No. II. jfm Cijtmfj of ScDtloix REPORT ON THE EDUCATION SCHEME. MAY 1871. There is, on the Congregational contributions for the year ending 31st March, a slight decrease of about £83, as compared with those for the previous year. This is a circumstance not to be wondered at, considering the position in which the scheme is kept by the continued uncertainties of the general Education question. The only surprise is that the contri¬ butions have kept up as they have done. But, on the Donations, mainly owing to a very handsome gift of £250 from one contributor, there is an increase exceeding in amount the deficiency on the Congregational con¬ tributions. Further, in answer to an appeal issued to a select number of friends of the Church, within a few days of the time when the amount of the allowances to be paid to the teachers at Whitsunday had to be fixed, a response alike ready and kind has been given in contributions that reach the sum of £300. In the state of the Fund thus brought about, the Committee are happy to report that they find themselves able to pay the half-yearly grants now due in full. It is surely not too much to expect that the office-bearers will so bring the matter before the congregations, and that members of the Church will so contribute from month to month to the Scheme, as to prevent the necessity of any special appeal at the close of the year. In Appendix No. VI. there will be found an account of a correspond¬ ence that took place a few months ago with the Education Committee of the Privy Council, with reference to their resolution to omit religious subjects from the syllabus of study for students in Normal Schools. The Privy Council having determined, notwithstanding the representa¬ tions of the Committee, to adhere to their resolution, the examination, by 2 2 REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. Her Majesty’s Inspectors, of the students attending our Normal Schools will this year be confined to secular subjects, and will not embrace the Bible and Shorter Catechism. In these circumstances, the full bearing of which the Committee are unable to realize, they are making arrange¬ ments for the examination of the students in religious knowledge by competent parties appointed for that purpose. An effort will thus be^made to secure that the religious character of the training of the students in our Normal Schools, and the religious character of their future professional work as teachers, which were the great motives that induced this Church to have an Educational Scheme at all, will, so far as possible, be pre¬ served. After the experience which the current year will afford, the actual arrangements that have been in operation, and the probable results of the position in which we are placed by the resolution of the Government in reference to the religious question, will have to be reported on to next Assembly. The regulations in regard to the] admission of students to the schools in 1872 will be found in Appendix No. Y. Appendix No. VII. contains a report on the Education Bill now before Parliament, which was presented to the Commission of Assembly in March last. The subscriptions on behalf of the remanent Disruption teachers, which have been secured by the energy of Dr. Thomas Smith and the kind¬ ness of contributors, have been all expended ; and the Committee again earnestly commend to the fruitful sympathy of friends a cause so calling for continued and increased support. The Committee cannot conclude this short Report without alluding to the loss sustained, in the death of the Rev. Peter Steele, by the Edin¬ burgh Normal School, and by the cause of education, as well as by the Church of which he had been long an honoured elder. The severity of the sacrifices which he had to make for his attachment to the principles and interests of the Church, the elevated Christian character which he maintained all through his life, the extent of his professional and general accomplishments, and his efficiency and success as a devoted teacher, will long be felt by all who knew him as surrounding his memory with a delightful fragrance. WILLIAM NIXON, Convener. JAMES LUMSDEN, D.D., Vice-Convener . NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 3 APPENDIX. I .—Grants paid since 1849. Ejected Parochial Teachers. Ejected Assembly Teachers. Ordinary Congrega¬ tional Teachers. 1849-65, .... £23 5 0 £15 10 0 £11 12 6 1865-66, .... 26 5 0 17 10 0 13 2 6 1866-68, .... 30 0 0 20 0 0 15 0 0 1868-69, .... 28 10 0 19 0 0 14 5 0 1869-70,. . . . 26 10 0 17 13 4 13 5 0 1870-71, .... 28 10 0 19 0 0 14 5 0 II .—Schools in each Presbytery receiving allowances from the Education Committee. I. Synod of Lothian and Tweeddale. 1. Edinburgh, . . .31 2. Linlithgow, ... 7 3. Biggar and Peebles, . 1 4. Dalkeith, . . .12 5. Haddington and Dunbar, 5 — 56 II. Synod of Morse and Teviotdale. 6. Dunse and Chirnside, . 6 7. Kelso and Lauder, . 3 8. Jedburgh, ... . 1 9. Selkirk, ... 2 — 12 III. Synod of Dumfries. 10. Lockerby, ... 4 11. Dumfries, . ' . . 6 12. Penpont, ... 2 — 12 IV. Synod of Galloway. 13. Stranraer, ... 7 14. Wigton, ... 1 15. Kirkcudbright, . . 5 — 13 V. Synod of Glasgow and Ayr. 16. Ayr, .... 15 17. Irvine, .... 12 18. Paisley, ... 4 19. Greenock, . . .12 20. Hamilton, ... 7 21. Lanark, ... 2 22. