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Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole ^^> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, loft to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableau.v, etc., peuvent 6tre filmds d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauch'j, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images . ^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la :^ thode. rata >elure. 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 EDUCATIONAL SUGGESTIONS: COMPILED FROM REPORTS OK THK REV. J. G. D. MACKENZIE, M.A., INSPECTOR OF HIGH SCHOOLS. TORONTO: ROWSELL & HUTCHISON. 1882. U - ry e :' C I '7Jr : The followiug extracts from ** Educational Reports and Suggestions," furnished to the Education Depart- ment hy the late Mr. Mackenzie, in his capacity of High School Inspector, are published in deference U) the wish of a number of High School Masters. The contributions on the several subjects appear in the order in which they were written for the different years, the well-marked phases through which educational affairs passed during the period of the author's Inspectorship seeming to prescribe such arrangement as conducinir to their better under- standing .111(1 appreciati(m. I ■Ml SECTION r. Front lie f tort for the Year 1868. DISCIPLINE. w I As the maintenance of proper discipline is essen- tial to the jjrosperity of the school, lying, so to speak, at the very root of the master's efficiency and the pupil's progress, 1 cannot do better than make that ray starting-point. It gives me much satisfaction that 1 am able to state that my impressions on this head are most favourable. I have had the pleasure of observing, with but two or three exceptions, the utmost order and decorum ; a quiet and respectful deportment, and a cheerful submission to authority on the part of the pupils, which speak well for the character of the masters, who, by their firm and discreet government, have brought about this happy state of things, and for the good spirit of the pupils, showing that the masters, as a general rule, have their schools under 6 I>erfect control, and leading to the conviction th;.t our Grammar Schools are exerting a very fe ])ossit)le or expedient to maintain all these schools even as Hi^di Knglish Schools. In many cases, certainly, the Common School would meet the (Hlucational necessities of the locality, and the presence of the weak Grammar School, w: ilst it draws oti' nourishment from a more vigorous institution elsewhere, hinders the natural develop- ment of the Common School by assuming a portion of its work, and dividing its res])onsibility. Exclud- ing from our consideration these unnecessary schools, we have a respectable residue — respectable both as to number and achievements — which are bona fide classical and mathematical schools, sound members of the educational system, intermediate between the Common School and the University, and, from time to time, in different degrees, recruiting the ranks •of the latter. ! 10 I might furnish you with much from my own obser- vation which would contribute to show how large a body of well-trained and accomplished scholars our Universities havo sent forth — possessing sound judg- ment, tact and skill, and patient perseverance, as well as scholarship — for the management of our higher j)ublic schools, and which would afford proof the most satisfactory that their valuable services have largely promoted the education of the youth of our land. Defects of method may, no doubt, be here and there pointed out, arising, for the most part, from the large amount of work which the masters have to do, for the masters of our Grammar Schools are, as a general rule, overworked. Attention to (Ireek and Latin Grammar as a separate study is not sufficiently regarded in some of the schools, in connection with the higher classes, the pupils, in the cases to which I allude, being usually limited to such points of inflection and construction as the text of the prepared lesson may happen to suf^gest. Again, in some of the schools, Latin composition in prose and verse might be more actively culti- vated, and carried further. I hope, moreover, soon to see the day when none of our Grammar School masters shall be so [)ressed for time as to be I it I i 11 '1 * tempted, for the sake of saving time, to adopt with the junior pupils, or with any pupils who- have not reached a i)roficiency to justify such freedom, the practice of translation, to the exclusion of construing or taking word for word. To the too- early and injudicious adoption of translation we owe such renderings amongst the lower classes as this : " Imhec'dli animi est superstitio " — " Supersti- tion is a imakness of the mind," whilst in the higher classes it must largely encourage the sub- stitution of the too liberal heljjs in Anthon's Notes- for the patient use of the grammar and the lexicon^ with the delusion thence naturally arising, that mere fluency of translation is knowledge of the language. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION : ENGLISH BRANCHES. I come now to the weak point of our Grammar Schools, the education in the Mother- tongue. Let me, at the outset, so far as the masters »re concerned, do them the justice of saying that I regard the general deficiency in this respect as- being, in the main, the fault of the system under which they have been working, or, more strictly^ 12 of that feature of the system which has presented a strori^r temptation to the comparative neglect of English, by virtually forcing Latin upon all, and giving the masters a needlessly heavy amount of classical work, and that, to a large extent, with pupils hard to teach, because most unwilling to learn. As to unprofitable Latin and Greek, in^'con- j unction with neglected English, I have met with that in every stage, from the boy of fourteen or Hfteen who, with the chime of the Latin noun-end- ings ringing in his ears, wrote in his dictation *' as and es" for - assignees "-to the young man in the ^* Anabasis," who sadly contravened the historian's estimate of the character of Cyrus, by attributing to that naturally humane prince, not the cutting down <)f the trees in the park of Belisys, but the cutt- ing to pieces of the unhappy Belisys himself, the tiovel rendering being elucidated and confirmed by the equally novel comment, that this was a mode of punishment peculiar to the Persians. This latter incident oc urred at one of our rural schools. Now, supposing there had been no classical school at this place, what would have been the effect? Either the young man, who was simply throwing away the time expended upon Greek, would never have taken K5 I up that language at all, coiifunng himself to hi* own ; or, the cirouinstarices of his case permitting, he woiiltl have been sen^ aa a V)oarder to a distant school, where his (ireek might have become a reality. As to reading the Mother-tongne without iiitelli- «^ence, I shall content nivself with a single case in connection with another of our rural schools. The lines on the ''Coral Insect,'' in the tifth Book, were given 13 a class of about a dozen, both male and female pupils, some two or three of them l)eing young women. None of the class could give nu^ the meaning of '- ejihcmeraV' — the opinion of the greater number inclining to '^numerous"; ^'tented field'' was considered to indicate " the hihabited world," and the allusion in the line " oV thrr vMrlpool ripens the rind of gold " was lost upon all. It was one of the too numerous cases in which English had been sacrificed, and that for a miserable quantum of Latin, of no appreciable value^ for the puj)ils were only about the middle of Ar- nold's First Book ; their work was utterly without life; most of their time, 1 make no doubt, had been grudgingly given up to an unprofitable subject in which they felt no interest, whilst that instruction in their own language, which would have been of u real service to, them had been very imperfectly imparted. NATURAL SCIENOli Men are becoming more and more pe.