The National Schoolmaster.

SUMMARY.

HE General Association of Managers and Teachers which was inaugurated a few years ago, exists with a kind of feeble life, and shows its usefulness occasionally by calling attention to evils which afflict each of the classes it represents. It has recently presented a memorial to the Privy Council on the question of uniformity in examinations, which runs as follows:

The memorial of the Central Council of the General Association of Church School Managers and Teachers, sheweth :-"That for several years, and especially during the last twelve months, complaints have been made, both by managers and teachers of elementary schools, that the scale of requirements adopted by Her Majesty's Inspectors, as the standard of their annual examinations varies considerably in different districts. That, whilst exceptional consideration might fairly be expected towards schools labouring under exceptional disadvantages, there appears no good reason why schools which are working under similar circumstances should be subjected to unequal tests of examination, simply because they happen to be situated in different districts under different Inspectors. That the inequalities at present experienced, as they are productive of discontent and of uncertainty with regard to the standard of attainments to which the children must be raised, seriously retard the work of elementary education. Your memorialists therefore pray that steps may be taken by the Education Department to remedy the evil complained of."

The School Boards are not managing their financial matters very successfully. The Birmingham School Board has to acknowledge to a deficit of £4,500 for the past year, and requires the sum of £30,500 to meet the expenses of the present year. The sum required by the London School Board exceeds half a million. We view this state of things, however, with very mixed feelings. There was a time when the education estimates for the whole country were considered enormous because they approached the sum of half a million pounds. Now, the London School Board expends as much on its own schools, as the Education Department formerly distributed throughout the country. If Mr. Lowe could have seen in 1861, the course which legislation has taken from 1870 to 1877, he would never have committed the huge blunder of the introduction of the Revised Code.

No. 76.-March, 1877.

Mr. Jones cannot let the spelling question of his own papers, he is helping in some strength to the present system, and making it r it. Where is all this agitation to end? W accrue from it? Let Mr. Jones write his pap let him persuade the publishers to have them system. He will thus render us more familiar possibly, it is only its unfamiliarity that makes These suggestions occur to us on the perusal of which appears in the School Board Chronicle:

SPELLING REFORM.-Two paper on this subject w at the Social Science Association by Mr. E. Jones, B.A Rev. Dr. Rigg occupied the chair. Mr. Jones said, with proposal of his own, he felt assured that, with judicious c could be taught to children in one-tenth of the time now Department, the school boards, and training colleges fail the country even to read they could not justify their expendi and Her Majesty's Inspectors had testified to the very examinations, results which were almost entirely attributa spelling. Mr. Storr advocated the teaching of our presen far as possible on phonetic principles. He showed that ch in the days when they were learning to talk, and by way arrangement of the elementary sounds they used. Knowin made to learn a corresponding list of letters and "diagraph Next would follow syllables and short words, first observing of the vowel sounds. The Rev. Dr. Angus, the Rev. Brool Professor Gladstone took part in the short discussion which sion the chairman said it should be remembered that the pro not likely to produce any result for the generation which wa schools, but that was no reason why some change should no Mr. Jones has had hard treatment lately. He i sured in the organ of the National Union for maki no small share of the blame for the bad spelling n account of the teachers. But this is not the wors

Union shows itself sceptical on the matter. It speaks of Mr. Jones's zeal for spelling "changes," and says, "we avoid the use of reform' till conviction on the point has come." And yet the Union has committed itself by a formal resolution to the policy of "spelling reform !" But we are glad to see that the organ of the Union is wiser than the Union itself.

In our last month's summary we took the opportunity of recommending the "Times Weekly Edition" as a very good weekly paper for country teachers who cannot afford to take in a daily paper. We wish to state here that the publisher of the National Schoolmaster, who is the chief publisher and dealer in this kind of literature out of London, will supply this paper by post to any of our readers who wish to take it in. It is a phenomenon of the present century for a village schoolmaster to be able, for a sum somewhat under three shillings a quarter, to take in his Times.

The following paragraph appears in the School Board Chronicle. describing the increase of the school-board system during the year 1876,

The official list of school boards in England and Wales constituted and in operation on the 1st of January has just been printed. It shows that thirty-six new school boards have been constituted since the 1st of October last, making the total 1,760. The thirty-six new boards cover a population of 94,374, raising the total population under the school-board system to 12,782,333. In the same time that thirty-six new boards have come into existence fifty-one school boards have made by-laws, and the population now under by-laws is 10,973,267. The additional population who have fallen under the rule of school board by-laws during the three months number 162,031. In every way, therefore, the making of by-laws runs faster than the establishing of new school boards. The boroughs in which new school boards were formed in the three months were Wisbeach and Oswestry.

The next annual Conference of the National Union of Elementary Teachers will be held in Easter Week, which is this year the first week in April. There are five nominations to the office of president-Mr. Day, Mr. Grove, Mr. Rankilor, Mr. G. Smith, and Mr. Sykes.

