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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 ;■,•:■;.# ,: i '■«- 6 mssB PROVINCIAL POLITICS. A. SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. OLIVER MOWAT PREMIER OF ONTARIO, AT WOODSTOC:^:, DEO. 3, 1889, No. I. Tlie Sectarian Issues and the History and Present Position of tlie Public Scliools in tlie Frencii Districts of Ontario, PRINTED BY HUNTER, ROSE & CO., 1890. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. Woodstock, Dec. 3rd., 1889. The following is a report of tho speech delivered by Hon. Oliver Mowat, Attorney-General of Ontario, to his constituents at Woodstock, Dec. 3rd, 1889, on the sectarian issues which haVe been introduced into Provincial politics by the Opposition — a history of the Public Schools in the French districts of Ontario and the improvement attained therein in the use of the English language under the policy promulgated by his Government : I have thought it might be agreeable to my constituents to hear from my own mouth what the facts really are, and what my views are, in relation to some of the subjects now being discussed with reference to the Provincial Government and the Provincial Legislature, of which the confidence and good-will of North Ox- ford have made me for so many years a member. The term of the present Legislature expires by law in January, 1891. There will be one Session meanwhile, and afterwards, and some time in the year 1890, there will be a general election. I am glad to meet my constituents in ^liis way now, because at a gen- eral election my position calls for my assisting in other constitu- encies, and sometimes I am left with little or no time to attend to my own election. [Mr. Mowat here referred to his election seventeen years be- fore, and his happy relations with the constituency ever since that time, to his expressed policy at the time of his first election ; to the way in which it had been carried out since, and the sub- ^ THE PUBLTC SCHOOLS IN THE FUKNCH DISTUFCTS. jects with which the Government had dealt in connection with railway aid, the develoi)ing of the resources oi the country, the revenue, the public institution-^, etc. Ho then proceeded] : — There have been fo\ii general elections since North Oxford did me the honor of making me the representative of the riding in the Legislative Assembly. At every one of these our policy and practice have been discussed before the people of the Province, and at every one their confidence in the Government was renewed. Twice our opponents endeavored to defeat us by adding to their programme a religious cry in order to mislead the people. After being routed in the general elections of 1S75 and 1879, they raised in 1883 a cry among the Roman Catholics that, as a Gov- ernment, we were bitterly hostile to Roman Catholics ; that we had shown this in our legislation and in the distribution of the public patronage ; that Mowat in particular was a bigoted Pjo- testant, always unjust to Roman Catholics, and a man in whom Roman Catholics could never possibly place confidence. The Op- position policy was then More Popery: " Mowat does not give you enough of it," But the cry did not bring votes enough ; the Gov- ernment was for the third time sustained ; and for the next election, that of 1886, the opj^osite cry was tried, " No Popery." The only purpose was office., and, whether a " More Popery " cry or a " No Popery " cry should give it, our opponents seem quite indifferent. Accordingly, in the campaign of 1868 they prochiim- ed to Protestants that my Protestant colleagues and myself were traitors to our faith; that we gave everything to the Roman Catholics ; that we were obedient servants of the Roman Catho- lic Hierarchy and clergy ; and that our subserviency was shown by our legislation and by our exercise of the Government patron- age; by the very things, in fact, which in 1883 had been said to show the reverse. The cry of 1883 lost to us some Roman Catho- lic votes, and the cry of 1886 lost to us some Protestant votes. A religious cry, however little reason it may have, has always some effect ; but in neither 1883 nor 1886 was the effect great enough to accomplish the purpose aimed at. Our public record was so satisfactory to the country that we were able to stand our ground against even a misleading religious cry. JESUITS' ESTATES ACT. Our opponents are now making preparations for the general elec- tion of 1890. The experience of four genera,! elections makes them hopeless of victory on an issue as to the general merits or demerits of our administration of public affairs. But the recent ■BP^ ^!SSWH" . ...^",. ,"""B!'»"J'.'»JJ.- W*. VT.J -J--* with r, the d did ng in y and vince, ewe'd. _ their After , they L Gov- lab we of the ^ lI Pio- whum lie Op- e you le Gov- next 'opery." ry " cay tti quite rocluim- )lf were Roman I Catho- s shown ■j patron- n said to n Catho- nt votes. ,s always 'ect great ic record atand our leral elec- as makes merits or the recent THE PUBLIC SCJIOOLS IK TIIK FKK^Cn DISTRICTS. 6 excite ncnt created amongst Protestants by the Jesuit Estates' Act of Qu ^hec has revived old hopes from a " No Popery" cry ; and our opponents have striven, and are striving, with might and main, to direct the excitement into opposition to the Ontario Government, tliough that Government had nothing to do with the Act which gave rise to the excitement. They have even said in their ^eckless unh'cvupulousness that I advi.sed that Act and aided in its prepar- ation, la this absurd stfiten:ent they have asserted what no in- telligent man believes, but they evidently count on having read- ers or hearers who are not intelligent. What they thus assert ihoy cannot pretend to have one pai'ticle of evidence to prove. 1 need not say here, or anywhere, that I had nothing to do with fulvising or preparing the Jesuits' Estates Act, and r.othing with the transaction which that Act carried out. I knew nothing of it from first to last, except what 1 learned from time to time from the public journals, as yo-i all did. With equal unscrupul- ousness, it is further said that I bad made a general agreement with Mr. M u'cier " to put no serious obstacles in the way of pro- pagating N itionalism in the schools of Eastern Ontario ; " that " a.H a result of this, Mr. Mowat finds himself unable to take vigorous measures against the French Public Schools," etc. Here again our a isailants assert what they do not pretend they have anything to prove. They could not have, for there was no such agreement. No word ever passed between Mr. Merciei and my- self, directly or indirectly, as to " propagating Nationalism " in Ontario oi' in any of its schools. The suggestion is absurd. In fact not a word of any kind has passed, directly or indirectly, be- tween us on the subject of these schools. THE " NO FrwENCH " AND " NO POPERY " CRIES. Still the false assertions are made, and in connection with them the cry is " No French" as well as "No Popery." These, it seems, are to be the joint cries of the coming campaign. Both are utterly inapplicable to the case of the Ontario Government. With these cries, as they may or may not affect the Dominion elections when they come on, I have nothing here to do. But as the cries are being directed, however absurdly and groundlessly, against the Reform Government of the Province, I hove to meet them ; and I am prepared to meet them, and to demonstrate that they have no just or sensible application to us. ALLEGED "SUBSERVIENCY TO ROME." Our assailants delight in general statements, quite false, and usually unaccompanisd with even the pretence of proof." In this 6 THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. way their tactics are to declare, however falsely, and to koop on declaring, that, Piotestants as wo are, we have sold ourselves to Home ; that we procure the-passing of just such laws as Rome, through its Bishops or clergy, dictates or permits; that we make just such appointments as the Roman liierarchy choose to de- Tjaand ; that we have entered into a consinracy with that cliurch to "destroy our Public Schools" ; and that we give to those who hold the Romish faith other unjust advantages, to the prejudice of the Protestant faith — which is also the faith of most of our- selves in the Government, and most of our friends in the Legisla- ture and in the country. They say that we have perpetrated all this iniquity (and with " devilish ingenuity," according to one astute journal) as the price of the Roman Catholic vote. Oc- casionally other writers and speakers who are not party men permit (themselves to write or talk to some extent in a like strain, though more moderately ; but the non-party men who do 80 are few and far between, and I hope they will accept the truth when fairly presented to them and considered. I need not tell the Prote."-' cants of Oxford that all this vituperation of our oppon- ents to catch Protestant votes, is falsehood and folly. There has been no selling, and no buying ; no dictating ; no demanding ; no subserviency ; no unjust oi unjustifiable legislation; no conspi- racy ; no price agreed on for the Roman Catholic vote ; no agree- ment of any kmtl for the Roman Catholic or any other vote. I have denied emphatically the charges against us of subservi- ency, conspirLcy and like crimes in the interest of the Church of Rome, and you will mark this diflerence between the assertions of our adversaries and my denial, '''hey cannot pretend to know the things which they assert; I know that the facts are as I state them to you. „ AS TO THE " ROMAN CATHOLIC VOTE." Further, I aver emphatically that whatever Roman Catholic support we have received during my Premiership has been given to us as unconditionally as the support which we have received from Protestants. The same relations which, as public men, we occupy towards the Protestant clergy of all denominations, and towards all other public bodies or private individuals, are also the relations which we occupy towards the Roman Catholic Bishops and clergy and people. If there is any difference, it is not in favor of the Roman Catholics or their church. You all know that of the seven members of the Government, six are Protestants. Of the, fifty- seven Liberals in the Legislative Assemblyj forty-nine are Pro- THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 7 testants. I hesitate not to say that the Protestants in the Government are as good Protestants, and as zealous for their faith, as aro the best Protestants among the laymen who assail us. All politicians are aware that in • this Province there have always been Roman Catholic Reformers and Roman Catholic Conserva- tives; as there have always noen Protestant Reformers and Protes- tant Conservatives. In the Ontario Legislature there have always been Roman Catholic members on both sides of the house ; and, until the election of 1880, they were generally about equally divided between the two sides. One of the most prominent Con- servative members in the present house is the member for West Kent, a Roman Catholic ; and I believe that he was the only Con- servative member who ventured into West Lambton in the recent contest there. As to dictation by Roman Catholic Bishops, if there had been an attempt or a claim to dictate, it would have been resented by us. But there has been nothing of the kind to resent. If I had had in legislation or administration to yield to dictates and de- mands as the price of whatever Roman Catholic o^ other support the Liberal party received, the Government would have come to an end long since. It would have come to an end, because I would not hold office on any such terms. But if I were so consti- tuted as to brook dictation from the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, or from any other quarter, the Government would still have come to an end long ago • for its long existence has arisen from our froedom to consider and do in all things what, in our judgment, is on the whole right and in the general interest. There is a notion among many Protestants that, in Ontario, all or nearly all Roman Gatholics vote for the one political party or the other with sole reference to the relation^ of each to the Roman Catholic Church, and in entire disregard oi the considerations of policy or administration which influenco other electors. That is a mistake ; or an exaggeration. That some of them act on that principle in Ontario as well as elsewhere, I do not doubt. A like disregard of the general merits of a party is at every election manifested in other sections of the community as well. CONTRADICTION POLICIES OF THE OPPOSITION. To aid in alarming timid or suspicious Protestants, it has been said during the last few months that the Reform Government of the Province had the " almost solid " Roman Catholic vote in 1871, and have had it ever since; that " because Sandfield Mae- donald persisted in holding that the (Separate School) Act of 1863 vTwim 8 THE lUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. ii was a finality, they turned their whole force a^'ainsb him." This was news to ino about Suiulhold Macdonald and the election of 1871 ; and 1 have ao doubt it is not correct. In fuel, the position taken by the Reformers previous to the election of 1871 in refer- ence to the Scott murder in Manitoba was then supposed to have lost to them Roman Catholic votes; and Conservatives at that time taunted Reformers with adojjting their course in tliat matter for the political pur[)ose of withdrawing Protestant votes, and particularly Orange votes, from Mr, Sandlield Macdonald's Government. Now tlio pretence is that it was Roman Catholic votes wliich were withdrawn. Further, I cannot discover that the Separate School Act of 18G3, or its amendment, was ever a question with Mr. Sandfield Macdonald during his Ontario Premiership ; and I cannot lind any reason for supposing that he lost any votes of his co-religionists at the election of 1871. It is quite certain that they did not turn (as has been said) their whole force against iiim, either on that account or on any other. Mr. Sandfield Macdonald was himself a Roman Catholic, as were his family and connections ; and it was the support of his Govern- ment — the Macduuald-Sicottc Government — that carried the Sep- arate School Act of 1803- The Reform Government of Mr. Blake came into office after the general election of 1871, and 1 succeeded hnu in 1872. I heard nothing then or afterwards of there being a Separate School question ; and not one bit of legislation on the subject was passed or proposed in the Assembly which was elected in 1871. The next two genera! elections wwe those of 1875 and 1871.