^uaded overy day that instruction in Natural Science should form an element in every sy.tem of liberal -lucation. This is not merely a popular predilection «ns..g from the practical character of such in.truc- t.on closely connected as it is with the duties and «nployments of life, and the requirements of .nodern ^.vLzation. Some, indeed, may press the introdnc- fon of Science into education, solely on the .round of Its utility ; but there are others who appreciate > -s value as a mean of mental culture, and question the wxsdom of relying, for the cultivation of the n^^nd, upon literary training alone. Important changes, we know, have been made within a recent period in the Universities and the leading Public Schools of the mother-land, to meet this view, and to rat,sfy a demand which has been steadily ...ow- ing m strength and popularity. These changes are certaudy no weak concession to external pressure. They rather indicate thao the popular judgment on tl"« po.nt is sound, and harmonizes with the &. "• "■' ""—IWtWMI 15 ^convictions of men who, in an eminent degree, have made the theory and practice of education a study. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. I8 the low measure of attainment in the Enjjlish language, so piiinfully evinced, to be the highest measure of Common School work in that department ] Ls it to be the standard of admission into the High School? Will the High School rc^ilize what we have a right to ex[)ect of it, if it start from a point so low down 1 If the standard in English Grammar be not raised, I fear that manv of our High Schools will be high in name only. J speak of English (Trammar only, because that is really, as I have said, our weak point, and because 1 see no necessity for recom- mending an advance in any other subject. The j-tandard in arithmetic is certainly low, but i see no cause for uneasiness on that head. Our Common School teachers are pretty certain to exceed that standard. The commercial si.irit of the age, the excessive admiration bestowed by parents and Iriends upon the child who is " smart in tiguies," will keep them up to the mark at least, in most cases will 16 1 , hi II Mill send them Ixn oud it ; and Language, though com- paratively of slow growth, will continue to suffer, as I am satisfied it has suffered, from tlie dispro- portionate amount of time and labour bestowed upon Arithmetic, unless the gradation between the Common Wcliool and the High School Ije so adjusted as to prevent it. 1 am cpiite of opinion, then, that some advance of tlie standard in English grammar is desirable for the protection of the High School, which ought to be, not what in rtiral districts the Grammar School is too often now, a forced and feeble adjunct to the weakness of the Common School, but the natural outgrowth of its strength. It is surely reasonable to expect that our High Schools, which are to be, shall have a function more exalted than that of drill- ing their pupils in the fifth book. Our High Schools, it seems to me, should aim at conduct- ing their senior pupils along the higher walks of English Literature, training them to observe the beauties of our best authors, and not less to detect what is objectionable in spirit, or defective in taste, or fsiulty in style ; and enough should be read to excite a relish for what is true and pure and elevating in literature, with an utter distaste s ■it i t '-^ 17 i for, uiid Mil instinctive recoiling from, tlie wretched stuti' in tile slia|ie of ten-tent novels and other trasliy puhlications, .silly and trifling ai the best, which are widt.'ly circulated throughout the Province. Is the High School likely to do its work eflectively, if it has to commence with teaching some of the merely eiementaiy principles of grammar '^ If its junior class can do no more than simply ])arse such a sentence as '' He fiercely sought the life of his enemy"; is inca})able of writing from dictation a sentence embodying any of the more diflScuit words of the language ; and unable to apply the rules of sj'ntax so as to know and correct any violation of those rules 1 1 i 'I CONCLUDING REMARKS — A PLEA FOR THE CLASSICS. The main principle of the proposed new law, by which the High Schools are to be constituted, is, beyond dispute, a sound one, thac is, that there shall be no inducement, in the shape of qualifying for Government Grant, to make the study of Classics other than voluntary. Experience has proved con- clusively that it is the only principle suited to the circumstances of the country, and the only one on 3 18 fii I; which the education of our youth can be judici- ously and [)rofitably carried on. Public opinion on this i)oint is sound and just, and the people at large, when that principle shall become the law of the land, will feel as though an intolerable burden had been lifted from them. We would not seek to chill the fervour of what will be the general rejoicing; but, in the revulsion of feeling, it is just possible that the popular sentiment may be carried to an extreme, and the conclusion adopted, that the .study of the classics, as an instrument of mental culture, is of little or no value at all. Since the claims of modern languages and Science are so fully recognized in our Universities, there is no danger of our returning to the idolatrous exalta- tion of tlie Classics at the expense of other branches, but there is danijer of a blind and unreasoninc: prejudice in the opposite direction taking possession of the popular mind. It cannot be doubted that there is a tendency towards such a prejudice in a country like ours, where professional life, for the present at least, is by no means inviting in point of renraneration, and where few have the leisure, the means, or the inclination, to pursue scholarship, for its own sake. But 1 trust that the strong ■^ t ■^ ^ ■^^ 1 19 '4 Utilitarian bias of tb^ age will not lead us to forgot that, whilst education should unqut'stionahly be practical, there is much in education of immense value, though that ^alne cannot be expressed in di)llars and cents ; that mental culture increases intel- lectual powei-; and that there are foculties of the mind which He who gave them would have us culti- vate, for the improvement of the man, even though they do not directly minister to the necessities of life. We plead earnestly in behalf of a good general education for the young. We deprecate that narrow, illiberal, and ungenerous treatment of the l»upil, which iiims .iierely at giving him what, as a man, he will need for the oeeu})ation or profession he is intended to })ursue, and nothing beyond it. A man ought not to be measured merely by his ])rofession, nor mono])0- lized by his profession, nor eln'lifd in the gi'.rb of his profesH:)n. We conceive that the study of the; Classics ought not to be left out of any plan of general education ; that it gives enlarged views ; lielps to lift the mind above a hard materialism, and to excite interest and sympathy in the experiences of human life ; and, certainly, that course of study deserves to be held in honour, as an instrument of mental culture, which has helped ibr ages to i! 20 U i form the miiuls of tlio greatest and the best of our race. Whilst tlie main priucijile upoji wliich the jn'oposed now law has heon framed, is, as I have said, beyond dispute, wise and just, and affords the best and the oidv suitable system for the education of our youth generally, we notice with satisfaction the emi)hatic testimony it l^eara to the value of classical instruction, in the provision it proposes to make for the " establishment of superior classical schools," in the shaj)e of Collegiate Insti- tutes. Wjiilst we shall look chiefly to the Universities and to our Collegiate Institutes to guide the popular taste in the right direction, and to advance the interests of su]>erior education, we are glad to assure oui'selves that effective aid may be expected from others of our Grammar Schools, which may not have resources sufficient to raise them to the dignity of Institutes, but which will go on doing a real work, and will do it all the better when they come to work under the pioposed new law (should it become law) with smaller classes, animated by a better spirit. Homer makes the arming of the hero form part of his des- cription of the battle, and justly ; for if the armour be bad, or ill girt on, the warrior will be u. m •ji <'niV)iirras.s('(l, aiul liis jioi'il iinTonsed in tli(i fight. ( )ur f'diu'atioual institutions .su[)j>ly us with tlie best of artnour. an«l wo liave men amongst us well qualified to gird our youth with it, hecause they weiir it themstdves so v.ell. \V(^ regard with thankful satisfaction what has been done in time past, even under a defective (Jrammar School systeni ; we look with hope for the much more that shall be done under an improved system in time to come. SKCTR)N 11. Front Report for the Year ISGO, MINUTE OF COUNC'JL RELATIVE TO THE ADMISSION OF GIRLS. A V)rief riotice may be bestowed on the effect [)roduced by the Minute of the Council of Public Instruction, sanctioning the admission of girls on the same footing as boys, as a concession to public opinion. Whilst the adoption of such a regulation could not be avoided, we cannot but deplore the influence it has exerted on the education of our girls. The Chief Superintendent wisely advisfed at the time, as the passing of a new law was appar- 99 cntly so near at Imud, tliiit no change in tJie course of instruction nliould be made, but tlic inducement to augment the financial resources of the scliools was too strong, and so the |>rivile«.jo was eagerly seized upon, vvliilst the advice wjis generally disregarded. The "new-born rage foi- Latin " burst forth with redoubled vehemence, and large numl)ers of girls were promptly herded into Arnold, or the Introductory Book. The phrase " qualifying Latin " is well understood at present in the schools, and, I need hardly say, is not taken to mean qualifying for highei* stages of classical study, for advanced intellectual culture, or for the active duties of life. There is no doubt that girls can learn Latin, and learn it to good purpose too ; in Horace T have a distinct recollection of one girl, in particular, who gave me the second ode of the First Book with an accuracy and spirit which left nothing to be desired ; but this merciless and sweeping con- scription, if I may so term it, what is it but mischievous and cruel ? And how much longer are we to endure a system, which specially rewards some of our j)oorest s(.'hools with the increased grant of money, in proportion to the relentless energy 23 o with which imhuppy girl-coDHcripts are ])ressed iiit the Introductory Book, incapable,, the while, of Kj)enking and writing their own language correctly. The remedy, it is to be hoped, will not be deferred n)uch longer ; meanwhile the Inspector and nuisters must do what they can to recommend the non- classical course with its appropriate e'ltrance exami- nation. I t i STANDARD OF ADMISSION. In my last report I gave it as my opinion that the standard of admission into the High School ought not to be, in English, so low as it is now for entrance into the Grammar School, in the case of those who are to take the classical course. Ex- tended acquaintance with our public schools has strengthened my convictions on this head ; for, in spite of my persistent efforts in the direction of increased culture of the Mother-tongue, I have but little imi)rovement on the whole to record. My view of the matter is simi)ly this, that the natural development of the Common School is checked by not having a point in English acquirement suffici- ently advanced to aim at, and that tuition in the English language is often characterized by compara- i; V: 24 IP ^ It tive want of li fo aiid good system, whilst an uiir(;asoM{i)>le amount of time and effort is expended not only on Arithmetic, but even on Algebra and ({oometry, which make a show, and are admired much on the principle of " oinne lyiiotum pro mag- ni/ico.'^ It is to be feared, on the other hand, that the High School will not generally accomplish what v\e ho[)e to get from it in Science and the higher branches of English Literature, when the starting point is so low. It will be objected by those wlio are apt to identify the extension of superior education with the rapid multiplication of High Schools, that to raise the standard of admis- sion would unduly restrict the number of High Schools ; but I answer that the country would gain nothing more in time to come from feeble and KUjjcrfluous High Schools, than it doer, from its feeble and superfluous (Grammar Schools now ; that the High School is not a benefit till the High School is required ; and that we are doing a posi- tive wrong to the Common School, when we estab- lish a High School, merel}'' because its numbers will be smaller and the school more select, or for any other reason apart from the natural development of the educational system. It is idle to expect the vigor- 25 ona High School to spring from tho dwarfed Com- mon School ; and we cannot regard the mere multi- plication of High Schools as being necessarily thv^ extension of sn])erior education. We must see to it that each member of the system is in a healthy con- dition, and fperforming its proper functions, and that the education which precedes that of the High School is not cut short by an untimely stroke. I should be satisfied on the whole with the standard prescribed for the " non-classical course," exce|)t that I should be willing to accept a somewhat lower proficiency in Arithmetic, if that were necessary in order to reach a higher point in English Grammar ; and in regard to this latter subject, I would have the standard stated in such terms as should imply ability, not merely to analyze and parse auy ordin- ary sentence, but to apply the more simple rules of grammatical construction so as to correct any violations of those rules. What we want is, in plain terms, this, that candidates for admission into the High School should be reasonably capable of speaking and writing their own language without contradicting some of the simplest principles of grammar. I do not mean, of coiirse, that they should be expert in composition, but that they '■ 1 26 III j< j should be able to satisfy the examiner that they are capable of distinguishing what is not giunimar from what is grammar. In point of fact, I feel satisfied that I am not aiming at any degree of knowledge of English Grammar higher than has been contemplated by the Council of Public Instruc- tion ' in prescribing the standard for non-classical pupils, but much depends upon the method taken to ascertain and to ensure that knowh;dge of English Grammar; and whilst I should be one of the last to depreciate analysis in its bearing upon intelligent reading, I can testi/y from experience that in some of the schools the study of gramma- tical construction has been largely sacrificed to it ; and I can well understand the complaint made by an able Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts, though expressed, perhaps, in terms rather harsh, that pupils are met with "glibly repeating an unintelligible jargon of analysis after months of wearisome study, and expressing in most ungram- matical sentences such principles of grammar as their memories can retain." Most of the analysis I have met with in our Grammar Schools has been of a respectable order ; to none of it, certainly,, could I apply so caustic a description aj " unintel- i^ '4 Lw.'