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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est filmA A partir de i'angle aupAriaur gauche, de gauche h droite, et de haut an baa, en prenant le nombre d'imagea nAcessaire. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thoda. 1 2 3 t 1 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 th:.e COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM, ITS PRINCIPLE, OPERATION AND RESULTS, BY ANGUS DALLAS. " There is, we all know, n diflficuUy wliicK has met at thi& tlH'eshold those who have been influential in establishing systems of national education ; I mean that which arises from the number of religious sects into which tlie population is divided. This is not the occasion for entering into any discus- sion upon that painfully interesting question. Whatever diflScalty it has occasioned in England or Ireland must be expected to be found here, apply- ing with at least equal, if not more than equal force. . I should be unwilling to suppose that any doubt could exist as to my ow> opinion on this question ; and scarcely less unwilling to be thought so unjui.t and uncandid as not to acknowledge and mako allowance for the difficulties which surround it. They ■ ' such, I believe, as no person can fully estimate,, until he has been callt 5n to deal with them, under the responaibility which the duties of gove at impose. In the mean time, resting assurecF as we may, that no general system of instruction can be permanently successful which has not the coiifiilence and cordial approval of the sincerely rrligious portions of the community — that portion, I mean, who will think it worse than folly to aim at being wise above that which is written — we must wait with hope and patience for the solution which this difficulty, to which I allude, may receive in other countries more competent to grapple with it — trusting inat whfit may ultimately be found to be the safe and satisfactory course, may, by the wisdom and good feeling of the majority, he adopted among ourselves."-— Speech of Chic f Justice Rwnnson, at the opening of the Provincial Normal Schod, Nov. 24, 1852. TORONTO : THOMPSON A CO., PRINTERS, KING STREET. 1855. x. •ti THii; COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM, ITS PRLNCirLE, OPEllATION AND llESULTS, BY ANGUS DALLAS. " There is, we nil know, a difficulty which has met at the threshold thoso "who have been influential in ewtablishing pystems of national education ; I Juean that which arises from the number of religious sects into which the population is divided. This is not the occasion for entering into any discus- sion upon that painfully interesting question. Whatever diffieulty it has occasioned in England or Ireland must be expected to be found here, apply- ing with at least equal, if not more than equal force. I should be unwilling to suppose that any doubt couhl exist as to my own opinion on this question ; and scarcely less unwilliuf to be thought so unjust and uncandid as not to acknowledge and make allowance for the difficulties which surround it. They are such, I believe, as no person can fully estimate, until he has been called upon to deal with them, under the responsibility which the duties of government impose. In the mean time, resting assured as we may, that no general system of instruction can be permanently successful which has not the confidence and cordial approval of the sincerely religious portions of the community — that portion, I mean, who will think it worse than folly to aim at being wise above that which is written — we must wait with hope and patience for the solution which this difficulty, to which I allude, may receiv„ in other countries more competent to grapple with it — trusting that what may ultimately be found to be the safe and satisfactory course, may, by the wisdom and good feeling of the majority, be adopted among ourselves." — Speech of Chief Justice Robinson, at the opening of the Provincial Normal School, Nov. 24, 1852. TORONTO : THOMPSON & CO., PRINTERS, KINO STREET. 1855. I / INTRODUCTION. The present Common School Law of Upper Canada has now I>een in operation for a pt;riod of seven yeai-s, during which time ample opportunity has been atlbrded to examine its details and its npjJica- bility tc the circumstances of this Province; and if no satisfactory con- clusion has been arrivcn^l at, decisive of its good or bad tendencies, the fault cannot be ascribed to any want of interest and attention on the part of the press and the public. On various occasions attempts have been made to question its results, and criticisms have appeared, expres- sing the sentiments of respectable sections of the people, against the fery principle on which the whole superstructure of our common s:;hoo]s is based. These utterances, however, have, without exception^ been either combated or stifled by a powerful max^hinery, maintained at the public cost, under government auspices, and directed by an influential political leader. It is by no means necessary to attach blame to the successive admin- istrations by which the exorbitant discretionary power of the educational department was begun, extended, and consolidated ; for, with a low elec- toral fpialification, the executive is most frequently obliged to bend to political influences, and to do what it has no power to resistor is too weak to avoid. But it cannot be denied that the creation of a gigantic apparatus, to curb and control public opinion, on the merits of an ex- periment of which, at the commencement, every one, even the govern- ment itself, was profoundly ignorant, f • ■? a proceeding alike hazardous to the interests of the \'arious denomini.a./iis which had conscientious scruples to obey, and to the educational pi'ogress and well-being of the Province a^ large. The Annual Reports and the Journal of Education, here alluded to, have not been employed in the legitimate business, alone, of furnishing information to the government and the Munici- palities on matters connected with tlie regulations of the Council of Public Instruction, modifications and amendments of the law and the fmancial affairs of the schools, but have been directed, also, in a most ^ergetic way, to the propagation of educational doctrines which are hostile to our form of government, as well as to our domestic relations, on the ground of religion and the general circumstances of a mixed and heterogeneous community. Against such an apparatus that portion of the press which was opposed to the system could not cohtend. Criticism, thereby, has been precluded, and the consequence is that after a seven years' trial, what is known respecting the pinciple, opera- 1" lion and rosultn of the cxiiorinient is limiteil to tlio exparte infotmi\'c\o:\- cou' oyed tliiough tho innchiiioiy of llic Kducation Ollico. It unfortunately also often happens, nn in the present case, th;it, in tlie process of carryinii; a favorite tlicoiy into praetico, those who unilcr take tho work, either l)Hnd(!(l by pH'conccive'l notions or reluctant to acknowledi^e adverse resuha, take diligent precautions to coiu'e;tl the facts. In thirt respect and with relerence to the K'hool system of Canada and the United States, no snndl aui'iunt of iu'histrv lias been i-Ncrted to create a belief that it is in j-raetie-j uhat M \\n^ bwn represented in theory. Any ciruinnstance or ocxurrep.ce inijiiieal to tho preservation of a friendly public feeling hm been carefully snj(j>re3.sed, witliout apparently retiecting that the discovery of stich i-on'lttet, sooner or later, would be sure to meet with general indignation. Thi» has been an evih It is a caianiity under which we at ]>rttsent sutler. Enquiry at this moment is dreaded. Not a word must bo tolerated against the exj)erimeut now so long in ])rogTeis.s; and it is almost superfluous to repeat that, wlierevor, during several years ]<(.<, a solitary >oice has ventured, at any tin>e, to e.\press a doubt on the correctness of the anticipations held out by the frienJs of the present systeni, even such expression of doubt l)as been met by any thing but a desire that it should be heard. Tho most selllsh motifs liava uniformly been attributed to the questioner. A dislike U) p.*vy tho school assessmenb has been imputal as the sole reason of his dissent; and in this way insult has been offered to whomsoevor curiosity or duty may have led to the expression of an oi)inion. Ncjw such treatment might have car- ried some share of ])lausibility had it come from persons not deriving their subsistence from the school fund and no way interested, directly or indirectly in its pecuniary concerns. But such is not the case. Those who have shown the greatest eagerness to frown down attempts at enquiry, and wdio have been foremost to make accusations of unworthy motives, are the chief and local superintendents, those interested in the book, map and publishing department, tho trustees who benefit often to some extent by the distribution of the patronage at their disposal, and numbers besides Avho speculate, prospectively, on some recompense, in return for suppoi*t, in most cases, obsequiously tendered to the head of the Education Office. The general and local reports confirm what is here stated. What is the consequence, in a public sense, of this mul- tiplicity of interests so centralised ? It is this: A degree of ignorance almost incredible exists, with respect not only to the source, the history and tlie general principles of American Common Schools, but even on tlie facts as they have been developed, within our own borders and amongst ourselves. In addition to this and for the purpose of bringing into favorable notice the Apostles of tho secular school system, the Annual Report* and the Journal of Education have been made the vehicles for dissem- inslBl^Uheir doctrines, and more particularly those of the famous Horace Mann. No opportunity has been suffered to escape wherein it was possible to present the Boston School authorities as embodying T 4 i 1- 4- i 4 "I T I i the climax of oducational wis'lom. Horace Mann, Professor S(ow«, Kilwanl Evorctt, tliat *'groii;t Ajiiorican statesman, Daniel WebHter," and men of a similar stamp liavo bci'U held up to the Canadian people, month atler month and year after year, through this otlicial channel, as objects on whom to befitow something little sliort of horo worship. The object of the following pnt^es is to meet these roj)re8ontations, and to produce a body of evidence, bearing on the school quontion, that will enable the Canadian pubiie to form a true estimate of the petition assumed by the eulogists of Mr. Mann; oonscioiis