, 1894-09-15

larger proportion of scholars to general
population, han there is in our own colony,
the respective figures being 1864 in Barbados
1440 in Jamaica and 8 50 Iii Guiana, 10
put this information in another way, let us
state that Guiana has 1875 schools with &c, SIP
scholars on the register; Jamaica has 9l2
schools with 81, 1875 scholars; and Barbados
202 schools with G,G01 scholars; tile popula-
ton Of Guiana being 275.0OO, Of Jamaica
$50, 900, and Of Barbados $4,000. jamaica
with a population about u times as largo as
ours, has nearly : times a~many schools and
over 4 times as many scholars. AS Jhe
people of jamaica are evidentIy EaIiye to the
blessingsof education and consequently in the
position to estimate what IS a tar price top9y
for it, we are almost forced to the conclusion
that we are paying too much.here9'pcr caput
for, in the main. the condition Of the peasant
nv and of the teachers is pretty muoh III Ja-
maica as it is in Guiana, the advantage per
haps being in favour Of the former colony.
We do not say that our teachers are making
too large n salary, but possibly they could
teach a much larger number OF children u the
colony would be satisfied to educate the
children Of it's labouring class, up to q stand
ard in keeping with, but not above, the
station of life which the children may reason
ably be expected to occupy. More than one
half Of the education we insist upon giving
our young people is just wasted, because 1t IS
unnecessary. The children should be taught
to read, to write, to spell, to do arithmetical
sums, with much exercise in mental arlthme-
tic in their later days at school, and thereafter
their higher scholastic education, if they OF
their parents desire any, should be a matter
solely for themselves or their parents. Per-
laps one out of a thousand of the scholars in
average attendance, has that within him
which a higher education is necessary to per-
feet, but if the desire for higher education IS
there, the lad will have no real difficulty III
ACQUIRING it. Let those who differ from us,
turn to a lecture delivered last week by q
local school teacher, who therein describes how
his own education was acquired, and see how
q lad whose soul Graves for education Will
find means of getting it. BY all means educate
every child in the colony, SO that he can read
and write with facility, but let any education
beyond this point, il it is to be at the public
expense, be of an industrial nature, chiefly
agricultural, that the young people may be
educated 80 aa to make the most OF this fruit
full land which is their portion. We would
not have our school bill one farthing less; we
would regard it a%pprovingly, if 1t were Twice
as large, if the schooling were calculated to
do the scholars lasting good, such as industrial
training would produce. There is a great
cry out Tor g. framing ScnODI IOf IeaCueTS,-
who, when they are trained in the way that
is in contemplation, will be quite incapable of
imparting to the scholars anything of what
we would call the higher education that goes
to qualify them for doing useful laDour in the
world. Even the girls at present are not
being taught how to work.-not even to sew
a seam or do any of the simplest forms of
labour, education III which is now q recognised
feature in the scholastic systems of the most
Intellectual nations in the world. We have
girls studying Euclid when they don't know
how to make a cup Of tea, pound a boiled
p~lantain, or sew q button on their fathers
shirt. Surely a system of State-aided educa-
ton in which such deplorable ignorance is
possible must be rotten, and ought to be
abandoned. Here is an extract from the In
speotor's Report, positively awful i'll the
depth Of ignorance and uselessness which it
reveals -
Needlework- "The needlework on the
whole was most unsatisfactory and showed that
the candidates had a very slight knowledge
Of the subject
ssBMton and Button Hole.-No candidate
knew how to sew on a linen button, and the
corners of the button holes in many cases
were unfinished.
s.Flaamsl Patch.-The stitch (herring9bon-
ino) was only known by two candidates.
"Back Stitching.-Thsre were several who
had not even heard IF this. and the others =