.v^ mr 27 ligible jargon;" but the unfortunate conjunction, noticed by this Superintendent, of ignorance of grammatical construction with a certain dexterity at analysis, I have more than once encountered, and I very much deplore it. The truth is, there is an amount of one-sidedness in teaching which is simply amazing. In the Appendix to the Rev. James Fraser's Report, there is a collection of "questions recently (1863) submitted to the candidates for admission to the Providence High School." The paper iii Arithmetic I should consider to be too difficult. That in Grammar is fair enough. As to orthog- raphy, the highest flight of my ambition has not gone beyond such words as " spectres," '* assignees," <' hypocrites," and yet I fear that not a few of our Canadian youth, distressed by my relentless persistency, have come to regard me as a sort of persecutor ; we may imagine, then, what the sense of persecution would be were the " open sesame" of the Providence High School to be adopted in all its fulness here, and such trial-words as the following propounded, some of them terrible to the eye and to vocal orgpus simply excruciating, " zephyr," " synchronical," " buoyancy," " idiosyn- ' t 28 1 1 ■■' crasy," *' peripneumony," "phylactery," and so on, through a grim array of some fifty words, more or less appalling in sha])e and sound. But then, we are told, '' the Providence schools have a high character for the accuracy of their spelling." I hope the time may soon come when, under our improved system, the same praise may be justly challenged by us. I am sorry to give it as my opinion, that just now, we are more remote from it than it is pleasant to confess. I have no hesi- tation, then, in declaring it to be my strong con- viction that the standard, as to English Grammar, ought to be raised in the case of those pupils who are to learn onlv the Enjjlish branches in the High School, or to add one or more of the other modern languages to the study of their own; but what of those who are to study Classics, and of those, especially, who are to ?nter the University 'i There is a difficulty here which we must not attempt to conceal. I imagine that, if the standard be raised, as I propose, few pupils would be admit- ted to the High School under thirteen, an age very suitable for a higher English course with Science ; but would it be advisable to defer begin- ning Latin until that age ? There are some men 29 of sound judgment and experience, who think that no time in lost by waiting till that age has been reached ; that, the faculties being more mature, the physical frame better developed, and so much having been done in English, tlie i)rogress would be more rapid, and that the boy who commenced at thir- teen, would be, at the age of sixteen, in as good a position as if he liad commenced at ten, I will not attempt to dispute the soundness of that view, though I must confess that my own practice and experience do not recommend it to me. IN WHOSE HANDS IS THE ADMISSION OF PUPILS INTa THE PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOLS TO BE PLACED ? Hitherto the authority to admit pupils into the Grammar Schools has been in the hands of the Grammar School Inspector, admissions by the masters being provisional only, and subject to his confirmation. It has been proposed to make an important change in this respect, and, under the new law, to assign to the several County Superin- tendents of Common Schools the function of pro- moting to the High Schools. I may not be acquainted -rith all the reasons on which this change $^ 30 is based ; but the main object in view, and the chief advantage which is expected to bo gained, is, doubtless, that the Inspector of High Schools, who, as Grammar School Inspector, has now more than he can attend to, will be relieved of a portion of his work, and that the most ele'^aentary, which, in some instances, consumes a large amount of time, and will thus be enabled to do more towards examining the proper work, and determining the status of the school. Whilst I deeply regret the Inspector's inability, under the severe pres-sure of his work, to do that work so as to fully satisfy himself, and to render his inspection that guarantee of efficiency which it ought to be ; and whilst I consider it most desirable, and, indeed, of urgent necessity, that relief should be afibrded in some shape or ot^ier, I feel myself constrained to say, in the interest of the schools, that I fear it will operate i)rejudicially to both Common and High Schools, if the Inspector or Inspectors of the latter are to have nothing to say to promotions from the former. As to the inconvenience which pertains to the system at present in force, viz. : that the Inspector's work is excessixe, and th'.it the pro- posed change would, in many instances materially *■«£'=: 31 reduce that work, I venture to submit, if ihe admission of pupils be properly, as I cannot but think it is, a function of his office, then the true remedy is to be found, not in alienating that function, but in appointing at least one additional Inspector. Let but one additional Insjjector be a])pointed, and each will be in a position to dis- charge his duties with fair efficiency. The exami- nation and admission of pupils is, it is true, elementary work, but it is very important work. It fixes the goal of the lower school, and the starting-point of the higher. It virtually decides whether the Common School has done its part, and in what condition the High School ought to acce})t those who are to be the recipients of the higher instruction it has to communicate. If the authority to admit be entrusted to one man, uniformity, which, in itself, is a great thing, will be the result; in the hands of many, we shall have, if not ditferent standards, yet ditferent ai)|)lications of the same standard. I do not think it is enough to .^ay that the High School will be simply a step from the highest class of the Common School, the woi'k of which will be strictly defined ; for, though you define the work never so strictly, it seems to me 32 1 ' ' ' '1: that there will be different views as to what con- stitutes the accoiiii)lishaient of that work. Nearly equal as the C/Ounty 8iii)eriiitei)deuts may be in attainments, they will diti'er, at least, in judgment and temj)erament : some will be strict and scrupu- lous ; others will l)e indulgent, and more readily influenced by the natural desire that the schools of their respective counties may compare favourably with those of other counties in point of numbers and projjortion of Legislative grant. This very apportion- ment, moreover, of the Legislati^'e grant will cause the inevitable diversity to be moi*e keenly felt. But what affects me most, as being, in my judg- ment, most prejudicial to the interests of the schools, is the check which the proposed change will put upon the efforts of the High School Inspector to elevate and improve that all-important education of our youth in the grammar and litera- ture of their Mother-tongue, which has been so much neglected. With the entrance examinations in his hands, he will have it in his power at once to protect the High School, and to stimulate its natural tributary and fountain of supply, the Common School, the teachers of which will be led to consider, with some interest and anxiety, what 8a he expects, and to iuljii)t themselves U> tlu; one uniform measure and style of proficiency which lie exacts in his interpretation and a]»plication of the prescribed standard. It is no weak argument. T think, in favour of the view which I am led to take of this matter, thai it is the view taken by our Griimmar School masters wdthout, I believe, a single exception. But there is one difficulty which, I confess, presents itself to my mind as aiising out of the present method. Boys and giiis, whether fit or not for the Inspector, are i)us)ied