that no system can prosj>er where only one side is open to inepflction; that exparte state- monts are not sufficient to satisfy enquiry ; also, that antagonism is the essential element of progress; and, above all, tliat to a free government, the unfettered expression of critical opinions is its surest safeguard. In the execution of this task the course of procedure will bo first, to point out the line of deraarkation wlilch distinguishes European from Ameri- can notions of what properly constitutes education ; second, to show that, in Europe, the teacher is a religious moral centre, while, in America, lie is purely a secular machine; and, in the third place, to demonstrate, from official sources, the harmonious and successful opera- tion and results of Common Schools, in Europe, wherever they have been established, and, at the same time, how it is, that the reverse is the case with the American schools, which, without exception, are charac- terised by deeply rooted elements of political and religious discord. Before proceeding, hov,'over, to the execution of the plan here laid down, a few remarks are called for on some other general tendencies, existing in concurrence with those above alluded to, but apparently in an isolated spliero. Two things were wanted to make the Canadian school law of 1847 an exact copy of the school law of Massachusetts. One was the centralization, not only of the common schools but of the whole edu- cational machinery from the Common Schools up to the University, in the hands of the government; the other an enactment making free schools compulsory. As a means, partly, for the accomplishment of these objects, the Amended Grammar School Act, and the Supple- mentary Common Sdiool Act were passed at the same time, and were assented to on the 14th Juno, 1853. By the former, the Grammar S:hool Trustees are empowered, " To employ such means as they may jndfje expedient, in concurrence with the Trustees of the school section or the Board of Common School Trustees in the townsliip, villagp, town or city in which such Grammar School may be fifnated, for unitinjj one or nioto of the Common Schools of «uch township, village, town or city, or departments of them, with such Grammar SehooL" The latter in a similar manner provides as follows, " And ho it enacted that the TniRtees of each (common) school section shall have authdiity to take such stops us they may judge expedient to uni^jiteir <"f liool with any public Gramnuir SchoOl, which shall be s/tuikte fi^/f^or 1(1 jacent to the limits of their school section." --..' \ Aijother provision in the Amended Grammar School Act requires \ ▼I pnrticulnr notice, Innsmurh ns it threatens tFio vcivy existence of tlio Grniiininr Schools, as a tlistiiicL das« ot' schools. Hitliorto tlio teacliors havo heon ^imluatcs of soiiu) Colit!f^(( or Univoi-sit)' , hut, l»y the Amended Act, the (Irainiiiar Schools are to bf somo UnivoiHiLy or IJui' '';sily College) shall liorcaitor be iippoiiitcd Alnsfcr of a CJramiiiar School, niif hi: shall have previously ohlaincd a Cfrlijicatn of n J rum a Connniheo of Examiners, {one of whom shall be the Ilvad Master of the Normal School,) appointed by tha Council of Public Instruction.'* Since the passage of these two Acts, attemptH have been made by the Common School Trustees to carr}- them into force. Last year, in Torontc^ which is considered the focus of Mr. Mann's disciples, an ollbrt was made on the Grammar School, by the Free School Trustees, but with out success. This year the attempt is to bo renewed, and the induce ments held out are, that the Grammar School, when incorporated, or rather absorbed by the Common Schools, shall be made free and be dignified with one of the now school houses recently erected; or, if no smaller bait shall suffice, a splendid and showy edifice shall be provided for by local assessment. It fortunately happens, however, that those who havo an opportunity of ttistifyim;' to the excellent condition and raanatjement of the Toronto (iranmiar School and tlio discreditable contrast exhibited by the condition of the Free Common Schools liavo evinced no desire to witness a union such as that contemplated by th«! Free School Tiiistees. But these attempts are only one indication of the carrying; out of the consolidation scheme. What is calculated to occasion more uneasiness, to those who entertain no S})artan predilections, is the enunciation of the scliool doctrines of Boston, by the heads of the Toronto University, It is, by no means, a pleasing duty to have to animadvert on the lan- guage made use of by the President and Chancellor of that instituti»;n; but these learned gentlemen have identified themselves so directly, and, in a manner so undisguised, with the princij^Tcs of the present Common School system, that it is not possible to avoid refening to the evidence which their speeches supply, to pro\'e, by their inconsiderate remarks, not only how little the system has been canvassed and how little is underetood concerning it, but what, moreover, is of much more signifi- cance, the use to whicli such displays of ignorance are oonvetled by the head of the Education Office. On tlie occasion of the ceremony, at the opening of the Provincial Normal Scliool in 1852, tlie Presi- dent of the Toronto University, in the course of his speecli, said — "^Thftt he concoivcd to he the perfection of national ediicnfinn, — which places the luimhlcst man, so far as the pnjsjtncts of liis children aiccom^crned, lu a position ('(jual to that of the man of tht^ amplest means. 'J'hcy all knew many, who have sprung from that class, who havo dono honour to P^n^jland, I VI 1 I J and ho doubted not, that ere Win own career was cloned, ho would have tbt gratiflcution of Hcoin^f aonio of tho Hniiu! class >?rnoinf» the hif^hcst posiiioug id the Province — who were originally educated at tho oonunoii Hohoois from th< public fundii — who from thccomiuonnrhool prucooded to thegraininfir hcIiooI, where they also received free education." It is sufHciont to point out, liorc, to tho Icnnied Pr'^'.idont, tho only inforonco to bo deduced from hif argument. It is no lesrt than this; — that tho Boston system is not only tho perfection of national education, but beinr; the only known free system is confieciucnlly Llie best in the world. As to tho uso made of tho argument and the inference there can bo but ono opinion. Again, at tho Convocation of tho University in November last, the Chancellor, in the course of liis address, when referring to tho religious element, expressed bentiraents precisely similar to what had been enun- f'iated by tho President of trio University, in his inaugural lecture delivered in tho month of October in the preceding year, namely, 1853. The Chancellor said, "Bid the christian rclinion iit a spiritual and not a ceremonial reliyion. It appeals to tho heart and not to tho buuscs." "If that bo tho true nature of tho christian religion, then I am at a loss tc discover how it can be objected that this is either an un-Christian or an auti- christian institution, so long as it holda fast to that ^'i. it foundation of o\n faith, tho Bible. Ihit the Bible and the great fundamoutal truths of tho Biblf are acknowledged by all Christian dononiiuiitions alike. With that great bond of union and agreement, the Senate fools that tho minor ditfercncen between Christian and Christian may well be sunk, in carrying on this great work of Education, as comparatively unimportant." When we reflect that tho complete ignoring of all religious differences emanated from Boston and is enforced no where else, as an inflexible rule, except in some of the States of the American Union and in ilu- University of Toronto, it will readily be perceived that tho Chancellor's remarks amount to an uii<,iinliticd approval of that feature of the Boston school law which dis.iHuw8 leligious differences; and, as a neces- sary consequence, are tantrur.ount i > an attempted justification of a Canadian law to enforce a sirnilar uniformity in the common schools of tho Province, without ref jrence to the diversity of local circumstance.-. This spirituality of the Christian religion is the very foundation on which the Boston school authorities have constructed their s'-tsti^m. They repudiate all ceremonies, for they maintain that Christianity i.- not a ceremonial religion; and as will bo seen, in the course of this exposition, tho Christianity which thoy profess to be the basis of their educational efforts, when stripjied of its external appendages, is nothing bettor than pure and unadulterated deism. Those remarks of the Chancellor, while, as in tho preceding case thoy servo the purpose of those who are striving to give a complete Bostonian conformation to our school system, are an additional proof of the state of public opinion, produced by a forestalling of tho reading community, through tho ^ instrumentality of the vnoonstitutional ])ower which the Government^ 4> has placed at tho disposal of tho Eduiation Oflice. VIU Had the Annual Reports and the Journal of Education been de- voted, exclusively, as they ought to have been, to the coinmunicaLion of official intelligence connected with the practical business of the depart- ment, and refrained from dogmatical disquisitions, which should at all times be beyond the legitimate functions of a government official, the public press would have got fair play, the principles and results of the school system would have been thoroughly scrutinized, and we should now .have been in possession of something like a tolerably correct knowledge of the truth or falsehood of what the system has been re- presented to be. The adoption of an opposite course has produced effects the very reverse ; for not only have we to regret the mischief arising from publicly expressed sentiments, on the part of prominent functionaries in our higher schools, but wo have been doomed during a period now of seven years to witness the dissemination, throughout the length and breadth of the land, of dogmas which could have been proved, at any moment, to be utterly fallacious. The remarks of Chief Justice Robinson, at the opening of the Nor- mal School, have not attracted tnat notice which their importance really deserves. They contain words of wisdom. And if we consider the occasion on which they were made, — the purpose for which they were intended, — and, more than all, their deep significance, we cannot help feeling surprised that no advantage was taken of the opportunity to turn them to account. It is, however, a source of consolation, amid the general contamination of the public sentiment, and