THE RESULTS SECURED IN EDUCATION.
iza0ORD SANDON had his "hour of glorious life" on Tues.
day. Recent events have shown that he is a statesman not of the forcibly fighting, but of the feebly drifting order ; that he is powerless against those friends from whom he must have, times without number, wished to be saved ; and that he has no weapon but a by-no-means-robust amiability with which to struggle against opponents, with whom he seems at heart to have more sympathy than with these fatal friends. But he has an excellent Blue-book intellect ; he would make a capital index-maker or précis-writer ; and he pro- bably welcomed his Budget night as a confidential and quiet head clerk, who has had in his employer's absence to under- take a "government of combat," to go through an enormous amount of worry with customers, and even to make a dismal attempt at bullying them, must welcome the day when his superior returns to duty, and he himself can afford to return to his books, and to revel in the "dry light" of a blameless ledger. No one, not even Mr. Forster, can make so clear and inoffensive an Educational statement as Lord Sandon, for Mr. Forster has his enthusiasms and even his crotchets, and occasionally gives rein to them, whereas Lord Sandon simply places before us our educational profit-and-loss account, and spends no more rhetoric on the matter than will induce us to look at the account through his own benevolent spectacles. The cordial silence with which the Education votes proposed by the Vice-President of the Council were passed is the chief, we might say the only triumph he has scored this Session ; and it must be all the more satisfactory—or to speak more accurately, consolatory—to him that it was, as Lord Palmerston used to say, entirely "off his own bat."
It is really worth while to take at this time a bird's-eye view of the Educational situation in England and Scotland, for in Ireland there is no situation or settlement, but only chaos and complaint. The leading facts were not all stated by Lord Bandon, but we can supplement what he said from official documents. In England the total number of children on the School Registers is 2,071,997, leaving, in round numbers, about another million to be placed there. As the total increase during the last five years has been 1,051,000, the time for registering the remainder may easily be calculated. The proportion of the attendance to the number on the register has risen in five years from 35.9 per cent. to 66.9, 1.16 less than last year,—a fact which Lord Sandon explains by the number of what the Times makes him call "rough children" who have been swept into the schools by the action of the School Boards. In what condition are the children in attendance in the matter of educational acquirement ? From the Parliamentary returns, we find, taking, for obvious reasons, those for day-schools alone, that the per-centage of the whole number of scholars who passed completely in the standards was last year 58.83. Unquestionably this low per-centage looks ill, but it does not follow that more children could not have passed, had they been presented. The following remarks, by one of the best of our Inspectors, are worth reading in this connection :— " What is meant by a child reaching the 6th Standard ? That throughout its life its education has not been obstructed nor retarded by sickness, work, change of home, or any home circumstances. To be prepared for examination on its twelfth birthday in the 6th Standard, the child must have been well grounded in a good infant-school, so as to pass the 1st Standard at seven years of age, must have escaped all illness between seven and twelve, must have lived in the same place throughout the whole period, must have had no infant brothers and sisters, has not been needed at home for sickness or other home-needs, and above all, been fond herself of coming to school. For it must be remembered that the children are themselves quite as often truants as the parents apathetic. It is highly creditable to our teachers that, with so many hindrance; they produce the results already attained ; but until higher payments are made for the higher standards, the teachers, in the financial interest of their schools, must feel the temptation to present their scholars in the lowest possible standards, and an untruly Ipw average throughout the standards is presented."
If we take a much better test, the per-centages in the old- fashioned "three R's," we obtain more encouragement, for the per-centage of passes in Reading last year was 8828; in Wntmg, 8004; and in Arithmetic, 70.91. But it is plain that even in the higher subjects progress is being made, for as Lord Sandon notices, the rate of grant per child, which in 1875-76 was 12s. 9d., is estimated for the current year at 13s. 8d. In Scotland, as in England, there is progress, although of course not so marked. The numbers on the School Register are 346,842, showing an increase of 6.8 per cent. over last year ; and as there must be only some 70,000 children to get on to the register, and the increase on the register during three years amounts to 135,000, in a couple of years more universal compulsion ought to complete its work in Scot- land. The average attendance has increased 42.2 per cent., although this year there is a decrease in the per-centage, as compared with last, the explanation being the same as that for England,—the increasing power and efficiency of the School-Board system. The per-centage of day-school scholars examined who passed completely in all standards was, last year, 73.45. In reading, writing, and arithmetic, the per- centages were 94.52, 88.92, and 8209,. which clearly shows that even in the most elementary portions of the school curri- culum, Scotch boys and girls are still ahead of English. They seem, further, resolved to keep so, for the rate of grant per child is estimated at 14s. 6d. in the current year, as against 13s. 7d. last year; and in addition to this, must be considered the higher demands of the Scotch standards. Taking Eng- land and Scotland together, however, these figures, which need no further comment or elucidation, cannot be considered very unsatisfactory, and they show, what the public are very apt to forget, in the midst of Parliamentary storms, that even in the matter of education progress triumphs over party ; or shall we, in a more kindly spirit, say that "for some result of good" all parties, Tory and Whig, National and Denominational, con- sciously "work together ?"
It is greatly to be regretted that there are no thoroughly reliable Educational statistics in regard to Ireland—which is to be accounted for by the fact that it is impossible to get men there to collect statistics who are not unconsciously demoralised by sectarianism—for Sir Michael Beach's annual statement is never so clear or so pleasant as that of Lord Bandon. He has simply to harp on the string of the grievances of Irish Teachers, their miserable salaries, their no-residences, their want of pen- sions, and to try some mild tentative scheme, to put matters right, and to keep Irish Members sweet. All he could do on Tuesday was to follow in the lines of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in answer to a recent deputation of Mr. Meldon's friends, and to say that at present pensions for Irish teachers are out of the question ; which is quite true, more especially when the age for pensions is set at fifty-five, though superamius.- tion allowances in some shape must come some day. The residences difficulty Sir Michael gets rid of by promising a loan Bill next year, which must be seen before it can be approved. As to the salary of the National teacher, it is very desirable, no doubt, that it should be raised from £40 to the £107 of his English or the £110 of his Scotch brother, and that it should be helped by local contributions. But Sir Michael Beach does not explain his 44 must" in regard to the local payment of a minimum of one penny per week per child. Does he intend to absolutely refuse State aid for the endowment of teachers to districts where this minimum is not raised ? As for his threat to con- sider next year the expediency of making the National Teachers Act of 1875 compulsory on the basis of a national rate, it may safely be said that it may be left to be judged till it is actually fulfilled. A Conservative Government cannot afford to arouse a denominational war—as such a proposal would do —in Ireland. So far as Education is concerned, we have reached the stage of facts, figures, and progress in England and Scotland, but only that of make-shifts in Ireland.
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