forward into the Grammar School at the stated periods, and in the numerous cases in which they are not fit, the task of getting them ready is thrown upon the Grammar School master. From the moment at which they enter the school, until the Inspector makes his visit, unless ample time for the preparatory process has been allowed by a late vsit, these new recruits are objects of special interest, the spes gregis, almost, for the time being, inasmuch as on the fate of each depends so much of government money; and thus the master is temj)ted to bestow less attention on the more advanced pupils, and to neglect, in some measure, his proper work, in order to undertake work with 5 34 which it was never intended he should have any- thing to do. I cannot say that I have often met with this anomaly to such an extent as to do serious harm to the Grammar School, but I have had this extra labour assigned more than once as the cause of imperfection and failuie in the regular Grammar School work. It certainly would be well to make this state of things impossible for the future; and I do not see how that can be done without the intervention of the County Superinten- dents. But why take the preliminary examination altogether out of the High School Inspector's hands, if there be any prospect of his work being cur- tailed by the appointment of an additional Inspector? Why should not the County Superintendents desig- nate those whom they consider fit for promotion, and the High School Inspector admit ? NECESSITY FOR ENLARGED PROVISION FOR INSPECTION. In your " Special Report," published in 1868, you declare your conviction that "inspection," in the very satisfactory form in which it exists in Holland, ** is the life, the soul of the Dutch system, as it 'J 35 must be of any efficient syHteni of public instruc- tion." Entertaining so strongly as you do this conviction, you cainiot but be anxious — as intK(Hl I know you are — to ilo all in your power towards extending and improving the necessarily iuipcil.ct system of inspection which is all that th(^ (Irjimniar Schools of Ontario at present enjoy. You have recommended, and will doubtless be seconded by the Legislature of the Province in establishing, a greatly improved system of inspection for the Common Schools, a provision, in fact, so far beyond the present notoriously inefficient one that we may hope it will have a most marked influence in raising our Common Schools. I should be glad to cherish the hope that the improvement thus attempted, and likely to be carried out, in connection w^ith our elementary schools, will be extended to onr High Schools, so that every chance, under circumstances the most favourable, may be given them to do their work well, and to make up for the shortcomings of the past ; and perhaps it may be well now, when we are on the eve of material changes, to follow up the efforts made in this direction by mj:_x predecessor, and to bring the subject again before the public mind. A feeble voice here and there 30 P III liiis^ be»'n raised in England against State inHpec- tion (»n th(^ gronnd, svliich tlu'i«' is no sutiicicnt evidence to sustain, that such ins|»oetion is not liked generally by parents, and that it discourages men from seeking tlu' mastershij) of solux^ls sijltjeet to such insj)eeti()n. These statements rest upon tlie smallest basis imaginable. That pai'ents should obje(;t to that supervisicm of the schools by com- petent and independent ofhcers which is one of the best possible guarantees that their children will be well taught, is incom])rehensible, as it is certainly very far from being the fact. That men who wish to obtain schools, but feel that they are not quali- li(!d to raise a school to that status which a government inspector would be justitied (all circum- stances of ])Osition and ^uaterial being considered) in requiring, is much more easily understood ; that there are some men amongst the 101 Head Masters of our Gramnuir Schools who may meet the Inspector at his otHcial visit with that courtesy which I have not failed to receive in a single instance, but would much prefer, notwithstanding, being left to them- selves, I cannot deny ; but of this I am firmly pei*suaded, that a large proportion of our masters desire nothing more earnestly than that the system ^ ^^^. :\7 i)i inHjicctioii slioiiUl bo the most etHcieiit tlicv can Iwive, as well as tliat tlic r('|»;nts s(Mit in t«) the ilepartuuMit by the ruspeetor iiiif^ht b(; luade to tell with ' for the counti-v at larii^e. ] have looked over the i-rturns for the latter half oi' 1860, and J find that our (Tiaiumai" 8ciiools, with reference to avera'jfe attendance, may be divided into six classes. In i-enard to tlie first two classes, which stand I'ighest in numbers, I do not know that the present mode of apportionment involves any very sensil)le iiijiistice ; but in every one of the other four classes, there is wide diversity of merit and usefulness, and vet tlie schools in each of these classes receive the same, or nearlv the same, appropriation of government money. Amongst those of the third class, for example, we have Goderich, Trenton, N( wmarket, Streetsville, Brant- ford, and L'Orignal. standing p)-etty much on the 39 same footing as to average, and yet, if we were to estimate the status of each by examination of work done, the diversity, in some instances, would be rather startling. In the lowest class of all — lowest, that is, as to numbers — the disparity is jKuticularly striking ; and if Metcalfe, Elora, Cornwall, ('olling- wood, Kichinond, Milton, and Fergus, in this class, were brought into the arena of competitive exami- nation, they would find themselves engaged in a contest with very unequal capacities >o?- winning the prize. I do not foi^get that ttie proposed High School Bill, should it become law, will go a great way towards rectifying this uiifair and disheartening state of things, by abolishing " bogus-latin " ])U|»ils, and prescribing a real standard and course of study for all ; but more than this is rcfpiired. Thei-e should be a provision ensuring special rc^ward for special ability, iidelity, and success. liesides this, the stimulus of honourable rivalry is as good for schools as for individuals, tuid no more stimulating application of public money can be imagined than thi.N payment for results achieved. n 40 CONCLUDING REMARKS. I linve now, Rovoreml Sir, coin[)lotea my anuuixl task, Miul if I Iijive written at greater length than I i)resci'ibed to myself in my previous Report, I trust yon will be rea ly to excuse me, makinc/ allowances, as I am sure you will do, for the special interest and anxiety which, in common with many an earnest man, I cannot but feel at the present crisis of educational affairs. As to the past, I have been candid in my statement of facts, and I can say that I have done my best to get the fullest and most accurate information I had it in my j)ower to obtain. As to the future, T have made no suggestions, except on points so intimately connected with my experience, and so vitally associated with the discharge of an Inspector's duties, that I felt 1 could not overlook them. Whilst I have spoken strongly, as feeling strongly, on some of these points, I have striven at all times to avoid the language of dogmatic pertinacity, and I trust I have not been led away in aught from the truth by undue reliance on my own opinions. The work of a Grammar School In- spector, in making up his report just now, is, in In 41 many respects, an ungracious task, since the public interests require tliat every eflbrt slionld be made to strongly i)oint out the iniurious i-esults of an unsound principle, which has not only div(;rted our superior schools t'rou) the fullilment of their true mission, but has also hindered the natural develop- ment of that noble fabric, of which we have reason to be proud, oui- Common School system. Thus situated, the Inspector may well seem, at times, to have a morbid appetite for the evil, and to close his eyes to the good. I cherish, therefore, with a good deal of satis- faction, the hope that the introduction of a better system will place the Inspector in a more pleasant position, giving him less of fault-tinding, and more of evidence tc sustain the Roman orator's eulogy of the high and holy work of training the youth- ful mind: *' Quod munus reipublicie afferre majus meliusve possumus, quam si docemus atque erudi- mus juventutem !"