the neutralized effi- ciency of the Provincial press, in the way already specified, that one public functionary — the highest on the judicial bench — has had the candor and the coui-age to beard the lion in his den ; and to proclaim, from the very platform whereon stood the eulogist and chamj)ion of the Boston school systeu), that the said system could not succeed, — that it was worse than folly for its promoters to aim at being wise above that which is written, — and that Canada must look elsewhere, for a school system, than to Boston authorities and their Canadian satellites. CHAPTER I. THE RBLIOI0U3 BASIS OF THE COMMON SCHOOLS OF EUROPE. ♦ The great dissimilarity of opinions among leading educationists of tlio present day, and, consequently, the marked contrast observable in tile practical character of institutions designed, apparently, to serve tlie same ultimate purpose, will be found, upon examination, to depend on the manner in which the work of education is regarded — as a work of discipline or of instruction. Thus, at the very threshold of our subject, the first point to be deci'led — though a simple one — is that on which Lang all the subsequent issues. If education commences at bhth, and extends to the period when the individual is co^npetent, by age, to quit the parental roof; if it consists in a nurturing of both mind and body, a continual process of training, in order to form habits and manners and movies of thinking, then is the business of education disciplinary ; the parent becomes the responsible educator; the delegation of whose natural duties can be transferred only to one who is competent to take the place and assume the responsibilities of the parent. In this manner the position of a schoolmaster becomes that of a sub- stitute. He requires, therefore, other recommendations besides the mere book-learning which commonly fits a man to oflliciate, simpl}', as an in- structor. He stands in need of those qualities by means of which he can obtain from children the respect and esteem which they usually accord to their parents. But to succeed in this, ho must first acquire the respect of the parents themselves, for children will form their opinions and shape their conduct, in this particular, according as they are influ- enced by the conversations of the family circle. If a teacher is a man of ordinary scholastic attainments, is upright in his general intercourse with the world, and has a religious faith which governs his conduct and moulds his character, he will command the esteem of his neighbours; children will hear him talked of respectfully at the family hearth ; and in the school-room he will, consequently, occupy that position which fits him to impress, by exainple and precept and with the hapi)ic-st and most satisfactory results, the minds of those committed to his charge. No other qualification, however extraordinary, will compensate for the absence of this feeling on the part of the parents and children towards the teacher. It is, therefore, of the first importance that he should be an upright, conscientious, and religious man, possessing a sufficient amount of scholastic learning and secular knowledge to enable him to discharge his duties in a creditable way. 10 In a social point of view such a teacher is a moral centre ; that is, he radiates, in a surrounding neighbourhood, a moral influence which can- not be too highly prized, and which cannot fail, wherever it is exerted, to produce the most wholesome etiects on the general tone of society. But as an educator, as a trainer, as a discipliner of the faculties of the young, Uie religious teaching forms a considerable portion of his duties ; and the performance of these, with becoming dignity, cannot be as- sumed except by one who feels their importance. Now, it is a distinct feature of the school systems of Europe, wheth- er Parochial or Common, whether in England or Germany, that not only religious exercises but religious teaching forms an essential part of the daily routine; and that the teacher must be a person Jof religious character, competent to carry on religious training. The general school law of Prussia is conclusive on this head. It ordains as fol- lows : — "The chief mission of every school is to train the youth in such a manner as to produce in them, with tlie knowledge of man's relations to God, the strength and desire to regulate his life according to the principles and spirit of Christianity. Early shall the School form the children to piety, and for that purpose will it seek to second and perfect the instructions of the family. Thus in all cases shall the labours of the day be commenced, and concluded by a short pray.r andpioas reflections, lohich the Master must be able so to con- duct, that this moral exercise shall never degenerate into an affair of habit. Fur- thermore the Master shall see (in the case of Boarding-schools) that the chil- dren attend punctually at the services of the Church on Sabbaths and Holy- days. There shall be intermingled with the solemnities of the School, songs of a religious character. Finally, the period of the communion should be «3 well for Pupils as for Masters, an occasion of strengthening the bonds which ought to unite them, and to open their souls to the most generous and elevated sentiments of religion." Lest it should bo supposed that the Prussian notions of the spirit of Christianity, and the moral exercises referred to, resemble the notions attached to these terms by American Common School authorities, the following from the Report for 1846, by the Canadian Chief Superin- tendent, will be satisftictory. "In Prussia, while provision is made, and Teachers are thoroughly trained, to give an extended course, or ratlior several courses of Biblical iu.struction, covering a period of eight yciirs, (from f-ix to fourteen) in regard to even primary Schools, and children of tlio poorest classes, and embracing in suc- cession an elementary view of the biography, history, cardinal dodrinrs, aud morals, and in ■-->nic instances evidences of the authenticity of the Bible: provi- sion is also made for teaching the Catechisms of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches. The Catechism, however, is not generally, if ever taught until after ihc pupil has received Biljlicril instruction furtive or six years. It is usually tauc^lit the year, or the year before, the pupil completes his elemen- tary educatii)!! ;and during the few months whicli are allotted to the teacliing and learning of the Catecliism, the pupils receive separate religious instruction from the Pastor or Clergyman of the Church to whicli they belong." In Prussia, and the same remark holds true throughout Europe, doctrinal or denominational teaching is the rule. When the law pro- vides, as is the case, that no child shall l)C obliged to take jiart in any religious lessons to which the parents object, this is done in order to i 11 eubordinato the law to the rights of the parent. The lav? of Prussia, in this respect, and it is the law of Europe, is diametrically opposed to th^ Spartan doctrines of Mr. Mann, and, consequently, to the various / -s of the common school system of America, which are all avow- t ij and constructivel) derived from Mr. Mann's original model. In Prussia, the law requires denominational teaching Avhere practica- ble ; separate teaching where it is not. The law of Massachusetts, on the other hand, disallows Christian instruction altogether; while, in Canada, it is tolerated only wliero the majority, in a school section, is of one religious persuasion; in which latter case, the law permits the majority to tyrannise over the minority, on the principle that might constitutes right. Now as, in Prussia, the rights of denominations exist by virtue of the subordination of the rights of the State to those of the parent, iu the work of education ; so, in Massachusetts, the communism of the schools rests on the predominance of the rights of the State over all other rights. Herein consists the fundamental distinction between the educational systems of the new and the old world ; a point which cannot be too vividly presented to the heads of Canadian families, inasmuch as it is a key to the solution of many obscure and intricate details connected with the working of our Common Schools. In Prussia the law acknow- ledges the parent as the natui'al and responsible educator of his child. Tho parent selects the teacher, selects the school, selects the doctrinal or denominational lessons. With the exercise of these natural rights the law does not interfere. It undertakes one important dut}', howMwer. It ordains that the child shall receive an education; it prescibes means by which suitable substitutes are provided, to perform, in the school room, the delegated duties of the parent ; and requires the ^.arent as the natural educatoi", to pay, by rate bill, a reasonable share of tho expenses, unless incapacitated by poverty to do so. Throughout all the practical ramifications of the Prussian school law, the principle that tho parent is the natural educator is never lost sight of, and conforma- bly with this principle the parent's natural rights are fully recognised. On the subject of the denominational rights of parents or, what is the same thing, the right that the children shall be disciplined agreeably to the peculiar religious faith which the parents profess, Mr. Joseph Kay says: "One of the educational councillors of Berlin inforn>ed rae, that the Gov- errjiti.