Edinburgh: Merchiston Castle (210).H.M. George Smith, M.A. Fees, £30; Junior, £25. Boarders, 100 (under 14, £90).

Eton (1000).-H.M. Rev. Edmond Warre, D.D. Fees, Collegers (about 12 vacancies annually, election July), £10 10s., and 10 to sh. fund: Oppidans, 30, En. £10 10s. Board, 100 gs., and 40s. per term for furniture.

Exeter (150).-H.M. W. A. Cunningham, M.A. Fees, Junior, £48, Senior, £68; Day, £10 to £18,

Felsted (250), Essex.-H.M. Rev. H. A. Dalton, M.A. Fees, £20. Board and other, £60, En. £22s. Scholarships, £50, £30 and £20; Exhibs., £60 and £50.

Fettes College (230), Edinburgh.-H.M. Rev. W. A. Heard, M.A., LL.D. Fees, £30, En. £5 5s. Board, £75; Day, £30.

Giggleswick (200), Settle, Yorkshire.-H.M. Rev. George Style. Fees, under 13, £60, over, £72; Day, 12, En. £2; Day, £1.

Glenalmond, Trinity College, Perth.H.M. Rev. Canon Skrine, M.A. Fees, under 12, 90 gs., over 12, 100 gs., En. 5 gs.

Godolphin School (100), Hammersmith.H.M. Rev. George Mackie, M.A. Fees, Junior, £50, Senior, £60; Day, 9 to 12 gs.

Haileybury College (500), Hertford.-H.M. Hon. and Rev. Canon Lyttelton, M.A. Fees, Board and tuition £81 (clergymen's sons, £70 10s.), En. 5 gs. Board, 33 gs. Life governors have right to nominate boy.

Harrow (600).-H.M. Rev. Joseph Wood, D.D. Fees, (for boys between 12 and 14), £53 95. Board, etc., £90, En. School, ro, House, 10. 10 En. Scholarships, 11 University Scholarships.

Highgate (300), London.-H.M. Rev. A. E. Allcock, M.A. Fees, £24. Board, £60, En. 215. Hurstpierpoint College (300).-H.M. Rev. C. E. Cooper, M.A. Fees for education and board, from 38 gs. per ann., or 48 gs. in H.M.'s house. En. 215. Several Scholarships.

Ipswich (130).-H.M. Rev. P. E. Raynor, M.A. Fees, 15; Special form, £18; Army, £25 10s. Board, £48 (over 14, £6c).

King's College School (270), Wimbledon.H.M. Rev. C. W. Bourne, M.A. Fees, 21 gs.; 12 to 16, 24 gs.; over 16, 30 gs.; En. 315. 6d. Board, 60 gs.

Lancaster (130).-H.M. George A. Stocks, M.A. Fees, 60 gs. Tuition only, £8 8s. to £16. Lancing College (105), Shoreham.-H.M. Rev. A J. Wilson, D.D. Fees (H.M.'s house), £33 55. per term; second house, £29 15s.; school house, £24 10s.; with nomination, 21. Several Exhibs. and Scholarships.

Leamington (110).-H.M. Rev. R. Arnold Edgell, M.A. Fees, 24 gs.; with board, 66 to 79 gs. Preparatory school, 18 gs.; with board, 63 to 69 gs.

Liverpool College (240).-Rev. J. B. Lancelot, M.A. Fees, under 9, 16; under 10, 19; over 10, £25; clergymen's sons, £16; Laboratory fee, 30s.

Llandovery College (140), Wales.-H.M. Rev. O. Evans. M.A. Fees, in H.M.'s house, 48 gs. ; other house, 43 gs. Day, 8 gs.

Malvern College (460).-H.M. Rev. S. R. James, M.A. Boys admitted on nomination of a shareholder; a nomination may be bought, or rented for £6 per annum. Fees, £25. Board, £68 9s., En. 425.

Marlborough (590).-H.M. Rev. G. C. Bell, M.A. Fees, £85 (with nomination, £86). Foundation scholars (clergymen's sons), £50. Several Scholarships and Exhibs.