It appears that the year 1877 is the 400th anniversary of the printing of the first book in England, "The Dictes and Sayinges of the Philosophers." Caxton learnt his art in Flanders, and on returning to England set up his first printing press at Westminster. A committee has been formed to commemorate this event, consisting of several eminent individuals. A meeting was held in the Jerusalem Chamber of the Abbey, on Saturday, Feb. 18th, under the presidency of Dean Stanley, who made the following remarks on Caxton's connection with the Abbey:

Abbey. Many people think that his printing press w part of the church, some chapel of Westminster Abbe still more intimate connection with him than I fear we accounts suppose that he was protected by Abbot Islip However, the real facts are not difficult to arrive at. knows, and it will be set forth at more length by the Be this occasion-and who really, so far as the antiquity of to be himself in the chair-that Caxton's labours began over to England he unquestionably set up his printing pr of several of his books, as he himself expresses it, "in W minster Abbey at that time was a more extensive expressi merely the church but the whole precincts, which exter round the spot where we are assembled. So far as the of his books would go, it has nothing further to indicate i precincts his printing press was established. But there beyond all question to suggest that it was in what was ca building established by a most admirable and excellent per the printers of England might well regard as their patron who was the great patroness of learning, as we all know, i friend of Erasmus. She founded the Almonry, not for printing, but for the purpose of extending her charitable the persons in the neighbourhood, of which some vest in a dole which is given every Saturday to the poor of College Hall. But is was in this Almonry that Caxton sa As far as we can make it out, it was close to the Gate that house, which stood at the entrance of what is no which then was included within the precincts of the Abb

The following singular "advertisement" which seems to fix his residence at the Almonry

If it plese any man, spiritual or temporal, to bye comemoracions of Salisburi vse enprynted after the forme ben wel and truly late hym come to Westmonester in to pale and he shall have them good chepe. Supplico stet ce

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Leeds on Jan. 31st, Mr. Forster deprecated the notion in the elementary schools ought to be tempted, o get above their station in life. Some few there m working, and industrious, who had shown signs of faculty for the life of a scholar or teacher.

During the course of the last year the council had ela exhibitions from the elementary schools into the grammar s obliged to study that matter, it seemed to him to be very c board schools and several private schools were so good that i if there was not a thorough opportunity, quite as much as th towns, for the clever boys whose parents had not the means these boys to get into the grammar school, and he hoped even means of getting them into the universities by exhibitions fro but he should not care for it to be supposed that it was his boy in the elementary schools ought to be tempted or induced grammar school. That was not his opinion at all. He thoug

the popular accounts d' in connection with Wat was actually established: ey, which is supposed e have any right to boast -the last of the great Every one here present lgian minister, who is pus f Caxton's invention gos, in Bruges, though after ress, as appears by the be estminster Abbey." B Eon than it is now, and men ded for a large circui general phrase in the beg In what particular locality is one indication whichs led the Almonry, which sonage, whom, I alway ess-Margaret of Ric both the Universities the purpose of enco benefactions to the whi ge or fragment still cont Westminster in the a s in one place that hel House, on the south

y.

called Tothill Street

53 taken act of kindness in a great many cases to take hold of a clever boy a "Because you show ability, therefore we will take you out of the line of life wh otherwise naturally would have gone to, and put you to learning and teaching future occupation.' There would be a great many boys who would benefit gre elementary education, but yet who had better go into the regular business life town rather than take the life of the scholar by going into the grammar sch was, he knew, but a very small number compared with the enormous nu children at the elementary schools who could fulfil the conditions that made it d they should be helped by exhibitions. Those conditions were these. They r clever, hard-working, industrious boys. They must also have shown signs of particular faculty for the life either of a scholar, putting the highest interpreta the word, or of a teacher, so that they might be likely hereafter to benefit the generally, and also to do credit to themselves by the life of a scholar-nan studying and increasing their knowledge and attainments in science or literat on the other hand, by showing equal advancement as teachers, taking care tha should be no loss to the nation by boys not being allowed to follow the bent own mind. Notwithstanding the poverty of their parents, and although ther be a small number of scholars in the elementary schools who fulfilled these con there certainly would be many more in Leeds than could be provided for by t exhibitions already provided. No doubt that would be entirely met by the bene and public spirit of the inhabitants of Leeds.

On Tuesday, February 20th, the Princess Louise presented the to the successful students of the Kensington School of Art. following speeches were made at the conclusion of the ceremony:

Mr. Poynter delivered an address of some length, describing the progres schools and making suggestions for their future guidance, as well as for the art of the kingdom generally. On its conclusion,

Sir Francis Sandford, addressing the Princess, said: I hope you will allow behalf of the department and of the enthusiastic meeting here assembled, to to you our best thanks for kindly coming to distribute the prizes to-day. Poynter has said, you must be somewhat accustomed to having these exp of gratitude presented to you as a member of an august family that in every work in this country has taken a prominent part, with liberal hands and, still with kindly sympathy. I am sorry to say that at this season of the y engagements of our two political chiefs, the Duke of Richmond and Lord' prevent them being present to express to your royal highness the gratitude department; but so much kindly feeling has been shown by the meeting th sure I may associate them with the department in expressing our best thanks.

The Marquis of Lorne, in responding, said: I wish before the meeting se to-day to express to you the very great and sincere pleasure which the Princess in distributing the very beautiful series of prizes to the successful winners of th can assure you that the pleasure has been much enhanced by the sympathy s feel from having herself had the advantage of some of the excellent instructio in this institution. She has on that account some claim to be considered as yourselves. I think you will agree with me that the occasion has been to all of of much pleasure, and also of great interest and advantage, from having liste the excellent address which has been given by Mr. Poynter. It has been interesting summing up of the results of the year, and a most admirable expos the principles which should guide your exertions. Do not think that I am g inflict a speech on you upon art. Such a speech from my lips in such compa after the address of Mr. Poynter, would be the height of presumption. I only say how much we both hope for the future success of those who have wor to-day, and how heartily we wish them God speed in the noble career that th chosen.