^nt did not i')ico}irnr/n the estahlishnicnt of mixed schools; as they think tli.'il, in 8iu'h ciisc's, liu- loligious education of both parties, or at least one of tlicin, often sutfeia- ***** The childreii of Jews, however, are not often U) ho found, even in the towns, in tlie schools of the other sects ; but, owing to //)« cnfirr and unco. drolled lihrrtif of decision that thr. people themselves possesn on iJiifi point, there seems to Ix' little dil^culti/ in arrangim] matters, and no jealovsii whatever exists between the different parties." — Vol. 1, page 57. The ]M'osent agitation going on in the United Kingdom, on the pro- posed g;)vernnieii.t measure for the establishment of national schools, is marked by a unauiriouh determination on the part of the establish- M 12 merits and the dissenters to have denominational teaching. According to the Wastminste! Review for July, 185^, the Unitariyns are the only exception. Now the position assumed, in England, by the Unitarian body, taken in connection witli the fact that Mr. Mann, the origina- tor of the Boston school system is also a Unitarian, and that the in- fluential class and the major part of the people of Boston belong to that persuasion, reveals a great deal with reference to the true character of our Canadian Common Schools. Among the dissenters, Mr. Edward Bains, a most influential loader, a staunch nonconformist, and one who has made himself very promi- nent in the prevailing controversy, takes his ground on the vohmtary principle, and, with groat force denies the right of government to as- sume the duties that, he maintains, belong properly to the denomina- tions. But this gentleman goes farther ; he denies the right of gov- ernment interference also on political grounds. Ho says : " Government education is, in my judgment, a mighty error in principle. It can only be defended hy reasons wliich would equally call for the super- intendence of the government over_'our literature, our journals, and our pulpits, if not over the food, the clothing, and the habitations at least, of all the hum- bler classes. If, on any ground of public policy, government is to support and regulate our schools, the same ground would require that it phould sup- port and regulate the press, which supplies the bulk of the people witli their reading, and should furnish every house with its intellectual food." — West- mimtcr Rcvieio, July, 1853, Page C5. Mr. Bains, it will be seen, opposes government education on two grounds. Tliose who agree with him, tliat education is a disciplinary and training process, resting on a religious foundation, though they may not coincide with his ]ioHtical reasons, make no hesitation in awarding him credit for the sincerity of his religious scruples; and this is the chief point. It is on this the Nonce in form ists are strongest, and their position is invulnerable. If in carrying on the work of oilucation, which they say is in groat part a religious doctrinal work, sorui)les of conscience are to bo respected, the government is thereby ]ilaced on tlie same footing with respect to schools tiiat it ought to be witli res|)ect to Churches. The Nonconformists in England are at least consistent, which is more than can bo said of the same class in Canada. ^VlJy is it so ? Tiie Goveniment measure brought forwaid by Lord John Russell in April, 185.'], but not yet perfected, recngnizes the claims of the donnmi- nntions and is intended to assist voluntary ett'orts. It dvclarcs open war again.y a respectable minority, and difticulties in tho working of the free scliuols had arisen therefrom, it became necessary to show the ground on which tho right was assumed; and Mr. Mann who had been Secretary of the Board of Education during ten years, undertook tho duty in his Tenth Annual lleport, which was so well received by tho Legislature of Massachusetts, that ten thousand copies of a revised edition were ordered fur distribu- tion, and a suitable compensation was voted to tho author. The fol- lowing selections taken from that oflficial document go to show the strange grounds on which it is assumed the property of all should be taxed for the support of free schools. "In later times, and since the achievement of Americun independence, the universal and ever-repeated argument iu favor of Free Schools has been, that the general intelligence which they are capable of diffusing, and which can be imparted by no other human instrumentality, is indispensable to the con- tinuance of a republican government. This argument, it is obvious, assumes, as & postulation, the superiority of a republican over all other forms of govern- ment ; and, as a people, we rcligiousiy believe in the soundness, both of the assumption and of the argument founded upon it. * * * * Admitting, nay, claiming for ourselves, the substantial justness and sound- ness of the general grounds on which our system was originally established and has since been maintained, yet it is most obvious tha^ unless some broader and more comprehensive principle can be found, the system of Fre§ Schools will be repudiated bv whole nations as impolitic and dangerous ; and, even among ourselves, till who deny our premises will, of course, set at nought the conclusions to which they lead. # # # Even in tho State of New York, with all its noble endowments, the Schools are not Free. I believe that this amazing dereliction from duty, especially in our own country, originatea more in the false notions which men entertain rcapeoting the nature oftJwir riffht to property, than in any tiling else, * • » It seems not irrelevant, tnerefore, in this connection, and for the purpose of strengthening the foundation on which our Free School system reposes, to inc^uire into the nature of a man's right to the property he possesses ; and to satisfy ourselves respecting the question, whether any man has such an in- defeasible title to his estates, or such an absolute ownership of them, as renders it unjust iu the govoi-nment to assess upon him his share of the expenses of educaliug the cliildren of the community, up to such a point as the nature of the institutions under which he lives, and the well-being of society, rofiuire. # # # In the majority of cases, all that we call property, all that makes up the valuation or inventorjr of a nation's capital, was prepared at the creation, and was laid up of old in the capacious store- houses of nature. For every miit that a man earns by his own toil or skill, he receives hundreds and thousands, without cost ana without recompense, from the AU-bountiful Giver. A proud mortal, standing in the midst ol his luxuriant wheat-fields or cotton-plantations, may arrogantly call them hia own ; yet what barren wastes would they be, did not Heaven send down upon them its dews and its rains, its warmth and its light ; and sustain, for their growth and ripening, the grateful vicissitudes of the seasons ! It is said that fVom eighty to ninety per cent, of tho very substance of some of the great staples of agriculture are not taken from the earth, but are absorbed from the air ; eo that ther.e productions may more properly be called fruita of the atmosphere than of the soil. Who prepares this elemental wealth ? Who scatters it, like a sower, through all tho regions of the atmosphere, and sends IT tlic ridily-fieighttil wiiidrt, as Win nieM«'njLcerp, to l)«>ar to PAcii leaf in the for- est, mid to earli bliicle in the collivati'eing no waste or open lands, from wliich the new generations may lie siipijlied as they come into existence, — liave not thoxc f/encratl'ms the Mroiiffesf foiu'dvaJilc vhdm upon the pre.ievf ocrupatit.'i far ihot u'hich is indinpen' sntilr. to their veil heiniiif TlieyhaveiDtirethema preernjitive, they have ((posneHnory rif/ht to some portion of the ia.viefi and prnjits of that ejcnernl domain, all of which huft been thus ted en up and npproprintrel. Four years after the piiblioation of this Report and its peculiar assumptions had been (.'xton.siv(:ly circulated, tlie obstacles to the progress of Free Schools a|)jx'ar to have iiicreaso(h It was found that in Massachusetts as cvcrv whei'e else, the children uf the rich ^vould not .''it on the same school forms with the children of the poor; that re[)id>lican theories and the practicnliiies of common lifi; were at variant?L'; and that (ho doctrine of equality cnuld not be realizeil. 'J1ii« is shown in the Fourteenth Annual lieport by Carnas Scars, the Secretary of the Board, {is follows, •' In many parte of the State the Common Schools languish in consequence of the patronage given to acndeiniis and private schools. The former are ■upporieil l)v a moderate tav, for llie t-ole benefit of the common and laboring 1,'iasses. while the imjioilaiice of the means of educatii h for the children of these classes is acknowledged, theve is no iiuliicenient for th.e tax-payers, Avliose children are educated elsewhere, to provide any but the must ordinary .uccomniodations for the Common Schools. In those places where such practice prevails, the schoolhoiise is ccjinmonly old and dilapidated, the seats and desks inconvenient ai.d disfigured, the teacher poorly qualified for his task, the manners of the pu])i]s rude, and the whole condition of the school such tliat the children of a refined family would be more injured than bene- tited by beiiiy sent to it. Here tlie following dilemma presents itself. The twhools caiiiiot be ifnproved till the belter families, so called, shall consent to patronize them as their own. These families will not consent to send their children to the Comnion Schools in their present condition. No otlier obstacle to the cause of popular e 19 They loiince armed )ivciiou8 ill thoy n they ; tif the scssiou, lo their :'laiinc(l lie I'rom .1 hIiovo ipiiated, )iis may ions the mlinpen- wssfKRory of which pcculiJir prfigress that in /oukl not oor; tliat were at -e.L Thif^ 5cavs, the wse(iuonce l'( inner lire id liiboring children of tax- payers, ,8t ordinary where such ,a,the seats itied for his ■ the school than Ijcne- itself. The 11 consent to t(i send their tluT obstacle ato. asthis. i in behalf of ■ qonc, and as nabatcd by all us in the tvork fivstcm itsolt uiity to unite •ivate schools, , if they cdu- B annual to-vrn of things." •^ > m Afloycd, and a as atlraciive at uoMfi sefditnetU. • * • It would *»eoin Hupornnous to hIiow how much bettor it would be for the coiMinuiiity, i( all would uiiih- iu the Kupuortof I'ublic Schools of a lugh order, tliuu lo iiUeinpl to sustain a twu-told syHteiu of education, — (Joirimon Sciiools for the ctiildrcn of tho poor, and acaduiniea and private Hcliools for tho children of tin' rich. Tlie childu'ii of tho alUueuL oiit^ht, for their own sakes, to learn early, licfnici tlioir niindH arc vitiated with ideas of fiictiti(»tH (li.slinctions, to t.ike their pcisifion according lo |)orsional nu'ritalone. As this irt the standiird liy wliieli i^wvy one niuwt, slund or fii.ll, the sooner he takes his proper place; upon the true [»latfoirn of American hoc iety, tlio bettor will it be for him and his coimtry." Before Icavino* tliis part of tlio sultjoct, it may bu instructive to give, licre, tho argmnont of tho present Chief Sujjorintendentof Schools for Upper Canad.'t, to the same purport. Dr. llycrson'.s address on Free Schools, piilthshcd iu tho Annual lu^port fur 1849, and again in the Report for 1862, states iis follows: — " The method which, I believe, you will find tnost officiont, has been thus delined : — ' A tax u|hiii the prop(;ity of all, by the majority, for the education of all.' # » » The uniKitunil aijil unpatriotic s^'paration of tho wealthier classes from the common school, h;i.sca,ised its iuelliciency and lalleged dei^ra- tlalioii. Had the wealthy cli^scs