Merchant Taylors' (500), London.-H.M. Rev. Wm. Baker, D.D. Fees, Lower school, 12 gs.; Upper, 15 gs., En. 5 gs.

Mill Hill (200), London.-H.M. J. D. McClure, M.A., LL.D. Fees, under 12, 66 gs. ; under 14, 75 gs.; over 14, 84 gs. ; En. 2 gs.

Oakham (100), Rutland.-H.M. Rev. E. V. Hodge, M.À. Fees, 13 10s. to £17 10S. Board, £45 to £52 10s.

Plymouth and Mannamead College (190), Plymouth.-H.M. F. H. Colson, M.A. Fees, under 10, £48; under 13, £55; above 13, £60. Day under 8, 8 gs. ; under 10, 10 gs.; under 13, 18; above 13, 21 gs.

Pocklington (150), Yorkshire.-H.M. Rev. Charles F. Hutton, M.A. Fees, School House and Boarding House, £65; Hostel, £55; Day, £15.

Radley College (180), Abingdon.-H.M. Rev. T. Field, D.D. Fees, 90 gs. and upwards, according to age. En. £10 10s. Various Scholarships.

Ramsgate College (200).-H.M. C. Morris, M.A. Fees, £60 to £75. En. 42s.

Reading (205).-H.M. Rev. W. Charles Eppstein, M.A. Fees, Boarders, 80 gs.; Juniors, 70 gs.; Day boys, £24 to £30; Juniors, £18.

Repton (280), Burton-on-Trent.-H.M. Rev. W. M. Furneaux, M.A. Fees, £30. Board, £65. En. £5.

Rossall (340), Fleetwood.-H.M. Rev. J. P. Way, D.D. Fees, 70 gs. (sons of clergy, 60 gs.); with life governor's nomination, 10 gs. less. En. 2 gs. Several Exhibs. and Scholarships.

Rugby (575).-H.M. Rev. H. A. James, D.D. Fees, 115 gs. En. 7 gs. Day, £43; En. 4 gs. Several Exhibs. and Scholarships.

St. Paul's (600), West Kensington, W.-H.M. F. W. Walker, M.A. Fees, £24 9s., En. 30s. Foundation scholars pay only Entrance fee.

Sedbergh (240), R. S. O., Yorkshire.-H. M. C. Lowry, M.A. Fees, £22 10s. Board, £46; over 13, £55.

Sherborne (190).-H.M. Rev. F. Brooke, Westcott, M.A. Fees, £85 75. Day, £25 198. En. £4 45.

Shrewsbury (300).-H.M. Rev. H. W. Moss, M.A. Fees, £27. Day, £24. En. 425. Board, £63. En. £4 45.

Stonyhurst College (270).-H.M. Rev. J. Browne. Fees, 50 gs. ; over 14, 60 gs.

Tonbridge (379).-H.M. Rev. C. C. Tancock, D.D. Fees, £24; over 13, £30. Boys of parents residing within 10 miles, 16 and £20. Boarding fees, £60 to £66. En. £3.

University College School (330), London. -H.M. J. Lewis Paton, M.A. Fees, 18 gs.; over 12, 24 gs. En. 7s. 6d.

Uppingham (440), Rutland.-H.M. Rev. E. C. Selwyn, D.D. Fees, 112. En. £5. Day, £30. Several Scholarships.

Warwick (130).-H.M. Rev. R. Percival Brown, M.A. Fees, 60 gs. En. 10s., and extras £3 175. 3d.

Wellington College (475), Berks.-H.M. Rev. B. Pollock, M.A. Fees, dormitories in college, £110 (£95 for a limited number of sons of officers). Boarding houses, 132. Open Scholarships.

Westminster (220).-H.M. Rev. W. G. Rutherford, M.A., LL.D. Fees, 30 gs. En. 5 gs. Board, 65 gs. for boarders; 24 gs. for half-boarders. En. 5 gs. 13 Exhibitions. Winchester (412).-H.M. Rev. H. M. Burge, M.A. Fees, 112. En. £12. Wolverhampton ().-H.M. Rev. J. H. Hitchens, M.A. Fees, £13 10s. En. 55.

