New-York tribune., 1907-12-27


trained the Pilgrims who began in the Colony
OF Massachusetts, Bay that common school sys-
TEN which is the pride Of every American
Until William Z. Forster in 1870 carried
through the bill to provide for public eie-
Inentary education in England and Wales. the
Government itself could hardly be said 10 nave
taken much share in real educational proVls-
ion for the poorer classes. and not a great deal
even for the middle classes Nevertheless. such
their system was, and for what ii undertook
il had long beer OF rare excellence L had ad-
Inirably accomplished-for a certain number
the highest aim of education; it had been
wonderful developer Of character. Public
schools, Eton and Harrow. Winchester ana
Rugby, and many another leading up TO &no
cooperating with the two Universities, hau
been such nursery OF statesmen, OF soldlers
and sailors and great proconsuls and civil ad-
rLinistrators throughout the Empire which
the sun never sets, the world had never be-
r fore seen IT NAV have been a fauciful notion.
attributed TO the Iron Duke. that Waterloo was
at Eton, but certainly the secret of Anglo
Saxon superiority in the 18th and 18th centu-
ries largely to be found IN the British
schools and universities
FORMER CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND.
The secret of some other things was to be
found il the chaotic and undeveloped state of
popular elementary education. The long reign oT
Queen Victoria had but recently begun, when IN
February, 1899 Lord John Russell wrote TO the
Lord Lansdowne of the day: Il have received
Her Majestys commands TO make communl-
cation 10 your Lordship on a subject OF the
greatest importance Her Majesty has OBJ
served with deep concern the want of instruc-
tion which IS still observable among the poorer
classes OF her subjects. All the inquiries which
have been made show deficiency in the gen
eral education OF the people, which Is not IN
accordance with the character of a. civilized
fer Her Majesty Lord John went on 10 specify
a lack Of qualified teacherE, perfect teaching.
deficient inspection of the work cone by me
schools Of both the established church and the
Non-Conformists and finally Of the neglect OF
the subject by Parliament
-Four years later, inspectors reported that the
cl7f hes
half the scholars learned to read and only
quarter of them TO write. Ana tour years after
that, now almost in the middle Of the 18th Cen
tury, Macaulay, in a speech in the House Of
Commons, gave the reason: How many of
these teachers" he said, are the refuse Of other
callings discarded servants or ruined trades
men, vino cannot do a sum OF three; who would
not be able 10 write q common letter. VINO GO
not know whether the eartn Is a cupe OF
sphere: and cannot tell whether Jerusalem is in
Asia or America; whom no gentleman would
trust with the key Of his cellar, and no trades
man would send OF message"
Even late 1861. about the time our Civil
War broke out, the Newcastle Commission re-
ported almost unsatisfactory state OF af-
fairs II considered that only about one-fourth
OF the children in the schools got a tolerable
great majority leaving school between the ages
Of ten and eleven 1t told Of a public school
with such primitive facilities that when the
writing lesson was given. four boys were re-
Quired to carry ink bottles up and down between
the desks, that each boy in turn might dip
his pen in the ink And finally this Commis-
sion said concerning the private school teachers
in part OF London: None are too old. too
poor, TOO ignorant, too feeble, too sicay, too
UNQUALIFIED 10 regard themselves and to be
garGed fit for school-keeping. Domestic ser
wants out of place, discharged bari maids,
doris OF toys and lollipops. keepers of small eat
ing-houses OF mangIes or OF small IodglnG
houses, needle women who take in plain or slop
work. milliners, consumptive patients in an ad-
ranced stage, cr1pples almost bed-rtdden, per
OF at least doubtful temperance, outdoor
pauperS, men and women OF seventy or eighty
years Of age persons who spell badly who
~-HfHy yfTs-rfT and H1h O- pirhe a
= such some Of the teachers not in remote
rural districts but in the heart OF London In
recalling this and other accounts OF the time Il
is well for you 10 bear in mind that ip all coun-
tries reformers have sharp voices and use many
staccato notes.
But Matthew Arnold was not OF that class:
Yet he reported in 1863 that nearly half the
children he examined had been less than one
year al school, and half the rest less than two
years.
Now TO end this statement Of earlier condi-
comprehension Of the present situation, il
should be added that the schools thus described
might be either purely private enterprises.
sometimes aided little by local taxation.
might be under the management either of the
established church of England. Of the Brit
iSh and Foreign School Society, representing the
bulk OF the Non-Conformist churches. or Of sun
dry minor religious organizations. BY far the
greater number were under some distinct and
positive sectarian control Great sums had
been invested by the different denominations.
in school buildings and in supporting schools,
Nnen 1he-e was little Otfer support Tor theHi
Their work had come gradually to be supple
rnented not only by fees but by allowances from
the local taxation. and finally from the Govern
rneut. Thus the churches controlled the schools:
The local taxpayers had pecuniary inter
est IN them. the parents who paid fees had,
and finally the general Government had.
As would be naturally inferred, the churches
that built them up insisted religious teach
ing. Ii the case Of the established church this
meant the Bible. Church hymns. the Church
Catechism and particularly the doctrine of the
Trinity: and at first pupils coming into such
school from on-Conformist families As
nostic or Jewish families. or from aggressive
unbelieverss had to receive the instruc
ton Here. OF course, one opening for
trouble: and smother was TO be found among
local taxpayers. not connected with the Church
Of England. or perhaps with any church. With
Non -Conforrlist schools the difficulty
what different They disposed to be con-
tent with what Was klovvn as Cowper-TemDa
teaching; 1. e., as legally defined in the Act Of
lefo without religious catechism or religious
fcruuiary, distinctive of any particular de-
nomination Subject TO that restriction. what
ever reNglous instruction the local authorities
cesirec could be given This Cowper-Tempe
TEACHING, though apt TO be satisfactory TO the
majority OF Non-ConforTnists, did not satisfy
the established church. the unbeevers and
might not always satisfy the local taxpayers.
AS a matter of fact. however. IL evoked little
protest, excepting from the established churcn.
Now Ii is easy for an American TO say that all
this confusion and dissatisfaction could be
avoided by combining the public schools TO secu-
lar instruction and leaving religious training to
the Church and the family. But ii is not
easy 10 show how vested rights, going back
often for a century more. thus be pre-
which invested and were encouraged to invest
their money and Iabors for purpose, to-