*. There was no school question at either, and my colleagues and myself have always considered that at tliese elections the Roman Catholic electors were aVjout equally'' divided between the two parties. At the general election of 1883, when the Opposi- tion bulletin to Irish Catholics was spread among them, we natu- rally lost some Roman Catholic votes. At the general election of 1886, when the Opposition cry was " No Popery," we as natur- ally lost some Protestant votes, while we gained Roman Catholic votes. The only wonder is that, under the intluence of that Opposition cry in 1886, and the insults to their religion and their clergy during the campaign, any Roman Catholic Conservatives could give active support to a political party adopting tactics so disgraceful, in order to obtain office. If at any period of my Premiership the aggregate of Ro- man Catholic votes for Reform candidates has been more than for Opposition candidates — as I should like to believe it iids — sus- picious Protestants should remember that we have also received mo^3 votes than the Opposition received from nearly, if not quite, IHE l'U13UC SCHOOLS IN TlIE'FUE^'CH DIriTHICTa evory Protestant dcnoiiunation, as well as from Roma!i Oatholics. Wo have had more votes than the Oitposition from Bapti.sUs, more from Congre^jjationalists, more, from Presbyterians, more from Methodists, and ho on; and if not more votes from FJpisco- palians also, members and adherents of the Church of Eui^land, our aggregate vote from them has at all events been large. The " No Popery " cry of ISJSG brought us some Roman Cuthi^lic votes, and the only wonder is it did not l.)ring us more. 1 venture to ra to be reasonable and proper. I shall at on« of my meetings during the next fortnight discuss the Separate School amendments in detail. But meanwhile I should suggest for the consideration of honest doubters, that amendments in £ Ml I^mmmi^amm TT? 12 TUB PUBLIC SCUOOLS IN IHE FItENCII DISTRICTS. which no one in all the Prov^ince thought wrong at the time of their being passed, are not likely to have been very bad ; and doubting friends, if any there still are, may find this view strengthened if they keep in mind the further fact, that exception was first taken to the amendments by politicians, for a political purpose, in the " No Popery " campaign of 188(3." A few others joined the politicians then, but the people generally rejected every charge attempted to be founded on those amendments. Our opponents do not pretend to have anything new against U3 since the election of 1880. THE FRENCH SCHOOLS. "■I s ■ ! HI I ll All sorts of glaringly false or misleading statements are daily made against us in view of the General Election which is coming. It seems to me that never before since 1 returned to public lite were there so many. Most of them, including some that I have mentioned, would be too ridiculous for notice if it were not that nothing is so absurd, but some will believe it if it is only asserted with confidence and reiterated often enough. In wha'o remains to me of this evening I mean to take up the subject of French Schools, as being the subject most prominent just now in the Opposition press and in Opposition speeches. The cry of French Schools on the part of our political opponents is intended to ex- cite against us the natural race feelings of the Protestant English- speaking population of the Province, in connection with the fact that French Canadians are mostly Roman Catholics. I assert that there is not the slightest reason for that cry as respects the Ontario Government and its supporters. On the contrary, I shall show that our course in regard to these schools has been such as to give :is AN ADDITIONAL CLAIM TO PUBLIC CONFIDENCE instead of affording reason for the withdrawal of confidence from us. What are thf/ allegations against us in reference to these schools ? It is said that French alone is taught in them, or that French alone is taught in many of them,^and is the principal lan- guage in the others ; and that some of the books used are unauthor- ized, and even contain Roman Catholic teachings. How far these statements are correct I bhall show you before I close. But, to make capital against us, our assailants add other state- ments which are wholly false; and false,! cannot help saying, to the knowledge of those who make them. Thus they say thatlhe ex- clusive or excessive use of French is through our procurement j majaWH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN "i'HE FRENCH DISTKICTS. 13 that formerly in the French schools the policy was to teach English, and to use English as the language of instruction,, as early and as completely as possible: that our policy, on the other hand, is to hin- der the thorough acquirement of English in these schools, and to re- retain as long ana as much as possible the use of French ; that " Mr, Ross has been permitting and facilitating this system, which has for its avowed object the making of part of Ontario as French as Quebec." All this is the very reverse of the truth. It was not formerly the practice or policy as regards these schools to teach English more than it has been taught recently, or to use English as the language of instruction more than it has been used recently. No one could reasonably doubt that it would be for the advantage of French Canadian children living in Ontario that they should become familiar with English as well as with French, and that their familiarity with English is also, though in a less degree, for the advantage of the community generally ; but whether it would be wise for a Government to interfere by legal enactments or de- partmental regulations, is a question on which educationists might honestly differ. No one questions the great ability of Dr. Ryer- son as an educationist, and he had always a Council of Public Instruction composed of expeits and others — men of ability and learning ; and he and they alike, during his 30 years of office, were of opinion that the best which could be done, if not the only thing which could be done, was to leave this matter in the hands of the ratepayers and their trustees, and to await their spontane- ous action as to the use of English. In Dr. Ryerson's time, or be- fore his time, nothing, therefore, was done or attempted by the De- partment in favor of the use of English. Under this policy, English has gradually become the principal language in all the German Schools without any Departmental pressure, and progi'ess was tak- ing place in the same direction in the French Schools, but more slowly. Mr. Crooks, who became Minister of Education in 1876, did not venture to advise a change of his predecessor's policy in the matter, no one in the Legislature or the country urging a change. In fact, until the present Minister of Education gave his attention to the subject in 1885, the aiiversally accepted policy of the Province was, not to interfere by legislation or departmental action with the use of French or German in the French or German Public Schools — schools supported and managed by ratepayers of these nationalities. It is false to say that our policy is, or ever has been, to hinder the acquirement of English, or to retain as long or as much as possible the use of French. The very reverse is our policy. So far from hindering or discouraging the use of English, as we are falsely and absurdly said to desire, the Govern- E «s mmmm 55! 