been identitied with tho common schools e(|iially with their poorer nei;:;libois, — as istliecaso in free school countries — the common scho(d would have been lit for tlie education of tlieir children, and |)roportionally better than it now is for the eilucatioa ol the children of the more numerous common classes (tf society." iNlr. Mann, true, to the orii;'inal idea of free schools, namely, the ]tres'jrv.'vti(jn of u vepuhlican consritution, in selecting tho branches of study limited them to the specilic object which he intended thoy should serve. Tliat object as wo ha\'o seen was exclusively seculai'. Free education was to maho good citizens, and good citizens v,'onld preserve the republican constituUon. This was the argument prunutlgated by the free school authorities. We have now to see how the education in the schools w;\s confined, specially, to this secular object. Mr. Maim's lleport is again the best testimony. At page 17 is tho following, — "In regai'd to the apjilicatiou of this principle of natural law, that is in regard to the extent of the education to bo provided for at the public expense, — some differences of opiuion may fairly exist, under different political organizations; but for our republican government, it seems clear that the iiiiuimum of this education can never be less tliaii such as is sufficient to inialify each citizen for the civil and^ social duties he will be called to dis- <'har,''f industry, ntid t'liigality, chastity, riKxIcrutidii, iiiul t«>iii|i«, linil t1ini^> other virtiK'H, wliioh are th* oriiRiiiPiit of luirnim xofii'ty, nvd l!.,> hnnh 7tj>or tnhich (! rfimhl'i'itn cwnftiMl'm in f\>iiuiU4 ; hikI it Mhull hf \\\v duty of Hiu-h luHtnictorh to endeavor to lead tlioir pupiln, uh their age* and r.ipai'ititH will admit, into a clear \iMder8tuiidiii\( ot the U'ndrnry of ike "'ifyvft'-mmifxyHed virtnnn, to prrarrve and pfrfict a n piiUirmi conhtilniion, and hj-cure tht- bloHHingfl ot lil)t'rly, aH well an to iXDimite thfir fulure liappiiif****, aud ulho to point out to theiri the evil twiiduiicy uf ihi? oj>p(niit' vices/' This liiw, with two or thrco nvxlifioMtions, h»w boon copi<.'H int/> the regulatious on n'ligio'.iB and inornl instruction tWr T.Tpppj. Caiuvla, Hgain exhibitinjj tht; pitMlilcction for tho syciilur f-'piiMiran systeni. Hero is the copy from the Upper Canada School rfjifiilatioHs:— * " In each School the Teach«r ^liould ex»'rl liih Ix^st "ud^avorB, both by pxamplw juid precept, to impress upon lli«« mliidrt of jdl children ami youil) comnntted to hie cure and iuKtruction, the piiuoiple^ of p'ety, jui^tice, and o^ sacred regard to truth; lovo to tlieir country ; hmnc evil tendency of the opposite vices,'' Notwithstanding the vague expresfnoii's on the teaching of Clwistiaii mofal«, ill a practical point of view the completely ^'eculur character of American Schools is fully established. This becomes nimijfest, again, ill what ifl caHe<-l the religious study prescribed for tl«3 Normal Scheols, which is all comprksed in the following wo-xls, " the principles oi* piety and morality common to nil sects of ('^uistians." This is all the pro Tision made for religious instruction in the Normal Schools of Massa- chusetts. Small, howoveF, as it is^ it will baffle the moat patient enquirer to discover what the pruiciples ate which are common to all sects. For example, in reading Scripture or expounding the writings of the Apostles, liow is it possible to avoid the questions of adult or infant '>apti»ra, the humanity or divinity of Christ, predestination or grace \ id good works, the corporeal or spiritual resurrection of the dead, the immaculate conception, th« millenium, transubstantiatiou. universal redemption, eternal punishment, the sacraments, t)w trinity, and so many q,uestions of a similar kind on which the d" ^ t^r.i .ic'd disagree? Aud if the Scriptures cannot te read nor the tex^. f;:?p.)U hU i.^, Vithiout falling fowl of these repudiated tenets, how is it po; 'bin r'jal .ne Scripttwes '^an be read to satisfy the school requirements ? Here is » dilemiiDa. As the Sc>ool Law of Upptyf CaiMida limits what is called religious instruction to ti-^ same secular purpose, it con8eq.ueatly gives the same character '«8 to t'- ; mode in which the itistrueliion is to be communic'iuAl. K?ery thin/^ is left to depend on the example and precept of ti^) tet*,' u or. Except "the principles of piety," alt the other yirtues enumerated, come purely within the scope of humaa maimerB,. tl 'C«Ilearinod ie tho oxetnplnry oharnolcr on wh'vh th< roligiouH iuHtrmli'ti in tt.^; *. Iio»>1k iH made altogethiir to i. VVhiitovor cl'Mnent of r»'li<:rioii there in in tho «chool syfitcin is, thor. ,)re, oomprinod in i''-i word H'^v. Now wliat is piety? 1h it » '•euiinient emauatinrf from the roligiou of nati""*! or the reiiij^ion >f Christ? h it that vai,'ue idea of tho incomprolionsil>JerhuinMn ]>owor, peeuliar to a savage and unrhristianizoil state of society; or docs it comprohend tho schotne of redemption, which marks tho radical distinction between tho two roHginns' That there iiiav be no dispute about the character of the authoriiy cit^'d to decide *\\ih point, preference iu hero given to Wolister's l^i'tkniMiy, becauno it i- '" dictionary authorise*! to be usoil In tho Mav-^-husctts Hohools. lie. : .iro the two definitions from Webster's Cioarto Kdition: " 1. Piety in principle is a comnound of vcneratinii or reverence if the Supreme Ueini,' aixl ii>v(! of his chaiact*r, or ve«eiati(>n aocompaniv ! with love ; arid pii'ty in practice, is the exercise of tl ose nftectionH ia obedituice to his will and devotion to his service. "2. llcverenoc of parents or friends accoii anied with atlectioa and devotion to their honor and hapiiiiiess." According to this, the religion rfqnirtd of the teacher is, ns be#)re stated; pure deism or the religion of nature. To give it the designation that it embodies the principles of piety and monils commcni to all sects of Christians, is a delusion; for this reason that, if the doctrines be oxpunged on wliich are founded the distinctions >f sects, nothin.' will remain of the fundamental essence and ground work of Christi nitv, namely, redemption from original sin through t K divine mediation. Those who maintain the contrary of what is here 4ated, are bound to show the process of sublimating a Christian C!reoi out of the concrete (dements of what is known, at the present day, as the Christian Church. If they cannot do this, they must renounce the issumption that the Common Schools are Christian, and that Christianity is the basis of education. Tho care with which e\ery thing having referenc: to the Christian doctrines is excluded from the schools, appears in the regulations. What is CiUled religious instruction is tliere limited o "the principles oC piety," "morals," "good behavior," and " mannei-s." Such is the burden of the laws ha\ing referonco to what is termed religion. They .xtond no farther. On the other hand, the religious exercises do not '. 'seril.ie the reading of the ycrii.turos, but only portions of them. riiifi limitation is worthy of notice. Tho subliinat d moral teacher Aould have his convictions shocked, and the piety and good behavior • f Iiis ].upils eontaininatod by those portions which refer to the Trinity, iO tile Jiv iuiiy of Christ, and othei- poiuLs whereon the ditfereut sect* 22 are divided. The exercises are, therefore, prescribed an ' restricted so as to avoid this. The hw ordains that, " a portion of the Scriptures shall be read daily in every St; ie Normal School." This is all the I'cligious exercise prescribed for this class of schools. The law for the Primary Schools is as follows : — " Opening Exercises of the Schools. — Iti order to impress on tlie iniuds of the pupils the [importance of religious duties, aud their entire dependence on their Maker, the Teachers are required to open their Schools, in tne morning, by the reading of a portion of Scripture, with singing aud prayer." — (See Eules 135, 136.) " The audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer, by every Scholar, shall form a part of the openiug exercise ; and the Ten Commandments shall be audibly repeated, in the same manner, at least once a week." — (See Rule 135.) If the ten commandments or the Lord's Prayer had contained the ^.east reference to the essential elements of Christianity they would have been also discarded. The reason why they form part of th' exorcises and have obtained admission is, because of their having no expression which directly or indirectly can bo construed to pertain to these essentials. In Canada the Common School law, which is equally scrupulous to preserve uniformity in both the general features and details of the system, and studiously conforms to the original Boston typo, makes no specific provision* for religious instruction or even religious excroise>. This is left to the discretion of the Trustees, and the way in which they generally act can best be illustrated by what the}' have done in Toronto, where the Boston free school system has been fully adopted and in full operation for five yt ai-s. Previous to December of la&t year the Trustees had, consistent!