6,463 schools and 910,000 children on the books, a slight diminution, which, considering all things, was not to be wondered at. The average daily attendance was 316,000. The progress in the system had been very marked, for in 1836 there were only 1,100 schools and 102,000 children; and in 1846, 3,600 schools and 350,000 children; in 1856, 5,245 schools and 560,000 children. He was also glad to report that, notwithstanding the objections, no doubt conscientiously felt, to the system by many of the clergy, especially of the Roman Catholic Church, out of 2,344 patrons, 1,132 were Roman Catholic clergy, who had 4,000 of the schools under their care. He was glad also to say that the progress of the mixed schools was most satisfactory, and pointed out the great value and benefit of the national system which was most satisfactorily making its way against the objections entertained against it. He calculated that altogether there were 983,000 children on the books, or 73 per cent. of the total number of children in Ireland, and that the number really receiving the benefits of education would bear comparison with the best results in any other country. In conclusion, he deprecated any rash or ill-considered changes in any system which was conferring so much benefit on the country, and explained what steps the government were willing to take with respect to the model schools, to increase the supply of trained teachers, intimating that they intended to appoint a royal commission impartially representing all classes, creeds, and interests, without delay, to inquire into the whole question of elementary education in Ireland, more especially with reference to religious teaching and the training in the model schools.

MR. C. FORTESCUE (Louth) regretted that the government had not carried out the changes proposed by their predecessors, or accepted the proposals of the board. He did not see the object of an enquiry. They had every information, and the points in question ought to be decided by the cabinet, rather than by a commission.

The People Who Cannot Write.

A Parliamentary paper brings down to 1865 the return of English men and women who, on marrying, have had to make their mark on the marriage register, instead of signing their names. More than a third of the Welshmen who married in that year had to make their mark; very nearly a third of the men of Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk were put to the same shift; more than a third of the men of Suffolk, 35 per cent. of the men of Bedfordshire, 38 per cent. of the raen of Staffordshire, and 40 per cent. of the men of Monmouthshire. In all Lancashire one man in every four who married had to make his mark. Still, the number of the ignorant constantly lessens. In 1845 66'8 per cent. of the men who married in England, and 504 per cent. of the women, were able to write their names on the marriage register; 1855, 70.5 per cent of the men, and 588 per cent. of the women; in 1865, 77.5 per cent. of the men, and 68.8 per cent. of the women -more than three-fourths of the men, and more than two-thirds of the women. In these twenty years the women have been improving faster than the men. Foremost amongst the ignorant districts, so far as concerns women, stands South Wales, with more than half its women unable to write their names; and in North Wales, Monmouthshire, Staffordshire, and Lancashire, the number exceeds 46 in the 100. In Bedfordshire, where the children have been accustomed to work so early at straw plaiting, two women in every five who married in 1865 had to make their mark. These are people able to marry, and probably included in a smaller portion of the very lowest, "the residuum." It is remarkable that in the

eastern counties, and in many counties in the southern half of England, more women sign the marriage register than men. As in 1864, so in 1865, Westmoreland had the largest proportion of its men able to write, nine in every ten; and Sussex the largest proportion of its women, more than eight in every ten.

School Age.

In the schools in Great Britain inspected by her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, 608 of every 10,000 of the scholars on the school registers in the year 1856 were under four years of age; and 653 in the year 1866. In 1856, 1,648 of every 10,000 were between four and six years of age; and 1,794 in 1866. The proportion of scholars not more than six years old increased, therefore, considerably, being 2,256 of every 10,000 in 1856, but 2,447 in 1866. Not so with the scholars between six and ten years of age; there were 4,784 of these in every 10,000 scholars in 1856, but only 4,715 in 1866. The proportion of scholars above ten years of age decreased still more; there were 2,960 of them in every 10,000 scholars in 1856, but only 2,838 in 1866.

Lord Russell on Popular Education.