14 THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. i i ment has done the very opposite. Mr. Ross, the present Minister was the first to recommend or take any action in favor of English Thus the very Government, which a desjjairing party charge with having changed an existing . English policy for a French policy, did the very opposite. What are the public to think of a party reduced to such mendacious ways of attack ? I shall now proceed to prove to you by « DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE, which is open to no doubt or question, what the policy was in re- gard to French Schools before our time, and wliat it continued to be until the action of Mr. Ross, and then I shall show you what has been done on his recommendation since. , POLICY IN 1851. The first document I shall mention bears date so far back avS the year 1851. In that year a question arose as to the com- petency of a teacher of a Public School who knew no English, though qualified otherwise ; and the Superintendent or Inspector for Essex wrote to the Education Department this letter : — Sandwich, April 16, 1851. To J. George Hodgins, Esq., etc., etc. ; Sir, — I beg to enclose you the petition of the Trustees of School Section No. 6, Township of Sandwich. Two days ago Mr. Gigon, the person men- tioned in the petition, presented himself to be examined, and objection was raised by one of the examiners that he was not eligible to be a teacher, as he did not understand English , this is tlic reason why the trustees address you, 1 see nothing in the act requiring that teachers must be acquainted with the English language. There are several school sections in this township where the children cannot speak English, and it appears to me that a teacher who understands the English tongue would be of no use in such sections, as neither the teacher nor the pupil could understand each other. A teacher competent to teach Euglisu and French cannot be procured at ail times. You will be pleased to give your opinion on this case and oblige, Your most obedient servant, P. M. MiLLAN, Superintendent. Now, what answer did Dr. Ryerson and the Council of Public Instruction make to this? The reply is dated Toronto, 30th April, 1851, and is as follows : — The Council of Public Instruction for Upper Canada has sanctionefi a liberal construction of the programme for the examination and classification of teachers, making the term " English " convertible into the term *' French " THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 16 where it occurs and when applied to French candidates for examination by the County Board. The certificate should, of course, be limited to teaching in the French langutige. The School Act expressly authorized trustees to employ any qualified teacher they please ; should, therefore, Mr. Gigon obtain a certificate from the County Board, the trustees can engage his services, and no board or school officer can prevent them, aa has been assumed in a memorial trans- mitted to me by the Secretary of the County Board from certain Inhabitants of School Section No. 6, Sandwich. I have, etc., J. GEORaB HoDGINS. Mr. P. M. Millan, Local Superintendent, Sandwich. Frenchi was thus distinctly sanctioned by the Department as the language of instruction in these schools as early as 1851 ; and teachers were officially declared to be competent teachers in them, who did not even understand English. This was several years before I entered political life, and more than twenty years before my Premiership began ; and yet it is said that it was the present Ontario Government which instituted that policy. SETTLED ONCE MORE IN 1856. The subject was again before the Department in 1856, which was sixteen years before my Premiership began. We have a cor- respondence .which took place in that year expressly sanctioning the use in French Schools of not only French books, but ol! French books desmibed as " exclusively devoted to teaching the peculiar dogmas of the Romish Church." That was going a great way. The sanction was given (as you will see) on the ground that the pupils were, for the most part or altogether, Roman Catholics ; and the learned Superintendent did not see that in such a case anything could be done in regard to the kind of books used in such Public Schools. It was important that the work of education in these Public Schools should be proceeded with, even on the condition mentioned. This is the correspondence : — Olbauvillb, 20th Sept., 1856. Rev. Sie, — Tn the Townships of Dover East and West are two French Schools, which use a series of French books, recommended by the Archbishop of Paris and other French dig7iitarie» of the CJiurch of Rome, and xrhich are ex- clusively devoted to the teaching of the pecidiar dogmas of that Church. I write you to know whether any Common School can be made sectarian when all the inhabitants of the section are agroed to its being such ? Also, when it is necessary to use books in the Freuch lang)i>ardsthe qualifications of teachers for these schools. This appears from a minute of Council in that year. At this meeting of Council eight members of the Council were pres- ent, five of whom were Protestant clergymen, and the other three Protestant laymen. The members present represented the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the Congregational Church, and each of the three branches of the Presbyterian Church, since happily united. Not one Roman Catholic was present, not one French Canadian, and not one man in public or political life. Of the five clergymen three at least were experts in educational matters. The mother tongue of all was English. This is the minute : — COUNCIL OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. Membere present on December 17, 1858 ; — The ilon. S. B. Harrison, Chairman. The Chief Superintendent of Education. The Hon. J. C. Morrison, Q.O. The Rev. J. McOaul, LL.D. J. S. Howard. The Rev. John Jennings, D.D. The Rev. Adam Lillio, D. D. The Rev. John Barclay, D.D. Section No. 8 of qualiiications of third-class teachers of the programme for the examination, etc., of teachers adopted on this date as follows : "In regard to teachers of French or German, a hwwhdge of the French or Oerrmn, may be suhstitnted for a knowledge of the English grammar, and the certificates to the teachers expressly limited accordingly." 1868. In 1868, ten years later, there is like evidence that the policy was still the same. In that year the Council authorized a series THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 17 of text-books in the French language for teaching in French Schools the ordinary subjects of arithmetic, geography and others ; and no English whatever was prescribed. This is the minute of Council : — On the 20th April, 1868, Rev. John McCaul, Chairman pro tern., the Chief Superintendent of Education, the Very Reverend Henry James Grasett, B.D., the Rev. John Barclay, D.D , the Rev. William Armiston, D.D., be- ing present, the following text- hooka were authorized for French Schools: — Coura d'Arithmetique Commerciale. Abrege de la Goographie Moderno. La Geographic M.>derne. Graramaire pratique drt la Langue Anglaise. Traite Elementaire d'Arithmetique. Le Premier Livre de I'Enfance. Conrs de Versio is Anglaises. . „ * Grammaire Fraugaise Elementaire. — . Traite de Calcul Mental. Not ono French Canadian was present at this meeting ; not one politician ; not one Roman Catholic ; all present were well- known clergyman and ministers of Protestant Churches ; and the mother tongue of all was English. 1871. A minute of the Council in 1871 shows the continuance of the same policy and practice by Br Ryerson and the Council up to 1871. Members present on March 28th, 1871 : — Rev. John McCaul, LL. D, Chairman pro tern. The Chief Superintendent of Education. The Very Rev. H. J. Grassett, B.D. The Rev. Jno. Jennings, D.D. The Ven.T. B. Fuller, D.D. The Rev. G. P. Young, M.A. Section 2 of the explanatory note in the revised programme for the examination and classification of teachers, adopted on this date as follows : — " In regard to teachers in French or German settlements, a knowledge of the French or German grammar respectively may be substituted foi a know- ledge of the English grammar, and the certificate to the teachers expressly hmited accordingly." At this meeting all the members present were Protestant clergymen, and the mother tongue of them all was English. •J!