* * "What greater or better oflfering can we bring to the IState than the teaching and training of the youth ! " 6 42 SECTION III. From Report for ike Year 1870, SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND FURNITURE. The High School Boards of Trustees are now invested with full power to raise all the money they need for the legitimate expenses of the schools. They are no longer in the humiliating and helpless position they occupied in cases wliere the School Boards were not united. They are not to wait, henceforward, cap in hand, on Municipal Council^, and sue for that which they have now a legal, as they had always a moral, right to demand. Sundry Bhoi'tcomings — perhaps inevitable under the old r^^^;«e — towards which a merciful and wise for- l>earance has been exercised, should be rectified now as speedily as possible, and every effort made to conform strictly to tlie explicit regulations set forth by the Council of Public Instruction. Some of our High School buildings are— as to two or three of them— so entirely unsuitable ; as to the rest, so unattractive, and even forbidding in aj)pear- ance-so absurdly out of keeping with the appella- tion "High School" — that, in my judgment, they 43 should be tolerated not one moment longer than the time that may be required for the erection of better. The new arrangements for inspection, which have been so hai)pily accomplished, have given me a colleague who will have oj^portunity for criticising these structures, which an acquaintance of three years has not endeared to my own eye or hear"^, cUid if he, as well as myself, should pro- nounce against them, I trust they will soon be made to disappear. We wish to feel respect, not only for the learning to be had at our High ^'chools, but for the temple in which that learning is enshrined. We desire to see, in every case, an edifice which shall appeal, with more or less of the charms of external beauty, to the eye and mind of the young ; and, as to internal arrange- ments, T shall not be satisfied till I see every school- room so furnished as to lead the young minds in it to place a higher value on the knowledge they are incited to acquire, when they observe and instinctively a])preciate, as they will not fail to do, the j)ains taken to maintain a proper convenience, seemliness, and grace, in everything associated with the acquisition of that knowledge. All, in the matter of building and furniture, may not hope to 44 i^-- rival Toronto, Hamilton, or Gait, and others of like Htamp; all are not called ui)on to aim at the stately and the ornate ; but even the comparatively small and feeble section ought to do its best to make everything neat, commodious, and wholesome ; health of body provided fo^- by sufficient space and purity of air ; culture of mind i)romoted by exhibiting education with nothincr shabby or sordid in her attire, but in fair and comely garb. With adequate means of raising money, let us hope that we have seen the last of superannuated wood and sickly paint, of huge, cumbrous desks, and diminutive black- boards. Of al' the apj)liances made use of in the work of the school there is, probably, none more serviceable than the Black -Board, not only em- ployed by the master in giving instruction to his pupils, but capable also of being so managed, as to put the pupils in the way of instructing one another, simply by subjecting the work of any member of the class to the criticism of the rest. The effect of such an exercise is excellent. Cor- rections made by the master are too often received with an equanimity and a composure which give but poor promise of the pupil's performance when the same points come up again ; errors, on the 45 (■ other liand, pointed out by a school -fellow inflict a deeper wound on self-esteem, and are seldom repeated. It is easy t(^ understand that, whilst a class is thus engaged at the black-board, an amount of vigilance and keen interest is developed, wliich no alertness or remonstrance on the master's part will excite ; the apathy that so terribly chills the master's heart is dis])elh'd ; and the whole class, for the time, are on the qui vive. I have always set a si)ecial value, moreover, on the black-boaid as contributing to the life and fieedom of indepen- dent teaching, the teaching of the individual man which brings mind into contact with mind so much much more eti'ectually than Text-books can do. There is no doubt in some minds an impatient endurauoe of the Text-book, with a vehement propensity for launching out into a crude originality more gratify- ing to themselves than improving to those whom they are set to teach ; but, bad as this is, it is worse to resolve the whole of education into memorizing Text-books ; worse to bind the young mind to such a servile Jidherence to the Text-book, a^ represses effectually all mental activity and inde- pendence of thought. '•: f 46 ipi *. • 1 ii NEW PROGRAMME — ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. The new Programme for High Schools is now before the country in provisional form, and subject to such modification as, after trial, may be deemed desirable. It may be necessary to make alterations in tlie details of its arrangement; for no scheme of study can well be pronounced satisfactory, in all its parts, before it has been put to the test of actual experiment; but, as to its general principles, it will be cordially welcomed as making wise and suitable provision for the educational wants of the country. After its experience of compulsory Latin and neglected English, the country will be well pleased to find, at the very head of the Programme, the culture of the Mother-tongue. It has been the fashion till within the last few years to assert as a truth not to be gainsayed, that no basis of education admitting of a sound and perfect super- structure could possibly be laid but in the Ancient Classics. For ages, our language, with all its beauty and strength; our literature, with its unsur- passed wealth of intellectual treasure, were made !!^ 47 to move in the train of classical learning, like some wretched captive, much in the style of the old Roman triumph. Whilst we fully recognize the true value of the Classics, we affirm that to vindicate their just claims it is by no means necessary to do dishonour to the Mother-tongue. It is not a very cheering sketch, the position of some three- fourths of the puj)ils of our Ch-ammar Schools ; in school, excursions hither and thither through an Introductorv Book, which too often intro- duced to nothing, or, at best, a nibbling at the edges of Caesar or Virgil, with grateful acceptance of Anthon's liberal aids, but with little apprecia- tion of the spirit of the authc-r, or coni})rehensiou of the language ; out of school, sensational novels of the lowest class devoured — wonderful ten-cent publications, with covers highly emblematic of the trash within. This mockery of education has been summarily" dis})0sed of. Under the better system which we have obtained at last, the minds of our youth will be guided to a higher litetature and a purer taste. No doubt a good deal of special care and effort in this department will be required of our High School Masters, the more so as we stand much in need of School Editions of English Classics, fT ir 48 annotated as we liave tlio Ancient Classics, and witli notes ])re|)are(l, not oidy to answer the purpose of mo<-e illustration, but with a view to the applica- tion of received laws and principles of criticism to the beauties or blemishes of the text. n? m CONCLUDING REMARKS. ERRORS OF THE OLD SYSTEM. TRUE VALUE OF CLASSICAL STUDY. You have good cause for saying, Reverend Sir, that "the School Act of 1871 has laid the found- ation of a new era in the Public School education of our country." That era has opened upon us with the most favourable auspices. Not only have the errors of the i)ast been rectified ; not only has a new system been constructed on sounder principles; there is, besides, the general prevalence of more correct views on education ta guarantee to that system a fair trial, and to encourage the men whose sjjecial duty it will be to carry it out. Except in very few minds, which still cling to Uie old routine, prejudice has been dispelled, and a light has dawned which could no longer be resisted ; since the failure of the system built on the blind worship ot the Classics has been 4'J so notorious and so eom|»l«'t«', that sciivily a single voice is raised lo drtend it. 