New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-01
CnJ-CiTTO\ AND THE IL BIIEE.

II was well 10 give the public schools some
recognition IN the Victorian Jubilee FESTIVITIES
for they-and indeed. tho whole cduca'iohai
system OF England-are an impressive moii'l-
ment Of the progress and the true greatness OF
rho "recOrd reign" Before Nlcoria'S accession
there was substantially no such thing aS an cdll-
cat,onal system In the Kingdom All there was
was provided by a couple Of voluntary ana
benevolent societies-onc within the Established
Church, the other non-sectarlan hut CHRISTIAN
M aid vas given by the State until 1884, when
a grant of $4,000 was made TO each of the So
cietles for the building OF schOOlhouses. That
was the state Of affairs when Victoria came TO
70 throne. Not until three years after her reign
hogan did the Government assume any respon-
sibility for popular instruction. II then es'a''
ushed a department Of the Prvy Council TO adj
minister the yearly grant of 100000 for pubic
schools In 1916 il doubled the appropriation
and began the work Of practical inspection or
schools The foundations Of the present adj
mirable system were then laid. The next step
was taken in 1858, when the school appropria
ton was increased by a capitation grant on All
scholars who had attended school for certain
prescribed number OF days in the year. on cond-
ton that the teacher had Government certn-
cate and other minor requirements were COM
piled with 1t is curious TO observe mat thls WIS
bitterly opposed, as the former steps hao oeeh'
Hume and Goblet ragged in Parliament against
the original grant to the societies. Inc Noh-
conformist churches opposed State AID ana 'he
whole scheme of secular educational striking
contrast to their present attitude. Ana there
was a very general objection to the reform oil
1853. on the ground that 1t would remove the
schools from local control and put them in the
hands Of the State
Mr.. loves system Of payment by results
was the next Improvement. made IN loo-' ana
eight years later came the monumental act dc-
ysed by Mr. Forster. which ut last gave INC
Kingdom an adequate system or free pubic
schools School boards some OF them Win
vomcn members were elected throughout the
land. with power to levy local taxes for the 'up
mort of schools in addition to the state funds.
Tins the so-called board schools were esiab-
Ushed. which are now championed by The very
classes and organizations which at first opposed
them. Voluntary schools, under Established
Church uatronaco also exist and also enjoy
State aid Between the two systems there Is
NJ present much rivalry. and recent ana pend
mo nets of Parliament have been designed 10
satisfy so far as possible their respective de-
mands The law OF 1901 made education more
firmly free than it had been before, but IT ana
all other acts merely enlarged upon and led
toward perfection the great principles OF Mr..
Fors,ers scheme. The result Of this develop
mont Of the school system is readily to be per
celycd in the decrease Of illiteracy and the adj
vance Of all the people in intelligence and In
reasoning interest in public affairs. Without it
oP universal suffrage
would have been imposslble-or worse, fatal
blunder.
Commensurate progress has been made In
higher education. The abolition OF sectaiIaii
tosts at the two great universities has more
than doubled the attendance OF students ana
greatly broadened their scholarship. Other uni
yersities and colleges have been founded, ana
old institutions have been enlarged aud I'M
proved. High schools and academies have been
multiplied on every hand. AS IS emlnently NJ
ting in Queens reign, the emancipation OF
women from hothOuse ignorance to heathful
liberal culture has been effected. To-day almost
every source Of instruction Is open to women as
freely as TO men, and Is being improved to the
creat individual and social benefit Of the sex.
No more striking measure Of the progress OF the
reign indeed can be imagined than the simple
record that at its beginning even the slightest
State aid TO schools was vehemenuy opposed by
so eminent man as Cobbett on the SroInd
that teachers were merely "a race or idlers.
while Mt the close Of its sXtieth year there is
| practically free universal schooling, and women
students are In residence at the universities sc
far as living modern education exists In Great
Britain to-day, it is Il creation OF the Victorian
| reign.
| IMPROVING ENGLISH SPEECH