/;; /*■■ „ iiiii ii'iA iiiiiMiiiiigae^Mi BE ;lll I t 18 THE PUBLlfc SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS, 1874. In 1874 there is another Minute of Council which shows that the poUcy thought best by Dr. Ryerson and the Council of Pub- lic Instruction was still the same. Of the six mem1>ers present at this meeting of the Council all but one, Dr. Grasett, were ex- perts in teaching, and perhaps he was also. This is the minute : — Members present on October 8th, 1874 :— The Very Rev. H. J. Grasett, B.D., Chairman. The Chief Superiuteuuent of Education. James MacLennan, Q.C., M.P. The llev. John Ambray, M.A, The Rev. Bishop Camnan, D.D. Daniel Wilson, LL.D. On this date section 4, under the head " Conditions required of candidates for certificates of qualifications as teachers " of the Public School regulations was adopted as follows : " In regard to teachers in French or German settloments, u knowledge of the French or (iertuan grammar respectively may be substituted for a knowledge of the English grammar, and the certificates to the teachers expresaly limited accordingly." Thus the subject of English or French in these schools was matter of repeated deliberation by Dr. Ryerson and his Council for more than 30 years. No men were more competent to judge of such a matter than they. They had no possible interest in not doing whatever in their opinion was practicable to promote the teacliing of English in these schools, and it was plainly their de- liberate opinion throughout all this time that no good would be accomplished by their interference. They may have been quite right during that period. 1885. But, whether they were right or wrong, Mr. Ross, the present Minister of Education, who for political purposes has been so much maligned of late, was the very iirst to advise and at- tempt to carry out any change in policy. This he did as far back as 1885, and before any agitation On the subject had arisen. He thought the time had come when something might be done by prudent departmental pressure to increase the English teach- ing in the French schools of the Province, and that the experi- ment sliould without further delay be tried. It is beyond all aoubt for the interest of our I'rench-Canadian fellow sub- THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 19 jects in Ontario that their children should be familiar with English as well as French and the Minister of Education thought that by this time the French-Canadians in many localities, 'if not in all, must be alive to this need, and would fall in with an effort on his part to procure for them the advan- tage of more English teaching. The result has shown that he was right. In August, 1885, he advised, and the Government adopted, this Regulation for the study of English in all school sec- tions where the French or German language prevails : — "The programme of studies herein provided shall be followed by the teacher as far as the circumstances of his school permit. Any modifications deemed nocessary should be made only with the concurrence of the Board and trus- tees. In French and German schools the authorized readers should be used in addition to ari7 text-books in either of the languages aforesaid." The " authorized readers " referred to were the authorized Eng- lish Readers. This regulation was supplemented by instructions issued in September of the same year pointing out the best methods of teaching English in such schools. A syllabus of a course in Eng- lish was prescribed requiring teachers to see that writing, spelling, composition, and translation were attended to in every French Bchool, Now, let it be specially noted that up to the time of this action on the part of the Minister of Education and the Govern- ment, there had not been a whisper that I have heard of from any (quarter tl'iat the policy of the previous 34 years (and more) in re- gard to these schools should be changed. For the 13 years before 1885, the Opposition in the Legislature had been vainly endeavor- ing to find against the Government some ground of complaint, some sin of omission or commission, the exposure of which might help them in their struggle for office ; but all this time not a word of complaint came from them about these schools. The Opposi tion are, for political reasons, professing great interest in the matter now ; but the Minister and the Government had moved in it be- fore the Opposition had moved in it ; before their newspapers, now so zealous, moved in it ; before the Protestant clergy moved in it ; and I may add before Orangemen moved in it, as Orangemen generally claim a prominent place in such matters. In this mat- ter Mr. Ross was in advance of them all. The regulations and instructions of 1885 were the outcome of his personal desire, con- cin-red in and approved by all his colleagues, that English should be ta.ught in all these schools, and as much of it as was practic- able. The movement was taken, not only without pressure from any of the quarters mentioned, but. also without the moral sap- 20 THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FilENCH DISTRICTS. ! } .'II port which in such a delicate matter outside pressure might have atforded. The movement under these circumstances was an ex- ceptionally bold and courageous one on the part of Mr. Rosa, and he is entitled to great credit for it. All fair-minded men, when in possession of the facts and alive to them, cannot but acknowledge this. The movement which Mr. Ross inaugurated was not begun in ■ vain. Within about three years and a half afterwards, the Eng- lish readers were found to be more or less in use in all the French Schools, and an earnest effort was in progress, and with the cordial concurrence of the French ratepayers almost everywhere, to im- part to the pupils generally a knowledge of the English language, the language of more than eleven-twelfths of the population of the Province. Besides issuing these instructions and regulations and procuring them to bo carried out, Mr. Ross was preparing further steps in the same direction, having from time to time conferred with his colleagues on the subject of them, when our political opponents, in search of a cry, took up the subject of the French Schools. They thought that, in the absence of anything more promising, they might obtain some advantage from a French cry, by playing on English prejudices of race, and on the anti- Catholic sentiments of Protestants. x THE COMMISSION. The cry disturbed some people not in political sympathy with those who raised the cry ; and the Government thought it desir- able to issue a Commission to ascertain and put on record in an authoritative way, the condition of these schools, and to suggest what, with the information they should get, would in their opinion be the best measures to adopt. Three Commissioners were ap- pointed, all of them English-speaking Protestants, experts in matters of education ; and all gentlemen of known integrity. One was a Methodist minister, and a Professor in Victoria College ; one was a Presbyterian minister ; the third was a Model School Inspector. All were well known, and are held in high esteem wherever known. No Commission could be entitled to greater confidence. ' The Commission was issued on the 13th May last. The Com- missioners made an examination of the schools, considered the whole situation, and made their report on the 22nd August fol- lowmg. The report was immediately published for the informudon of the public. Now, what did this report find ? The following is the Commissioners' summary of the condition of the French schools : — • THE PUBM(5 SCHOOTiS IN TIIK FRENCH DISTRICTS. 