'I'Ihtc is many a man of my own day wlio will lenwnilx'i" li'>\v tlic case stood in school sonic thirty years a,«;t), wlien Latin and Greek bore al)sohite sway ; when Malhe- matics, indeed, but Matlieiaatios ah»ne, were |»<;r- mitted to move ah)ng witli iheiu, p'iri ixa^sii ; when Science was imparted in hoimeopathie pro- portions, whilst ^lythology was administered in t!ie strongest doses; when rhiloL»gy, which tonus a study so vahuible and so attractive now, was unknown ; when the l)oy had to work so hard at dead languages that he couhl only manage at best to catch, in passing, a few faint glim])ses of that region of surpassing beauty, the structure and literature of his own living IMother-toiigue. It was deemed a hopeless quest then to seek res- pectable scholarship outside the charmed cii-ele ol' classic lore; nay, it was almost held a sort of heresy to doubt that the agonies of Ovoi genus, As in jwcbsenti, and the rest (and what agonies they were many a luckless youth could tell!) were indisi)ensable to literary parturition, and versifying in those days was carried on with as much vigour as though the highest aim that could be offered to a boy's ambition was to 1 50 i t m become a Latin i)oet. But the worst feature of all was the accumulation of lumber on the brain in the shape of "fables and endless genealogies" of Heatheu Mythology, the feats of memory accomplished in this line being at times prodigious. Every facility was afforded for indoctrinating the young mind in every- thing that concerned the "impure rabble of the Heathen Baalim." It is true, the worst of the strange stories clustering around Olympus were not detailed in the class-room, but then the subjec itself was made so much of, and the book that fori . the repository of much treasure, the schoolboy's vade mecum — Lempriere's Classical Dictionary — was so con- stantly in request, that it was too much to expect that the young student should take from it only the comparatively harmless, and shun that which it was taint to touch ; and so a prurient curiosity was too easily excited by glimpses of scenes which ought to have been religiously kept back from the young mind, which soon learned to search for legends, not all like that of Eros and Psyche, with its deep and sweet lesson of the soul's passage through earthly passion and misfortune to celestial felicity. When from the mass of Heathen fable, laboriously committed to memory in schools in bygone days, we deduct just 51 vV'hut is rcHiuired to illustrate tlio text that is Wiiiir read, there still reinaius a large amount worthless, or nearly so, for the purpose of tiiie education. This has been, happily, swe[)t away, and so neces- sary does that cleansing of the educational ten»ple seem to us now, that we can only contemplate with simple amazement the fact, that so much time could ever have been given to such a subject, when in History, and Science, and Language, we find that a life-time is all too short to occupy the mind witli what is instructive and improving, fresh and pure, beautiful and true; with better conceptions of what education is, with a deep impression that it means a real quickening of the minds of the people. The generations to come are not at all likely to repeat the blunder of their forefathers. There is but little danger of Sapphics ever again driving out Science, or of legend monopolizing what is due to language. There is danger, however, on the other hand, that public opinion may be carried too far by the im- pulse which is now acting upon it, and that Science — so to speak — may be made to avenge herself on the Ancient Classics for the wrong they have done her. The present Bishop of Manchester tells us that, whilst engaged in looking into the School System •^ 52 I U '^- of the United States, lie frequently heard the com- phdnt, and that from some of the best educationists in the country, tliat the Physical Sciences were crowding out not only the Greek an.d Latin Classics, but evv?n INIathematics and English Litrrature. The protection of the hxLt two subjects of study wan wholly in the hands of our authorities, and thoy have extended full protection to them in the Pro- gramme they have issued. In regard to the study of the Classics, it was not within their power to do so much ; they have set forth a Classical Course, but it will de])end ui)on the temjoer of the public mind whether many or few embrace it. Let us hope that our good Classical Schools which shall do real work will bo well supported, and that the Classics p?'operly studied will not be allowed to fall into a disrepute which they b}- no means deserve. We may have erred in the past, in oppressing the memoiy with a mass of worthless fiction ; we may have made a mistake in besto-ving so large an amount of time on the vehement effort to rival Hoiatian Alcaics, when matters fVir more serious were crying idoud to us from the corners of tlie streets ; but wo can make no mistake in assuring ourselves that to the young student a o;} tuine or' rich treii.^urc ixiu] b'.en presciilud when the litevature ot" tlio t>!d Civuks and Romans is really tiu'own opon to him ; that he has realized a positive ^aiu of no small value when lie has truly mastered au Oration of (Jicero, a Dook of the yEneid, or tlu^ Odes of Hot ace; and that lii^' laind has ueen most certahily broui,dit into iuvigor- atiuL' con! act with iidhicnces which deserve to be called, in the hi^^liest sens(>, b]Jncation, when it has learned to enjoy the world of beauty spread before it in the lofty thought and the noble diction of the (Irecian Drama. Education, like wisdom, '-is justitied (»f all her children"; and in her family, whore there is 'O sacritici; of i)ractical titness to favourite theory, there is no antagonism either. SECTION lY. From, Be port for the Year 1S7L CLASSICS AND EXGLISTT. The heavy yoke of compulsory Latin having been taken from the necks of our youthful pojada- tion, on the memorable 15th of February, 1871, there was, of course, a numerous exodus from tho !( m » (1 I' 1« 1 III: hi Ifi 54 region of "qualifying" Classics, the girls, especially, effecting a speedy migration into tbe more congenial English sphere. Yet the abandonment of classical study has been by no means so general as might have been anticipated, under more or less of violent reaction after unnatural constraint. Perhaps the greater ditiiculties of the English course, with its much larger quantum of Science, have saved some copies of the Introductory Book and Reader from being consigned to dust and oblivion ; but we may hope that those who have taken the classical course, when free to do otherwise, mean work, and will, many of them, do work which shall help to redeem the Ancient Classics in this Province from any unmerited prejudice that may still exist against them. A ])owerful stimulus is about to be applied in every department, the stimulus of merit recognized and rewarded ; of inefficiency and failure visited with peciuiiary loss. On the Classics, as on every other subject, this must exert a quickening influence. Masters will be inspired with an honourable emulation ; and even puj)ils may be brought to feel that U])on their per- sonal exertions depend, in large measure, the prestige and the very i-esources of their school. 