I.-ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. For the year ended Aug. 31, 1900, there were in England and Wales places in the public elementary schools, Board and Voluntary, for 6,544,092 children. On the school books were the names of 5,705,675 children, The daily average attendance was 4,687,646. It will at once be seen, therefore, that every time the schools are opened there are over one million children absent. Many of these are kept away from school through unavoidable causes. But a very considerable number are inexcusably absent. In London on any given morning or afternoon there are, roughly, 100,000 children away; in each of the ten biggest County Boroughs there are, roughly, 10,000 children away every session. And the most distressing feature in connection with this matter is the fact that, so far as a considerable number of these absentees are concerned, practically it is the same children-the children of thriftless, careless, dissolute parents, the children who need the succour of the schools most of all-who are

always away. By-and-by they recruit the ranks of the ne'er-do-wells, the Hooligans, and the criminals, and are a perpetually heavy financial burden upon the public purse, and a shame and a reproach to the public conscience. Then good souls grumble that the schools failed to train them to better ways when they were young! The great bulk of the parents, let it be gratefully and at once admitted, send their children to school with the most commendable regularity, in many cases making very great sacrifices in order to do so. But, at the same time, the school registers show that there is an appreciable number of parents who utterly disregard their obligation to their children in this particular. Provision was made in the Act of 1870 to compel such parents to send their children to school. Unfortunately the law has been allowed to become practically a dead letter in a very considerable number of districts, and rarely is administered earnestly and seriously.

The percentage of regularity for the year was as follows: Scotland, 83 75 per cent.; England, 82'3 per cent.; Wales, 77'9 per cent.; Ireland, 62'0 per cent. In France, Switzerland, most of the German States, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Sweden and Norway the percentage of regularity ranges from 95 per cent. to 99 per cent.

Leaving the question of the woful and persistent irregularity of the very children who need the schools most of all-and any wayfarer in any one of our great cities can see the facts for himself-let us come to the age at which the children leave school. As the law stands at present, a child may leave school at twelve years, if he have passed the bye-law standard of exemption, to work half-time in a factory or workshop, or full time outside of a factory, workshop, or mine. At thirteen, the child may work full time outside of a factory, workshop, or mine, if he has passed the fourth standard, or can show that he has made 350 attendances per year for each of five years (the possible attendances in each case being at least 400). At thirteen, the child may be employed in a factory or workshop full time if he have passed the fifth standard, and can obtain a certificate of previous due attendance as already described. At fourteen children are entirely exempt. effect of the total exemption of children at twelve years of age (if the bye-law standard has been passed) is when the standards fixed are ex

The

KINGDOM.

amined and when the general laxity with which the bye-laws prescribing these standards are administered is considered-shown to be disastrous to the education of a vast number of the children. For instance, in 1896-7 there were in England and Wales 600,000 children between the ages of ten and eleven in the elementary schools. By 1901 these pupils-then between fourteen and fifteen-had dropped to 53,057. In Scotland the children stay longer at school. Indeed, the percentage of children over ten in Scotland is 42'25 per cent., as against 34.92 per cent. in England and Wales. In Ireland the children leave earlier even than in England and Wales. At this point let me give another Continental contrast. following facts speak for themselves :

The

..... 14

ENGLAND AND WALES AND SCOT

LAND

Let me turn now to the method of financing the elementary schools in England and Wales. As already said, there are 5 millions of children on the rolls of the elementary schools. Putting the facts in round numbers, 3 millions of these are on the rolls of the Voluntary schools, and 24 millions on the rolls of the Board schools. The main differences in these two classes of schools are: (1) in the form of local management; (2) in the character of the religious instruction given; and (3) in the amount and nature of the local financial support accorded. Without entering into the question of the local management of Board as against Voluntary schools, and without raising any religious question, there remains the third question, the question of the local financial support accorded to the schools; and this represents the serious point of differentiation in the financial treatment of the two classes of schools which constitute the