21 '* With reference to the matructioDB contained in your circular juat quoted jiamely, of 1885) we find : (1) That 8ome English i» taught in every school. (2t That the Ontario Readers hove been introduced into every school. (3) That the pupils are usually well supplied with En^liah reading books. (4) That in at least twelve schools the work done in English is much bu- yond the amount prescribed. (6) That in 24 schools more time is given to English than that proscribed in the circular, in six the time prescribed is given, and in 2d less than the time prescribed is given." Tliere was room for improvemeDt. A good deal bad been done. More must be accomplished as soon as practicable. Wi'ch reference to the existing use of French book '. the Commissioners make this interesting statement : " It does not appear that this continued use of French text- books arises from a desire on the part 3i 22 THE PUBLIC SCUOOLS IN THE FRENCH UISTllICTS. I J being taken either fry ihe Education Departmfnt, or hy Vie puhlh. Special provisions were made to seciire French teachers for them, and Fronch text- books were authorized for their schools. They have lived for a long period in the localities where thcy.are found, enjoying the use of their native lan- guage. They are strongly attached to it. It is the language of their fathers, and the language used in their homos and spoken by their children. It ia natural that they should cherish it with affection, and desire thoir children to acquire a knowledge of it. If the schools are dealt with juathj, and with duo consideration for the feelinga of the people, and if the recommendations made in this report are adopted, wo believe these schools ivithin a reasoyidlde time xvill he raised to a degree of elBciency that will be satisfactory to both ihe English and the French people. Wo have reasons to believe also, that' whatever changes may be necessary to render these schools more ethcient, and to advance the children more rapidly and intelligently in the knowledge of English, will be welcomed by the French people themselves. We have found that, on the whole, the people take a deep interest in the education of their children. English teachers say that they find their inability to spoak French a serious hindrance in teaching French children who do not understand English. The teachers employed in these French schools should be able to speak French as well as English. A sufficient supply of English students willing to undergo the labor and expenses necessary to fit themselves for teaching in these French Schools, could not be ubtuined for the small salaries paid. Hence the necessity for providing such means ap are recommended in this report, by which French-8i)eaking students can be trained both in the knowledge of English, and in the theory and practice of their profession. It must be remembered also that the teachers in the French Schools have to carry on their work iu the face of difficulties not met with in an exclusively English School. Especially is this the case in these districts which are- wholly a few English-speaking residents. The pupils hear no language out of school but French. They have no occasion to make use of the English language, and their progress in learning it is necessarily slow." Our assailants find it convenient to ignore all these obvious considerations. THE FRENCH BUGABOO. ^ To excite the alarm of timid Protestants, reference has fre- quently been made to the increase of the French population in Eastern Ontario. That increase is thus referred to in the Com- missioners' report : — "Before speaking in detail of what are commonly known as the French Schools in these counties, it may not be out of place to speak of the im- migration of the French people and of the circumstances under which these schools were established. " The first suttlers, who wore English-speaking people, settled chiefly upon the high lands, and left unoccupied the low or swamp lands, of which there were large areas that could be reclaimed only by very great labor. " The first French Canadian settlers went into this part of the Province as lumbermen, and. finding the soil good, they purchased these unoccupied lands at a low price and sottled upon them in large numbers. "The increase in the Frenoh-speakitu^ population during the past thirty- TDE PUBLIC SCHOII.S IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 23 eight or fortv yoars has boeii vnry marked, as is nhown by tho following oen- BUS returns forthe years 1851, 18GI, 1H7I, and 18.S1, « " During? tho past twenty years many tif the Etjfjlifih speak in<,' people have reraovoti to othor parts of tlio country, and very few of that class have moved into the counties. The rcHult is, that tho increase of the English population has boon less than that of the French! "While unoccupied lands could ho obtained, the immigration of French Canadians oontinurid ; but as nearly all these lands have now been purchased and l)rouyht under cultivation, this immigration has, of late, been very much reduced. Several of the old settlers told us that during the past four or the years it had almost entirely ceased. They also stated that many French sot Hers had recently sold their farms and removed to Manitoba or the Western States." It may allay the alarm of .some good people thus to know that the increase of French in those counties is not likely to be so great in tlio future as it was for som(! years in tho past. The Connnissioners recommended tho adoption of the following remedies : To provide competent teachers of English for the French Schools, and to meet some of the difliculties mentioned in this report we have tr. recommend : I. — That a special school he established for the training of French teach- ers in the English IfUiguage. This Hchool shall be placed under teachers who can speak both English and French, and who are thoroughly competent to give instruction in these languages. It should provide the ordinary non- professional course, and should also fv'rnish facilities for professional training as given in County Model Schools. Candidates on coinpleting their course in this school should be prepared to take the regular examinations in English prescribed for teachers' certiticates ;-■ and only those who have passed such examinations should recoive a license to teach, II. — That Fpecial institutes be held for the immediate benefit of the teach- ers now employed in the French Schools. III. — That the attention of the teachers be called at once to the necessity •of making greater use of the oral or conversational method in teaching English. IV. — That a bi-lingual series of readers — French and English — be pro- vided for tho French Schools in Ontario. v.— That the use .of unauthorized text-books in these schools be discon- tinued. " The Special Training School recommeaded requires the action of the Legislature. The recommendation is reasonable, and next session the necessary sanction of the Legislature will be sought, and no doubt obtained. The other recommendations can be car- ried out at once, and the Minister, with the approval of his col- leagues, has carried them out accordingly. As recommended by the Commissioners, a Special Institute has been held for the bene- fit of the teachers employed in the French Schools ; the attention ■■lliPI!lPP!