridgeshire, although these counties at
present stand lowest in the list.
Statistics on Education and Crime.
Another gratifying result of this exten-
sion of school privileges to the masses is
marked diminution in the number, of GRIM
inals On the assumption that the public
schools of England give only little educa-
tion, which is all that can be reasonably
expected from them, the old saying that "a
little knowledge is dangerous thing" is
completely refuted by the criminal statis-
tics of Great Britain Since 1869 the pop
ulation has increased about 1000, 900, but
notwithstanding this, juvenile offenders
against the law, while they numbered in
that year about 10,0O0, have decreased at a
steady annual rate until now the average
per year is only about 4, 900 And the pro-
portionate falling off has been almost as
great among the worst classes of adult
offenders.
After this showing, one is quite prepared
for the exhibition of progress which the
schools themselves afford. In 1869 the
pupils enrolled were less than 1, 900, 600; last
year they were nearly 5000, 600. There has
also been an unbroken trend of improve
ment during this time in the curriculum of
these elementary schools, as we'll as in the
standard of scholarship among the teachers.
There are numerous schools now whose
head masters write the suffix of NJ. A. after
their names; and this, it will be remembered,
carries more weight than In the United
States because, for the generality of
students, it is much harder to obtain. There
is an elementary school in Cam mbridge which
has in it. L am told, three or four teachers
who have taken a University degree, and
I am assured by those we'll up in educa-
tional matters that it will probably not be
great while before, in all urban schools, the
acquisition bv the master of badge of
scholarship like this will be q universal
condition of his employment.
The System of Examination.
The most recent evidences of improve
ment in English elementary schools are the
abolition, to large extent, of the payment
OF school pence by the pupils, and a change
in the form OF inspection which virtually
abolishes the old push and cram system"
in preparing for examinations. Formerly
the pupils in schools sharing in the State
grant could be assessed from Sd to Cd a
week at the discretion of those in charge
Now, these schools which are willing to
torego this source of revenue, or to modify
1t in proper ratio, are paid by the State an
extra 10 shillings per ann um for each pupil
in attendance and in the majority of
schools this effort of, the Government to
make education free to the children of the
masses has been cheertully acquiesced in.
The other change referred to affects the
basis on which the State grant is appor-
toned. For many wears each scholar
was examined individually, and the amount
of money received by the school depended
largely upon the individual passes. This
was hard on the children, and, with their
own pay depending somewhat on the re-
suits, it was very hard on the teachers.
Happily, this has now been so changed that
a school is judged and rewarded upon its
merits considered as a whole, a system
which proves to be great boon to anxious
pedagogues and great relief to dull aud
lazy pupils.
All schools share equally in the Govern
ment grant, whether controlled by school
boards or otherwise; and this means that
under the peculiar educational system of
England the majority of the schools sharing
in this grant are not board schools at all,
but are church and UNCONVENTIONAL schools,
among the latter being fair proportion
belonging to the Roman Catholics
Requirements of Denomiuational Schools.
The only conditions imposed are that GER
tain branches shall be taught, that not more
than Cd a week shall be charged tor tuition,
that the schools shall be open to Her Ma
jesty's inspectors, that instruction shall |
cover given number of hours per day and |
days per year, and that within the hours |
specified there shall be no Infringement of |
the rights of conscience by forcing upon the |
pupils any teaching that is distinctly re-
ligious. Complying with these require
ments any elementary school in the realm |
may claim its share of Government help, |
and the number of day schools thus assisted |
In. England and Wales last year was 19, 535 |
The number of adult teachers has been |
given roughly at $4,000, but in order to a |
proper understanding OF the matter class- |
fcation is necessary. Those holding GER
ti6cates as fully qualified teachers number
Al, ,597, and of these Is, 264 are masters and
q, 1888 mistresses. Besides these there are
%, sos assistant teachers, and still lower in
the scale, 2S, 131 pupil teachers, most of the
latter, who are learning the trade so to
speak, being minors. with the probability,
we should say, that among both pupil and
assistant teachers the ratio of the two sexes
would be about the same as among those
holding certificates. In the sending forth
of those who are to teach the young idea
how to shoot the Government takes hand.
To all aspirants o Queens Scholarship is
held out. This is obtained by passing sue