LORD RUSSELL at the opening of the Richmond British Schools, said :-"It seems to me that whatever we may do in Parliament with reference to the conferring upon vast numbers of the working classes and small householders the right of voting we ought to see that those persons are tolerable educated, that they go to school in early life, and that they at least know something of the three R's-reading, writing, and arithmetic. I do not think that it is too much to ask that this should be done. Certainly hitherto that task has not been satisfactorily performed. For my own part, I entirely owe my connection with these schools to my father's friendliness towards them. Sixty years ago he became a friend and patron of the system of education started by Joseph Lancaster. This naturally resulted in a desire on my part to promote these schools. It has always seemed to me a very great injustice that we make our laws fall so heavily upon those who commit offences, while we do not teach them in early youth the way in which they may avoid the committal of these offences. It seems to me to be a great injustice that in this country, where we have the means for opening schools, we employ all the rigours of imprisonment against those who break through the laws, and not give them the knowledge whereby they may be enabled to avoid those offences. Such being the case, I have always being in favour of the British Schools, because they are schools for all, as William Allen used to say. It was absolutely necessary that these schools should be in their nature secular, but they should also be religious. The religious teaching given in these schools should not, however, be of a sectarian character. It was, no doubt, desired that the children should learn that particular form of doctrine to which their parents were attached, and which was most consistent with their feelings; but while they are young boys and girls at school they ought to be made to know what Christ has taught, and what the Apostles have preached, for by these precepts will they be enabled to properly guide their conduct through life. There are many countries in Europe in which public instruction has been provided for, but we have in this country what I trust we shall never part with. In this country those boys and girls who receive education in such institutions as this are fully at liberty to follow their own conscientious convictions, and to speak and write without fear of punishment what they believe to be true and good,

A Plea for Unsectarian Schools.

A lay magistrate, writing to the Guardian, says :-' "But I am satisfied that the denominational system has driven our clergy to rely much upon young masters who are not in holy orders, and young mistresses who are often wordly, frivolous, and gay. Now, I hold it for a truth that reiigion can only be duly impressed upon youthful hearts by persons who are themselves warmed by the divine flame. The present theory is that religion is taught in our cenominational schools. I admit that the Holy Scriptures are read and commented upon by masters and mistresses according to their lights. Bits of the Catechism are also taught in our church schools, but not always the whole of it. The clergyman comes once in a way to find out what progress is made. Let us consent to abolish this unsatisfactory system and substitute public elementary schools, in which the Scriptures shall only be read by the master, without comment, and the instruction be limited to reading, writing, arithmetic, and the outlines of geography. The practical result will be that the religious teaching of the children of Churchmen will be thrown back upon the clergy, who will be obliged to undertake it personally. Public catechising will be revived in the church or in the Sunday-school, and conducted by men whose special function it is to teach the Christian faith. Surely this system is more likely to reach the heart than the hard and dry teaching of hired instructors. The Bible will no longer be associated with the school-bell and the cane. We shall ensure to the children the means of informing their minds, and teach them their duty to God and man by the mouth of those who are most competent and responsible for such work. The change may interfere to some extent with what may be called the modern passion for preaching; but I think that the laity would rejoice to exchange a sermon per day for the public instruction of the young in the catechetical form. And I am sure that the boys of our towns and villages would be the better for being brought into contact every Sunday with the men who have a right to count them as their flock, and who at their ordination were enjoined by the bishop 'to instruct the youth in the Catechism.""

National Education in Ireland.

The Commissioners, in their thirty-third report to the Lord Lieutenant, state:-"On the 31st of December, 1865, we had 6372 schools in operation, which had on their rolls, for the year then ended, 922,084 children; with an average daily attendance for the same period of 321,209 children. At the close of the year 1866 the number of schools in operation was 6453. The total number of children on the rolls within the year was 910,819, and the average daily attendance of children for the year was 316,225. As compared with the year 1865 there is an increase of 81 in the number of schools in operation for the year 1866. We apprehend that emigration is at last beginning to have a positive influence upon our schoolgoing population; but, independent of this influence, there were others causes, in 1866, calculated to affect the attendance. We have in course of erection 51 ordinary national school-houses, which will contain 72 separate school-rooms. There is also in course of erection one model school-house, containing three school-rooms. When these 52 buildings shall have been completed, they will afford accommodation to 6360 children. Of the above 51 ordinary school-houses, the erection of 16 was sanctioned during the year 1866. There were 12 vested schools opened during the year, towards the erection of which grants had been made: 3 suspended schools were re-opened, and 1 struck-off school was restored to

roll. The number of schools struck off our roll, during the year 1866, was 75. Of these 69 had been previously in operation, 2 had been suspended, the remaining 4 being merely cases in which grants for building were cancelled. The number of schools in the 'suspended list' at the close of the year was 67, of which 1 was suspended during the year 1866. "

Correspondence.

The Policy of the National Society.

Sir,-A venerable body like the National Society, consisting of the greater part of the ecclesiastical dignitaries of the kingdom, ought to have principles well defined, and clearly understood. How can we be surprised if Parliament and other institutions play fast and loose with principles; if the Rev. Mr. Rogers "hang Theology" when Theology stands in his way; or if the Tories, last year engaged in a furious contest with Democracy, this year discover that Toryism is nothing if it does not represent the wants of the people, when we find institutions of such a sober character, comprised of men of such high morality, discovering a tendency to act in the same manner.