«li« umiPimin mmmi 24 THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FrvENCH DISTRICTS. »: ■'■ of the teachers has been called to the necessity of making greater use of the oral or conventional method of teaching English ; a bi-lingual series of readers, French and English, has been provid- ed ; and the use of unauthorized bocks has been ordered to be dis- continued. It has been directed also that the non-denominational character of the schools is to be strictly preserved in all re- ligious exercises ; that emblems of a denominational character are not to be exhibited during the school hours : and that the law and regulations as to religious teaching are to be obeyed. Tl e report, and the instructions with which the Minister of Edu- cation followed it up, have given satisfaction to the conductors of all candid journals, political and non-political, and to all other fair-minded men. Among the newspapers referring favorably to the subject was The Montreal Gazette. This is what that Conser- vative journal said : — ' ** It carried out under proper supervision, as thoy no doubt will be, though they may disappoint some objectors in that they recognize French at all, seem well calculated to secure the object aimed at — the instruction of the Public School pupils in the language of the country they live in by the most effec • tiye means applicable to their surroundings. Thof) who object to their principle, whether on French or English grounds, may ba set down as men whose opinirtn is based on prejudice rather than reason." I may give you also some notices by Protestant religious papers to which I happen to have a reference. The following arc some of the notices referred to : — (JFVom The Canadian Bapiid.) "This evidently impartial report, while it does not perhaps add largely to the information already posseased by those who have followed up the discus- sion in the Legislature and in the press, will be of great service as giving, in concise form, a reliable basis for iiiference and action. Most unprejudiced persons will, wo think, agree that the recommendations of the commission are eminently judicious- They include about all the action that seems nocet- sary and desirable, " {From The Canadian Presbyterian.) ••As was to be expected from men of their character and standing, they did their work with diligence, thoroughu jss and impartiality. Their report has jus' been issued and it is strictly correct to say that it is untinged by politi- cal coloring. The report is valuable because it presents a clear and unbiassed statement of the actual state of aflairs in these schools dominated, as thev largely are, by French Roman Catholic influences ; it will also, doubtless, lead to the adoption of the corrections necessary o preserve the integrity and usefulness of the Public School system in Ontarii." {From The Fresbyterian Review.) ** With the report wo are much pleased. It is full, carefully prepared And THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 25 clear. . The Coramiaaionera have done their work well, and we are happy to agree to the recommendations they make." {From The Ouardian.) " Aa far as we can judge, the Commissioners have done their work with great thoroughness and fairuess." "-It is but fair to say that the remedies which the Commissionera suggested were in substance some of the very remedies which Mr. Ross had been contemplating and propounding to his colleagues for their joint consideration. The report was valuable as stating the facts I'ully and impartially, and as giving increased confidence in the selection of remedies. Our assailants tell the public that we do not intend to carry out the Commissioners' recommendations, but they do not pre- tend to have a particle of proof of this story; they rely on their own vigorous and repeated assertions in lieu of proof. With the Departmental circular of instructions the Minister sent a let- ter to eery Inspector in whose district there were iVonch Schools, which alone showj the ihtention. This is the letter : — » Toronto, Oct. 2, 1889. " My Dear Sir, — T send herewith 'Instructions ' for Teachers and Trustees in schools where French or German is taught in addition to English. Be good enough to see ihut they are didributed immediately. I shall expect you to report in detail on your next visit as to every matter to which attention ia called in these instructions, but more particularly as m the sheerest folly, if it is not made in deliberate fraud and for the express purpose of misleading. If it were desirable, it is not possible to drive out the French language, any more than to drive out the German or the Gaelic. The not allowing French to be tau;xht or used in the Public Schools would not drive it out of the Province. Every person of common sense will perceive that an attempt to drive the language out of the Province would but create hatred towards the English speaking people, and would do no good whatever in other respects. As it is for the common in- terest that all our people should know English, every reasonable effort is proper to give this advantage to all our youth of ever}'^ race ; and that is our policy ; but as for driving out other lan- guages, it cannot be done, and it ought not to be attempted if it could be donOi Common sense must be observed i^ we are to do any good. It has been said that at all events the voice of self-defence calls for the exclusion of French from the primary Public Schools; that these schools should have English teachers and be English only. Such are the suggestions of ignorance and folly. I do not suppose that they have the concurrence of any sensible men, whatever their party or religious creed. The practical effect would be to make the French bitterly hostile to the I'ublic Schools, and to the English-speaking people who would make or sanction such a law. Unaer the present sys- tem their children are learning English now, and will learn more. The exclusion of all French would cause the withdrawal of all French cluldren from their schools, and thus leave them to grow up without any education at all. Education in French exclusively would be better than this. But no one is the worse for knowing two lanffuages. T 1 It has even been said that we should drive the French themselves out of our Province, in order that its popula- tion may have no admixture of the French race or language. We cannot drive them out if we would, and we should not if we could. As British subjects, they have as good a right to be here as we have. In the exercise of that right, some 150,000 or more of them, men, women and children, are now settled in our Pro- vince, and the counnon interest requires that the English-speaking population should be friends with them, and should cordially recognize for them equal rights with ourselves. ABSURD CHARGES AGAINST MR. ROSS. Mr. Ross, our eloquent and popular Minister of Education, haft THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FHENCH DISTBICTS. 