}' with free school prin(.'iples, declined to have other than good behaviour, manners, morals and piety inculcated by means, simply, of example on the part of the teaehors. The schoi:>ls,. in the mean time, notwithstanding hirge assessments and an extraordi- nary expenditure for spacious and commodious buildings, were in a most unpromising conditir religion" and "morals" are nothing' else than o-euuine deism with the human manners of " the man Jesus" superadded. This is a lamentable conclusion and a melancholy fact ; but thei'c is no way of escaping from deductions honestly arrived at, through a chain of testimony admitting of no dispute. CHAPTEH III. PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THE EURO PK AN AND AMERICAN SYSTEMS OF COMMON SCHOOLS. T Fortunately, the practical results of the Eurupuau Common School system are easily stated ; for they have formed tlia subject of almost every official report proceeding iVom American authorities who have ])crsonally examined that system ; and in no case, it is believed, are they represented otherwise, than in terms of the most unqualified approval. It would be an easy matter to produce a mass of testimony, from the Writings of e}'c witnesses, to prove the excellence of the eighteen public schools of Heidelberg ; the 0,508 primary schools of Bavaria, besides its thirty-two mechanics' schools, its seventy Latin schools, its three Poly- technic Schools, its eight Normal ScIkxiIs, its seventy-four Gynmasiums, its nine Lyceums and its three Unlvei-sities, all public such asour common schools: the two thousand two hundred common schools of Wurtem- burg; the Wiesbaden poor school; the schools of Fraidifort on the Maine; those of Beilin, including its thirteen free schools for the poor, with a school attendance of 12,000 poor children. Such witnesses could be ma«le available if necessity required, to satisfy us of the efficiency of the teachers, and the genei'al success attending the work of education. It is much jtreferable, however, to take the evidence of one who has been considered ^y Americaneducationists, an unexceptionable authoi'ity. ^Ir. Mann has recorded his testimony with reference both to pai'ticular school visits and to the general character of the Prussian schools. lie is, therefore, the n)Ost suitable authority on this occasion; the more so on account of the um-eservcd manner in which he discourses on the subject. Here is his testimony : — " "Witli us it too often happens that if a liirjlier1)rancli, — Geometry, Natnra' Philosophy, Zoology, IJotany, — is to be tauyht, both Tcaclier and Class iiius^ have text books. At the beginninfr of tliese text-books, all tlio technica names, and deiinitions are set down, Tliese, before the pupil liiis any practical idea of Iheir nieauinj:^, imist be ronmiitted to memory. Tlie l)ook is then studied chapter by chapter. At the b(»ttom of each ])age or at the end of the sections, arc questions jointed at full length. At the recitations tlic Tenclu.'r holds on to these leadina' strings. lie introduces no collateral knowledge, lie exliildts no relaliiui lictween wh'M, is contained in the book, and other kindred subjects, or the actual business of men and tlie affairs of life. At length tlie day of examination comes. The juipils rehearse from memory with a suspicious flui'ucy : ly say one word to disparage the most vital of its conipartnaents. If then the teachers prepared in the Normal School are deficient, and the country is to sutler the consequences of that deficiency, a very natural question arises: Where does the blame He ? Who is responsi- ble ? The Normal School is supported at a considerable expense, and to serve a specific purpose; to supj)ly the Common School wants of the Province. Of what use is it then, if it cannot do the work for which it is intended ? On this head, the opinion entertained of the teachers in the vari(nis School Sections of the Province, is too \vell known to require ilkistration here. One instance may be ii^iven, however, as a specimen. It is from the Huron Signal of 11th January last, a staunch free school paper : — "Viewing the subject from these premises, it is matter of deep regret to be forced to the conchision that the Town of Goderich occupies a less favorable position iu the march of progress than it did four years ago, Tlie interest taken in the cause of Common School Education, and the means of popular instruction have retrograded very seriously since that time, and unless a new impulse can be communicaled to our Townsmen on this all-important matter, our excellent system of Provincial education will speedily become worst; than a dead letter, in so far as Goderich is concerned. * * # * The complaint, in the present instance, is against the male department of the Common School, and regard for tlie host interests of the community cannot afford to sj)are it either through fear or favor. Of the qualifications of the gentleman wlio for about three years lias held tlie place of Teacher in the Common School, it is not necessary 1o sny one word. He came here with a rccommendiitiou from the Provincial Normal School, and that was all that was necessary in so far as " rct'wj/iwiCTiJ«erforinance of their duties. Whichever of these causes it may be, certain it is that no other can be pointed to, as contributing to produce the abnormal condition of the Normal School. The government ap])ropriation for the erection of the buildings, has been most munificent, and the sti])ulated anntial grant for pre])aring a suitable numlxn- and ])roper clrss of tea(.'hers to llU the Common Schools of Upiier Canada, has been arn.ngcd on a scale calculatoil to f^upj>Iy its utmost requirements. It cannot therefore be on tlu! ground of the want of government liberality that the itistitution is incapable of doing it« legitimate work. I T 1 i T 1 i 27 Again, what guarantee is there that the teacliers prepared, such as they are, will continue to follow tlui profession of teaching? AVhat has become of the 1,204 Studenls attending the Normal School up to the close of the year 1853 ? Has the majority of them turned Clerks, or Storc-kee|jers, or gone back to farming? The advertisements that appear daily in the newspapers for teachers, indicate one or other of two things; either that these 1,264 have, most of them, abandoned the profession, or they are not considered eligible by the 'i nistees of the various school sections. This is a material consideration. These teachers are prepared at the public expense; the instruction they receive at the Normal School is gratuitous, and the jnie of their board and lodging, while in attemlance, is paid for partly from the public revenue. Yet if it is the C!vse, that they abandon afterwards the pro- fession, the [)ublic money becomes then wastefully expended, to the extent of that abandonment. Or if the estimate in which they are held by the School Trustees is such that they cannot get employment in the schools, the evil becomes then, not one of expenditure alone, but a total destitution of those edui:ational facilities and instrumentalities which the government is supposed to have provided. A farther point equally requiring consideration is the extent to which a defective means of normal school discipline operates to engender a con\ iction in the minds of th.e teachers that they have mistaken their calling', and how far this conviction induces them to abandon in diso-ust their original intention. We are told that in Germany there is no pro- fession that ranks higher than that of a schoolmaster. The reason why this is the ca^e, is sniticiently exi»lained in the precoeding remarks. But imagine a young man, after the expiry of a perfod of two terms attend) auce at the Toronto normal school, with a certificate, which every one he meets regards with indilTerence if not with contempt. lie applies for a school ; is examined oi', what is more likely, escapes this ordeal ; and he obtains admission either from necessity, charity or sutierance. lie commences his duties. The school is not so well attended as he a[iticii>ated it wonld be. 1'he children are irregular, the parents are disrespectful and, at the close of his school term, his mortification is complete, when he comes to bo paid for his services, to learn that the miserable allowance is considered more than he has earned. Is it likely that a young man so placed Avill continue, any longer than his immediate necessities require, in, what he now considers a thankless and disrepute- able profession ? Ikit does he perceive where the error lies? No, — like most others, he asci'ibes the fault to the miserly disposition of the 'I'rustees or the ignorance of the pco[)le. The true cause he nevor dis- covei's. Ilis normal school education does not even qualify him to per- ceive th;.t, in a I)uti;h or Prussian Normal Seminary, he could have been ti'ained to o<|ual at least the average of the Dutch or Prussian teachers; and thence to l ; so that the Normal School, may be said by some, to have contiibuteil, directly, nothing to the credit or disgrace of the Condition in whieh the (^onnnon Schools of Toronto are now placed. With regard to the expense, which would be a matter of little moment if the schools wore efficient, the a>^sessmcnt in 1847, the year ])revious to the adoption of free schools, and with an average attendance of 1,250, was £496; whereas, in 1854, after a five years expcrinicut of free schools find, with an average attendance of 1,445, the assessment amounted to £4,225. What makes the disparity still greater is the increase in the ]»opulation of school age from 5,000, in 1817, to 0,O()O in 1854. But it may be objected, that these remarks should apply only to T(jronto, and tliat they cannot be taken as a criterior of the results, generally, throughout the Province. Such an objectiim cunnot, however, be sMstaincl, for averygooil reason; namely, that the present e .'inmon school system aims at the general adoj)tio:j of free s 'liools, school houses, and ])rofuse assessments, on tlie Boston jilan: ;;nd. a-- in Toronto, the fv(M^ schools with all their requisite machinery lia\(f lieen in full blast during a period of six years, it is consequently the fie!d for observation, and the spot to which juiMic attention shoc.M be directed, for a specimen of what the results would be in other i^laci's if the present svsteni should be generally carried out. In no \y.v.i ol' liie l^rovincc is the system so conipleto as in Toronto. The system is not eonsiilovcd perfect without the ger.ei'al ad!ace in America where the systcMii has been fully tested. Notwith8taiie;ircd in the Annual Keiiorts and tho tJuurnal ot Education, concerning the Massachusetts schools, an exami- nation of the official returns will be tho best means to ascertain the exact triitli. Before procivdinu; to the evidence of the official reports, it may be well to state that two normal schools were opened in Massachusetts in 18;J9, and another 'u 1S40. It is jiropor to kec}) this in view, in order to be able to ai>j)reciat.e, in tlie followiniif extiacts, the complaints on tlie score of bad teachers, and thence to draw a parallel with the case of Canada. The \v^\\\t caimot fail to produce a conviction that tho teachers and tho mode of prepai'ing them are no bolter in Massachnsetts than with us, and that the statements which h.avo been circulated, at the public expense, thioughout every municipality in tho Province, are not borr out by the tenor of the official reports; and, therefore, have had a tendency to mislead tlie public opinion. The first witness is Mr. Mann, who says, in his Revised Report already described, "The public schools of many towns and the large number of highly respectable academies and private scliools, carry forward a numerous body of young men and women to such a degree of literary attainments as enrolls them in the list of candidates for school-keeping. Students in our Colleges J ambitious young men, who are looking forward to some other employr»jent» actually niore lucrative, andj in public estimation, more honourable, and who must obtain a little money, as a means of securing their ultimate object ; niany mechanics and farmers, possessed of more than ordinary intelligence and attainment, and who were renowned, when they went to school, for doing all tlie " hard sums" in the arithmetical text books ;— ^all these hate been candidates for public school keeping. Added to this, the average rate of * TOBONtO COMMON SCHOOL STATISTICS. f^liildrcr. of Avcrngij OoTornmrnt city YgArt. School A«8. Atteudanoe. Oidut. Assessment. ftatc Bill. £ s. d. £ 8. d. £ 8. d. 1844 ... — .... 