Dual system. The financial support accorded to both Board and Voluntary schools is of two kinds-central and local. The central support consists of Grants from the Exchequer paid upon the report of H.M. Inspectors of Schools; and, generally speaking, is receivable by the Voluntary schools on the same terms as by the Board schools. Additional, however, to the Government Grants hitherto payable under the Education Code to both Board and Voluntary schools alike, special Treasury Grants have been provided for under the Voluntary Schools Act of 1897, and the Necessitous School Boards Act of the same year. Under the Voluntary Schools Act, a Special Aid Grant, amounting in all to nearly £800,000, is payable yearly on the basis of 5s. 9d. per child in the Urban schools, and 3s. 3d.` per child in the Rural schools, to most of the Voluntary schools, upon the recommendation of

School Associations. Under the Necessitous School Boards Act, a total sum of about £170,000 is annually dispensed to a comparatively small number of the School Boards where the rateable value of the locality is not high, and the percentage of the whole number of elementary school children to be provided for by the Board is large. But neither of these Acts raises any serious fundamental principle-except, of course, that they increase the proportion of the total education charge thrown upon the Central Exchequer -and, therefore, do not seriously affect the present position. Notwithstanding the recent legislation, it is still practically true that grants to Board and Voluntary schools from the Central Exchequer are very largely made on the same basis. £9,557,129 was the total of the Exchequer Grant for the year 1900-1 for England and Wales. This Central Exchequer Grant, it may be said, is not sufficient to conduct a school with anything like efficiency. It must, therefore, at present, be supplemented with money raised locally. In the case of the Board schools, this supplementary income is provided from the rates, and in School Board districts this local contribution is com

pulsory upon all ratepayers. The Voluntary schools have no such compulsory local income to turn to, but must supplement their central aid from the offerings of benevolent and charitable persons. The School Boards last year found it necessary to supplement their central aid by a sum equal to 1 5s. 6d. per child of the children in attendance in the schools. The conductors of the Voluntary schools were only able to secure a local supplement to their central aid in the form of a voluntary subscription equal to 6s. 5d. per child. It is this serious difference in the local income of the schools which must in some way or other be removed before the problem can be considered to be finally settled. Taking the country as a whole, it will be found that the School Board system with its concomitant of a compulsory local contribution covers, roughly, two-thirds of the area. Roughly speaking, this two-thirds of the area raises under the compulsory local rate about 4 millions of money annually. Many of the inhabitants of this two-thirds are also contributors, over and above the sum they pay in rates, to the Voluntary schools; and the total amount of voluntary contributions over the whole area of the country is roughly threequarters of a million of money. Thus, putting the facts in a rough-and-ready fashion, and dividing the country into three equal thirds, we get the following incidence in the local support of elementary schools in England and Wales :

once, and many subscribe twice. That, in the last third, where there is no compulsory rate, many escape altogether, may be gathered from the fact that there are over a thousand school districts with no local subscriptions at all, the schools being thus compelled to subsist on Central Exchequer Grants only. Then, again, it must be poir ted out that in the rated portions of the country the incidence of the compulsory local tax is exceedingly uneven. The rate ranges from 47. in the pound right up to as high as 40d. in the pound. This extraordinary variation in the incidence of the compulsory local rate in School Board districts is largely the result of a similar extraordinary variation in the sizes and rateable values of the areas. Under the Act of 1870 the parish is taken as the unit of local administration, and nothing has been more fatal to the progress of public education popularly controlled than this enactment. For not only is the parish in many cases too small an area to secure effective local management, but the area is often so restricted and poverty-stricken that the burden of local contribution is rendered excessively heavy just at the point where the obligation is met with the least readiness. And not only so, but the minute areas of School Board administration in the country districts involve a considerable amount of wasteful expenditure on unnecessarily multiplied pieces of miniature machinery.

At this point I may profitably put in tabular form some of the more essential facts respecting the elementary schools of England and Wales. Column A shows number of schools; B, number of scholars for whom accommodation is provided: C, number on roll; and D, average in attendance.