29 been much attacked of late by the Opposition journals. He has been singled out from amongst my colleagues for special viru- lence, and is even charged in Opposition journals with habitual mendacity as well as incapacity, These false charges have been answered by the Reform journals; and Mr. Ross himself has from time to time conclusively vindicated his policy and truth- fulness in able speeches, which have been published and read throughout the Province. But the attacks continue ; and I think it right, in the public interest, to say something about them here, as I did a short time ago in Lambton. As to the absurd slander with respect to his truthfulness, the principal pretended proof of that is that in a speech, a very eloquent speecii it was, in the Legislature last session, he had said that English was now taught in. every school in Ontario, and that this was not correct 1 Was it consciously incorrect ? Was he aware of its incorrectness ? There is not a tittle of evidence that he was ; and there is satisfactory proof that, as' a matter of fact, the case was exactly as he stated it. What did he say ? According to the fullest '^ewspaper report that I have seen, this is what he said : *' Looking through the archives of his Department since its organization in 1846, he had failed to hnd any regulation of the old Council of Public In- struction making it obligatory that the English language should be taught in every school under its supervision. . . , He assumed office in 1883. In that year, as soon as he was relieved from the pressure of the session of the Legislature, he proceeded to inquire into the extent to which the schools of Eastern Ontario were exclusively I rench, and somewhat to his surprise he found them quite numerous, namely, 27. Consequently, in framing the regulations for 1885, he provided that English must be taught in every school within the jurisdiction of the Education Department. ... In 1887, a report was brought down, show '.ig that there were 27 schools in Eastern Ontario, in which the English language was not taught. By the re- port brought down last year, it would be seen from the report of Inspector Somerby that the number of those schools had been reduced to only sii. Thus in January, 1887, there wore 27 schools in which English was not taught, and in November of the same year, the date of Mr. Somerby's re- port, there were but six. This had been done through the pressure of the department, and through the willingness of his fellow-subjects in Eastern Ontario to fall in with the change in the law. But how about the remain- ing six French schools ? On the 23rd of February of the present year, but a few weeks ago, he had received a letter from Mr. Soruerby in which he re- ported that during the year these schools, too, had fallen into line. He had verified the statement by writing for further information, and had had it confirmed entirely, so that now in every public school under the jurisdiction of the Education Department the "English language was taught. Of course, there were difficulties in the way, and the pupils did not always adapt themselves readily to the English tongue. The French were very dense m some places, and they, with the pertinacity of all nationalities, loved their I so THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FKENCH DISTRICTS. own tongue. Perfection would come in time ; but he was able now unheal* tatingly to announce that English was tan^jht in every Public School." • TAUGHT IN EVERY PUBLIC SCHOOL. • It is plain from this that Mr. Ross made his statement on the information he had received. He had not made a personal exam- ination of the schools, and diil not pretend to speak from personal knowledge ; and it is not denied that the Count/ Inspectors had reported to him what he stated. One of them, Mr. Somerby, had reported on the 18th February, 1889, as follows : — «l ** At the beginning of the last year I ttsked my assistant, Mr. Dufort, to pay special attention to this subject (English) when making his inspec- toral visit. The result is that w6 have reduced the number of purely French departments from 27 to ti, and 1 hope to be able to report, at the end of the present term, that these six have also fallen into line. In another, dated Feb. 23, 1889, he stated that ' ' last year I had to report that we had six schools in which English was not taught. Mr. Dufort has made a verbal re- port to mo that these six fell into line during 1888, so t/HUt we can now say that JEnglish is tauylit iti every Pablic School in the Counties." Mr. Dufort, respecting himself, a few days ago (1:5th Feb., 1889), wrote ; — " Last year, accor Ang as I made my first visits, I insisted on all the teachers that they had teach English, and also explained to trustees and parents the neces- sity jf Imdng it taught. The result is that I now have the pleasure of stat- in that English is taught m all the schoolsy more or less." So much for the reports of the Inspectors. I have already read to you the report of the Commissioners to the same effect. In answer to all this the Oppositiojn press as to the matter of fact, quote some anonymous letters, other letters that might as well have been anonymous, and a paragraph from a local jouj-nal. As to the matter of fact, whether English is now taught in any school, the public will prefer to believe the Inspectors and Commissioners. As to the ridiculous and groundless pretence that, not only was the case otherwise than they have stated, but other- wise to the knort^ledge of the Minister, there is not one particle of evidence adduced; while the local journalist who dissented ;,H from his statement ascribed it to misinformation only. To charge it l|| to intentional n.'srepresentation, as is now being diligently done, y is on''"' tv -iOTv how unscrupulous our assailants are, and how r i i ut Moo«i in decent political capital. neen before the public most of his life as a Public an Inspector of Public Schools, an Inspector of xnd a member of Parliament, He has for many years been at the same time an appreciated Sabbath school teach- er, and an honored elder of the Presbyterian Church; and he baa THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE FRENCH DISTRICTS. 31 been repeatedly chosen as a representative elder of the Presby- terian Church in the General Assembly for the Dominion. Many in Oxford know him personally. Some of you have known him for many years. You know that in private life he has been al- ways recognized to be an upright and consistent man ; and that he has filled with ability and general acceptance every position to which he has been called. It was by reason of his experience and success as an educationist.his general ability, and his personal char- acter, that he was selected for the office of Minister of Education ; and it is only since then that anything has ever been said to de- preciate his abilities or question his uprightness ; and now only for political purposes, by unscrupulous political opponents. I claim thathe has had marked success since he became Minister,in respect of the legislative enactments and the departmental regulations which from time to time he has recommended, the instructions which he has from time to time issued, and the general administra- tion of the affairs of his Department. The secret of the outrageous attacks on him is to be found in the conviction of his assailants, that unless public opinion can be violently misled in regard to him, his management of his department, his personal character, and his popular qualities will be a strength to the Government which they are anxious to break down. In this bad policy i venture to predict that they will not be successful. On the whole, I claim that in this matter of French Schools, as in all others, we have been true to our duty as trusted Ministers of the Reform party. We have had to deal with a mixed com- munity of different races and creeds ; we have been fair and con- siderate towards the minorities who belong to other races and hold other creeds than those of the majority of our people ; and at the same time we have not forgotten our obligations to the majority, who are of the same nationalities and speak the same language as ourselves, and have the same religious creed as most of us. I claim that the policy which we have pursued is the policy of true Liberalism, and is the policy best suited for pro- moting mutual confidence and good will among our people, and for advancing to the greatest practicable degree the common in- terests, without injustice to any. As to all this, you electors of Oxford are in a special sense my judges: and better or truer judges no public man could have. i - r^