1.194 ... 407 9 4 ... 672 8 4 ... 237 17 1845 ... — .... 1,108 ... 479 14 ... 691 3 3 ... 747 18 1846 .... 4,450 .... 1,:21 ... 47,3 17 ... 727 17 ... 809 11 6 1847 .... — .... 1,256 ... 4fi7 12 6 ... 496 ... 908 3 1848 .... — .... 1,431 ... 474 7 6 ... 497 5 ... Free. 1849 . ... 6,149 .... 1,325 ... 423 19 2 ... 493 7 6 ... Free. 1850 . ... 6,750 .... 1,059 ... 369 13 6 ... 799 ... 731 u la 1851 .... 7,773 .... J,366 ... 497 5 ... 1,909 ... Free. 1-52 . .. 7,806 .... 1,545 ... 608 17 ... 1.950 ... Free. 18.53 .... 9,000 .... 1,502 ... 7S7 6 4 ... 3,057 ... Free. 1854 .... — .... 1,445 ... 737 6 4 ... 4,225 ... Free. The avcraTC attendance at the Roman Catholic Separate Schools is not included in this statement. The number of Roman Catholic children attend' ing the Common Schools was comparatively small, and the number receiving education would have been few had not the Separate Schools been estaDlished. The great increase of pupils in the Separate Schools is, therefore, to be attri- buted to their denommational character. In 1852, the attendance was 920; in 1853, 666 ; and in 1854, 687. 30 compcniatinii given to teachers in Massncbusetts has far excecdetl that which lias lioL'ii fj;[\v.n in any of Iho luiinlihoriny i^tat'js. llcnc.', in tliu antiunn of the year, tio.sts of advi-nturers tlock liitiicr, fiorn iMaine.tVom New Hainjwhire, from Vermont, and (lom Connecticut, in quest of employment as toadinra in our scliools. Some of thc-^e are full, not only of enternri.so, Initof liileut ; hut, und,'hly imagi- native character, — recommendations which prove the f,'ood -will of their tiyuers, far more than their good sense or their trustworthiness; lor it is well known that the facility with whicli such recoinmendatione'can he ohtainod is the scandal of our people. AVhat harrier, then, hut the vigilance and intelligence of our pchool committees, shall prevent our schools from heing invad(Hl by practical immorality, by literary imposture, and by an inaptitude for all goxernnient except the guveinnutit of fear and force V What l)ut the tuhdity of school committees shall prevent sound knowledge and high talent liom being thrust aside by ignorance and pretension ? 'J'he ii-.terests of all good teacluns, emphatically the interests ot the rising generation, demand, by every consideration that can a]ipeal to patriotism, to philanthropy, or to th not unfre(jnentl\ happt'ued, — the expectants will secure tlio choice of a p; ' dential committee, who will ojicn to them the door of tlie scIkkI-Iumisi; without any examim-itior. at all. Sfiinctimes it is not ditficult for a jwimu, th!'fiu;.'h his nlalives and friends, to create an a]>parent public o[)iniou iii a district, which shall seem i(. demand, that tlie individual shall be selected to keep tlio school who has himself been the fraudulent author of the factitious opinion that points to him. All persons, too, who arc intending to obtain a scliocd, but who are tV arful (jf the results of nn examination, will, of cour-e. be opyvsed to tlie jirincple of tlio law wliicli requires an examination, aiul v\ill tlu-retbre be reatly to aitl those who strive to evade it." The .sccon tlic Bonrd of Eihientioii for tlio year 1850, The followiiig is iVotn ]iis Report for thtit year, uid irregularity iite of compensa- '' On the ji.'iucity of well-trained teachers, — tin; laxity ; which prevail in regard to the selection f)f them, — the low ra^v ^.. .......[.v tion, and frequent removals, much has alreaily been said, but not enough to produce the proper effect. Willi respect to tlu^ f vil lir-.t named, the remedy must be the Work of time. Anew class of teachers cannot Ix; cieated in a day. The otlier evils admit (.if a speedier ciu-e. If intelli;,a>Lt and piactical njen, in all our towns and villages, would slai:d up in pulilic and reason the matter out before the peoj'le, it W(ud(l not be long before those vital parts vt the Comnmn JSclujol system would be bnnight into a nuu h more healthy ami vigorovs condition. "The irregular attendance of those who belong to the schocds is still a subject of complaint in very many of the reports of the school comnuttees. It is to be hoped that the people will listen to the remonstrances v.hich are repeated on this subject, from year t(» year, nud take into earnest consideration the counsels and recommendations contained in the reports above-mentioned. 31 I. . ; „ Sornc degi'co of irrog\ilaritywiIl, of course, alw.ijB cxiRt. The absoncos, here «;oinplainoil of, however, are those which arc wholly uunccossary and inexcusable. " The faults committed by parents in nocjlcctinfj to visit and encournso tlio schools, and to awaken in their own cluldreu a love > '" ''nowled;,'o, in allowing them to grow up without the restraints of jiroper dis ine, and in olliciously interfiiin;^;, at times, with the n.'t^ular discipline of tne schools, would, of themselves, furnish ample scope for an instructive folunie. il"ie, indoeil, is the root of many of tiie worst evils witli which committeeH aud teaciier* have to contend." — p. 29, 30. To the Report of Mr. Sears is .tpjiendod an abstract of tlio " School Committees Keports," from which tlie following seloction.s are taken, as a specimen of their general tenor. "The town is nominally divided into four districts, for each district a pru- dential committee is apnoiuted, as a general thing, in rotation; one man taking his turn in the othce, and then another. The one chosen then looks around to engage a teacher. But ir.iblir sentiment docs not require in a prutkmtial committee a practical Un.uvlcclge of the business of scliool teaching, nor does it hold him responsible for selecting a well . [).'\ "The prudential committee contracts witli a ^lerson (frequently a stranger) to kei^i* his school, pi'ovidcd lie c;ui g't ajiprobated. I'ho candid iite delays an apiiUoation for an examinatinn r.nfil just before the time to begiu the scluiol ; or perhaps he is only contra^^ted with on the Saturday preceding the Monday on which he is to commence his labors of love. At tin? late hour lie comes before the committee for his approbation. They wrestle with him almost as long as -Jacob did with the angel at Penncl. He halts in his answers to easy and common-jdace (piestions as bad as the committee do, whether they sludl |)roceed further with the examination or cut itshort whcv« it is. He tinally gets througli with an exanunation after some sort of fashior, and the (juestion is, whether he shall be set at work, and thus go halting all the days of his life, or whether, in the spirit of love and kindness, he shall be tohf to stay at Jericho, until his beard is grown ? On the one hand, the school is expected to begin on Monday, .and schcdars and parents will both te grievously disappointed if it dors net begin — the applicant, besides, is young; it is his maiden effort; he is endowed with an exalted sensibility, anil he is exceedingly diflidetit. A rejection may therefore oper-ite to discourage liim from furtlier exertion, and thus the raw material for a decent schoolmaster be spoiled in tlie making up On the other hand, liis quidlfications do not entitle him to tlie approb.^tion of the committee, although a term or two at a normal school might convert him into a decent schoolmaster. If we set him at work, the money of the district will be thrown away, if no further damage be done; and if we do not, a great outcry is set up at once ; a huge injustice has been ]ierpctrated ; a base conspiracy has been entered into to break down a young man, wliom the committee, peradvcnture, have never seen, untd the evening of his examination ; one ana .all. they are charged with gross tavoritism, and tlicir doom is summarily sealed up against the great day of account at the next annual meeting. — Mendon, p. 99. • , ii "Committees cannot be too cautious about engaging itinerant applicants, of S2 whose merits thry arc entirely icrnoinnt, merely nprm t1>e strenpthof a written recornnienclalioii iroin some person also uukiiowii, UHllie iiiohI i-tnpid imbecile would lianlly tail of procuring mucIi a certiticiito, should hu dthire it. Some further riMiuiiomcut lliiiri this in nucetwary to protect our Hchoola from impo- sition . "We know it is Kind that the Hohool committee have the power, — they can reject ;t tciu'lier it' thry think liini untpi.-ilitied. Thin is true; Htill their f)ower is only nci^^ative. 11" they refime to approbate uteHch(T, wliat evidnnee lavo they that the nnxt one presented will be any butter qualitied ? HenideH, a teacher m y b" able to answer s Uiflfactorily all thoquestiouH propnstid.aiul yet the coniniitteu feel confiilent that his capacity for goveintuent is not sutficient to enable him to c(»nduct n Hchnol successfully. Should they, however, in Huch a caae refuse to grant a cerliticate, the almost inevitable consequence would bo to create a Ptorni in the district, such aa would, in uU probability, ])rove the overthrow of the succeeding teacher. In viiw of this tact, school commit ees are often obliged to choose the leant of two evils, — either to employ an incompetent teacher, or run the risk of creatin;^ a war in the district that may prove disastrous to euccecdiug schools. — J'hillipato7if p. 100. "But to pass on to the difRcuIlics, which at present necm to impede the progress of education among us, they would mention first, that as we are now situated, there is no responsibility felt and acknowledged by any as to the capacity of teachers to perform their task in governing and instructing-' ttie 8ciu)ol8. If a teacher i-> hired, and passes examination before the com- mittee, (which a person of uo capability to govern a school, and of no capa- city to impart instruction may do) he goes to his school and continues there until the money is exhausted, though all concerned may bo perfectly satis* lied that it would be far better for the children if he had tiiken the money at the beginning and never opened the school. What your committee wish to be understooa, is, that as things iu)w stand, no person or persons feel any res- ponsibility for theviaste of the cA?7(/rt7i*« time, and of the diatriet'a nionny."