55 Classes will be kept more on the qui vlvr ; the blunders they make will have a special gravity, and call for special vigilance on the master's part. Even in rural parts we may hope that no tolera- tion will be extended, as we know, unliap))ily, that toleration has been extended, to such specimens of Virgilian astronomy as " (Jupiter) I'asteiiing tlie stars over the kingdoms of Lybia" — " Ly1na3 detixit hiniina reirnis ;" and even, if in rural i)arts, Latin should die out, we shall not bo greatly afflicted if we can only get the Mother-tongue to thrive. Ali-eady there has been improvement in quarters where laxity was the order (>f the day— more of thorougii- ness and accuracy — more of accidence, less of An- thon. Still there are weak points. We sliould be glad to see Grammar, for example, more systemati- cally studied as an indei)endent subject, nijt limited to what is suggested by the text that is being read. We are not of those who consider versifying one of the highest exercises of th.' human intel- lect, and have no desire to perpetuate lunv the undue attention which, under the old training, was usually given to it ; but we cannot refrain from expressing our great regret that the faculty of writing Latin prose is possessed in so small a llM'r bC> \w i (legreo by the pii|»il,s of o\ir Higli Schools. As a 'general mile, even ArnoUrH book is by no means mastered ; but little, for the most part, is done in it, and that little not well done ; whilst the attempt to deal with a translated extract from Cicero, the translation being (Extremely litend, has proved, with very few exceptions, a failure. FRENCH. By far the greater ])roportion of those pupils who have taken up French are girls. It is gratifying to observe this growing taste amongst our girls for a graceful and elega.nt language, so peculiarly a woman's stud} and acconi].lishment as French is. It is to be hoi»ed that such works as the " History of Charles XII,," and Corneille's tragedy, "Horace," will come to the aid of a high and pure English literature, in fortifying the minds of our young women against the many publications of the day that are calculated to turn thi) heads ot' young people, and to destroy the charities and joys of tlu' Christian home. We do not doubt that the French which is acquired at our High ^Schools l)y the more advanced pui)ils will be turned to good account, though we cannot refrain from adding, that it would be none the worse for greater attention to [iurity of accent. 57 ADMISSION OP PUPILS TO THE HIGH SCHOOLS. The experience of years 1ms taught ou^ this head lessons of great value, from which our educational authorities have not failed to i)rofit ; and so distinct and positive has this teaching been, -that there is perhaps no feature of our school system in which we are more directly led to safe and sound conclusions. The utter inefficiency of the old Grammar School arrangements in this respect, with tlieir low standard of athihiment, and their very imperfect mode of examination, was so notorious, and the mischief lone to both classes of schools so great, that every one was brought at last to feel that the evil was one that was eating the very life out of our schools. It was felt that the starting- f)oint had been fixed so deplorably low that no goal of high attainment would be reached; and that nothing short of a radical change in conducting the examinations for admission would save the education of the country. Professor Young's strong sketches left no doubt as to the real itate of things, and very suggestive were they of the sort of educational chaos into which the country was being brought. It is well that we should keep his picture before 8 I ^ y 58 i*'i us, with all its associations of unworthy manoeu- vring to combine the maximum of money with ^ the minimum of education, both that we may the better appreciate our deliverance from such a state of real degradation (for it was nothing else), and be led to watch more anxiously any efforts, if haply such should be made, to check and turn back the upward movement which the new School Law has so happily initiated. In connection with this low standard — parsing a single sentence in English being practically the only test— we may mention one fact that shows, amongst many others, how terribly, in the days of which we are speaking, things were unhinged, and out of course. . As soon as the new School Act became law, the Inspector received instructions from the Department to apply with greater strictness the old method and standard, until they should be superseded by the new. Just one change was made, but that was found all-suffi- cient : the parsing, instead of being given orally, was exacted in writing. The effect was most remarkable. About one-half of the candidates pre- sented to the Inspector as fit subjects for High School tuition were found, to a lamentable extent, incapable of spelling correctly in writing — whatever \ \ 59 \ ^ \. \ \ r\ i' - \ s ^ - S they may have been able to do orally— words cer- tainly not amongst the most difficult in the English language, more particularly those very terms of Grammar which were almost every day in their mouths. Much harm, unfortunately, had already been done, but how much more would have been done but for the salutary interposition of the Inspector between the High School, with its coveted legislative grant, and the pushing tendency of the local authorities ! At last came the system under which we have been working for a twelve- month—a Board uf Examiners attached to each school, whose admissions are made final on approval by the Inspector, who is " to see that the regulations and programme of examination provided according to law are duly observed," and, therefore, not vitiated by the admission of pupils who do not come up to the prescribed standard. It is plain enough that this is a vast improvement on the old plan, yet f\ir from perfection ; for one thing it wants, and without that it will never command jmblic confidence— uni- formity. It is felt that, though it protects the High School from many an unfit pupil that would have crept in under the " simple parsing " system, it, never- theless, works unequally, and with all the care the GO P rns])ector can exercise, it must work unequally, so great i» the disparity between the difierent sets of fiuestiona, as put by different Examining Boards. There is, it is true, the expedient of exacting a higher percentage where the questions are easier, and this has been resetted to in some cases, but the pro- ceeding is viewed with so much disfavour, and is so much regarded as an arbitrary act of the Inspector, that we have no high opinion of it as a remedy. There is but one course which can be considered fair to all, and that is, providing the same examination for all, subject always, of course, to that indispensable safeguard, revision by the Inspectors. That course, we are glad to see, has been adopted by the Depart- ment, under whose instructions questions for the entrance examinations have been prepared by tlie High School Inspectors, to be submitted to all the schools. This will excite general satisfaction, as a most commendable move in the direction of unifor- mity, and, we may hope, will quite dispel that feeling of uneasiness to which its absence has given birth. ^