I am not, however, able to substantiate a charge of dereliction of principle against the National Society still I have strong suspicions, and I appeal to your readers to inform me whether they are well-grounded or not.

There are many ways in which my difficulty may be solved. I may misapprehend what the principles of the National Society have always been; or those principles may have been wrongly stated, in an official manner, in their Monthly Paper; or, it may be, that this venerable Society, in the face of threatening dangers, has suddenly changed its position, and to appease the storm that threatens to destroy it, thrown Jonah to the whale, in the person of the Certificated Schoolmaster.

In the last number of the National Society's Monthly Paper, (August 1867,) occurs the following passage:-"In the Upper House, he (Lord Cork) has called attention to the hardship inflicted on small parishes, by making the employment of certificated teachers an indispensable condition for obtaining assistance from Government Grants for education. We have always said on this subject, that the State should pay its annual grants to all schools under Committees, when those schools produce good results' in teaching. . . This, according to our notions, at least, is simple justice. It is certainly free trade, not a monopoly set up in favour of any class of teachers. It is payment, solely by, and for results."

In the first place, I will remark, that the "we" in the passage must refer to the National Society. Otherwise to suppose a reader to be influenced by what a writer of whom he knows nothing, has always said, is sublime caprice, or to speak plainer, palpable nonsense.

Three things are evident from this wonderful passage:

1st.-There is at present a monopoly in favour of certificated teachers.

2nd.-The National Society has always condemned that monopoly,and considered it unfair.

3rd.-The National Society has always advocated payment for results.

Some of your readers are more acquainted with the National Society, and its policy, than I am; and I put to them the following questions :-

1st. Is it true, that this Society has always condemned the monopoly of certificated schoolmasters?

2nd. Is it true, that they have always advocated payment for results?

3rd. Is it true, that this is their present policy?

If these are facts, the policy of the National Society appears to me like Beelzebub casting out Beelzebub. Unstable as water, it is impossible for it to prevail, with one hand doling out aid to the Training Colleges; with the other sapping their very foundations. Does it know clearly its own mind?

Young men now enter Training Colleges as a means by which they may more easily, and with greater certainty, obtain their certificates. With this proposed change, certificates will be practically valueless, and then what inducements will remain for young men to repair to these institutions? At present, it requires the exercise of no little self-denial, for a young man of twenty, eager to begin life for himself, to control his impatient desires, and to submit to two years of restraint and discipline in a Normal School. He yields, chiefly Lecause it is the easiest and safest method of obtaining the certificate, and in lesser degrees, because of the moral advantages the training will leave upon himself, and because of the increased value it will place upon his services. But if the certificate is not required, that is practically abolished, the chief inducement for a young man to go to College has been removed, and, in my opinion, few would resort thither under those circumstances. If this, therefore, be the policy of the National Society, it ought instantly to advise managers of Training Colleges of the fact, that they may have time to set their houses in order. These institutions are to die, and not live. The National Society has spoken, and it is a power in the State. It built and fostered Training Colleges, and regarded then as its most cherished offspring; but now like some of the old heathen deities it is preparing to devour them. Appalled by terrific nightmares of secular education, and education supported by local rates, it fraternizes lovingly with the sectaries; reduces the National Church to a religious body"; and speaks of it as one of the "religious bodies" of the kingdom; and, altogether, conducts itself in an inexplicable, and unaccountable manner.

"Perish Savoy" said Mr. Bright, rather than we should suffer an European war: "Perish Training Colleges and Certificated Schoolmasters, exclaim the National Society, rather than education should be wrenched from the "religious bodies."

Is there a cause for this desperate programme? Is it at all likely, that the English people will submit to a system of irreligious education?

In conclusion, it is barely possible, that this effusion may be considered in a new light. Some occasional contributor of the dignity of Archdeacon perhaps, or Rural Dean, has it may be in composing this article, forgotten himself, and, like the fly on the wheel, unconsciously magnified himself into the National Society. In that case, it only means that the Archdeacon, or Rural Dean, has ventilated these crotchets in the Archidiaconal or Ruri-decanal circle, and that he prides himself on his consistency in this respect. Or, as he proceeded with the article, he may have supposed himself illumining the columns of some local print. Still it is important that the facts of the case should be known, and I should be very glad to learn what is represented in this article, under the personal pronoun we.

I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,

66

INQUISITOR.