— Sidton, p. 10 J. "Among the multitude of those who offer themselves i \ the market for teacliers, like merchantable commodities, posted up with nu;iibeiless recom- mendations from teachers of high schools, too often bought with tuition bills already paid, or with the prospect of others unpaid, it is not unfrequently a matter of difficulty to decide who will make the best teacher." — UjAon, p. 103, "Though the qualification of some of the candidates for the summer schoola were not what they should be, yet we rejected but one. " The question readily suggests itself why we approbated those that had not aatiswctory qualifications. In reply, the only justification we can oifer, is, that better material was not offered." — Uxbridge, p. 103. " If a candidate is presented for examination, and the committee think he is not qualified to teach, and very properly withhold a certificate, then the censure falls on Ihm; — it generally excites feelings of prejudice on the part of individu.als in the district where the person rejected was a candidate, and they are accused of acting with selfish motives, or more to show their authority, or something else which is very fai" from the real canse. In such cases, the committee tt;el sometimes almost compelled to waive their objections and grant a license, fearing Worse consequences if another should be employed, with all this disaffection on the part of the parents. * * <* Your committee have not seen fit to reject but one candidate for teaching, during the year ; although in two or three instances they were not satisfied with the qualifications of the applicants, and should have refused their certifi- cates, if they had not reason to suppose that, by so doing, they should make a bad matter still worse." — £nn\fieid, p, 107. r , i i I .R I'" '* But thuHC that picsuinv (»» teach, aie. ^7 uc m, all tbetii capable of making a goud Hchool, if they have uU the cooperation tk pareutM ought to afford. Many incompetent porsotm seek enob ^ytnent in t • schuul r m, and t)btain it, and will obtain it, till there ia a dim 1 ut Bystenri night in itm, ia regard to uinpluying teacherH." — Nortfifteld, p. 108. " Much iHsaid by home porsoii', thatthu money laiHod is not \^ ' II vuded. Wc adnut that it ih notexpcntled an wt'llaH it might bo ; but we a; rtdent that it will never \ye better expended while the present arrangemcui "ics. -^ShuUmburif, p. 110. " The practice, however, is Hubject to some very grave objections. * * Tour Committee are fully aware, that no very great progress can be made in i> in tlic parlirului Hclioiils wluMo llioy have coimnfiictxl i>|u'ialioiiN." •'The cominittiH' aoe and fuel all this, aixl yet Ihore in not unonj/h oi (Iffiricncy in tluso tcuchcrH to authorize Hto[)|iin^ tiiu Hihonl, loHt yon ollVml Honit'l»otly,and divido llu! distrii'l." — ISrainlrri , ji* i/iicua npon teacliers, hut t«i exumiiic tlieni. And tliou^di, in Kiinie instance^, a shrewd yness were worth more than a <'atecheti('al rxiimina- tion, still we are shut np to the latter. We sii^n the cei liticalc w itii a liesitat- inv; liand, f'lom dire necessity, ami sorely iiuainsi our jndLfnieni. The leaciui •roes into his school, and, perhaps, In much liolsicrinu,' oi the lominiltre, lit keeps it thronsrli. lini it wat lime iind inovft) ii'mted. — Wn hlhum, puifi lit. The ubovo (ixtracts atv t.'ikeii tVom a ooIlirliiMi, mustiy all eoitluiniiig coni|)liiints to t'.ie same pur] tort. Ill New York, the crk. in hi- rt[Hirt lor l^*y^.^ buys : — " I have examined and granted rertiiieates of (jnalification to 21 male and to 92 females dnrinj^ the j)ast year. A larm' part of these were for snbordi- iiate places as assistant teacner8;and their certiticates, by reason of thfir inexperience or limited ac(|uiremcnts, were so (graded, '^nly 31 of the highest grade have heen <;;ranteil ; of these, I.') were male ami 1(5 female tcaclier-.. ilany of our best teachers are females, and they follow the bnsiness of teach- \u{:, professionally, for a series of years; /lut tJils is ralhc)' the iwciplinx Hum tilt nih:. A liirf/rr prnporlloii nnf ji/ohidjli/ more them thru i/mrs." — /'*'//' I '25. The iiio.«?t iinpoii.'iiit Icstiiiioiiy, however, is that of "Mr. McKoeii, on the hoasted .schools and teachers in Mr. Matin's tamous tree .school State. It is from the same rejiort a.s thoahove e.\tr;u!t; and is \aliial)le, chielly on account of tlie vi.'ry ]>oin(eil manner in which it derit'es the Mos|()n free .school fan.atieism. Mr. Mt Keen says he knows Jis nmoh tihont the New Eiio'land fn 'e schiiol.'^ as .•tiiy o|' th.-ir famous ciilooists, and h(! tells canJidly what tliey tire. His evideiice furnishes a sad eonimeidary on the ignorance, stupidity am] fantiticisni of American (.'diiealiom'sls, and e.\posure of the gio.ss fals(;hoods whicli they have Iteeti, systematically, jn the liahit of keepiiio;' in i'ireiiJ;ition. Here nro Mr. McK, .^I<^:^•^achnsell.s, and the f.illie;- who lelilf'l tlies" Ivi'tern . 'flutes. I have ditcn liionght llial these eMloL'inui? vvi re nioii' lidihfiil lu ih'* idiai reverence wliiciij- (.iue«to ilie fjooit men wlio vven- am .ui."e~tnr.-, th'-m !.• 'he vt'i itablo liicTorv of t'le <• ir'', .l:i vi ii t!i.' connnon ■..••ticul-; \ . 4 r 36 Asa soil of N»»w-Kiigl«ii(l, 1 claim to know somefliint; oF their •iliH'Btioiml inHtiiulions. Their rnUegrti uiul hitihrr Hi'iiiinHrieiit pnrtiiiliy educated, luid that juirliiil education hnving hut little if any reference tr) tciuhinjc. A loin; vacution ensued, and the school passed into the ham's ot some yri)fesHioiial skill or system about it. liut it was so much better than no .seliool; so niiicJi better than was done m some other parts of the rountry, that sons, "to tlie niiuior born," have writtm ami published lamlalori) cfirotucl'^s iif t/iit'ur/iirx, inilil tliiji arr now almo»l fnlmmc. ThetrJhiii, thera is to thin ihifi *>o jt&rfirltd fti/atem of ronmioii school e(hu'ation in this country. That of the Sfilr of Ni'w York in prohtiUy th*: bful, nni that is very far frofii beinif what it uiiyhl to bi;" — I'di/t: l,t). C H A P T K \i I V OONCLUSTOK. 4 V \ ? Ill the tbrofifoiim pnnfc.'; tliu disciplinary ivligiou-s character of eJuca tioii 111 Kiiio|»o is cuiilfasted witJi the secular system of instruction in America; and the results are shown to be the necessary fruits, in the one case, of the relitjiou.s, and, in the other, of the secular principle, on which each is respectively based. The most remarkable contrarities are furnished by a comparison of the two s\ slums In Europe, common schools are intended for the })oor- er classes, and free schools for absolute paujiers*, while in America they are intended lor al/, notwithstanding that only the poorer classes frequent tl)em. In Europe tlu! teacher is a religious moral centre; in America he is a secular inai^hine. In Europe, competent teachers are the chiH' consid(^ration ; whereas, in America, (he main objects are ornamental school houses and large assessments. In Euroj^e, the teacher requires to know a great deal more tli;in the; simple branches which form the studies of a CO nnnon school ; in America, he is not expected to know nor is it considered necessary that he should be acquainted with any thing beyond the routine jiri scribed in the school regulations. In Europe, .appro] trial ions from tlie rf^venue or direct assessments by the numicipalilies bear a ])r(tpoilion to the nnmlter of poor children reeeiving edtK^ation at the (V)nimon Schools; in America, the govern- ment grants and the nninicipal assessments are calculated on the assum[»tion that (/// the rh/ldrci, both rich a)ul j^oor, are educated at the Connnon Schools. In Europe, the teachers educated at the Nor- mal Seminaries, chi(.'tly at the jMiblic expense, follow the profession of teachino; in after life; in .\tneHca. they mostly abandon it, causing a wustetul . xpenditiuv of the public funds appropriated to tlie main- 36 tonance of these institutions. In Europe, parental rights are respected by the governments ; in America, these rights are superseded. The rule, in Europe, is religious nonconformity ; in America, it is uniformity. In Europe, the denominational voluntary principle is preserved ; in America, the unsectarian principle is compulsory. And, finally, in Europe, the school house stands along side of the church ; the pastor and the teacher are mutually co-operating powers, working with a united purpose ; while, in America, the law enacts that there shall be no connection between the two, because the religion of the church is sectarianism, and that of the school-room and tlie teacher is, or ought to be Unitarian " piety and morals." Such are the characteiistic features which distinguish the Common School system of Europe from that of America. Th«y exhibit an extreme repugnance to each other; so much so that, by the most severe scrutiny, we fail to discover one particular in which they can be said to coincide. So, also, with the operation of the school machineiy, the practical details and results of the work of education and the experiences thence derived, which altogether exhibit a contrariness and opposition that would be difficult to explain, had we not cognizance of the radical difference, in the bases, of the two systems. It is not intended, here, to make any recommendation, as to which system would be best for Canada; or even to pass an opinion on the separate merits of different organizations which might be made to give our schools a distinct and ^uly Canadian character. While some might favor rate-bill schools, aided by government grants, with govern- ment inspection only so far as to secure the efficiency of the schools and the proper application of the money, leaving the business of teach- ing in all other respects open to cxjmpetition and to the voluntary arrangements of school sections; others might approve of leaving the management in the hands of the religious persuasions, retaining still the right of government inspection as to the efficiency of the schools and the proper application of the government aid. Questions of this nature will be decided best, by a wholesome public opinion, after the results of the present experiment shall have become sufficiently known and shall have received a due share of attention. The object of these pages , as has been stated, is, simply, to furnish a body of facts, and to place the subject of Common School education, in such light and in such summary form, as will assist public opinion, in determining on some school plan that will be both permanent and definite. Thompson & Co., Printers, King Street, Toronto.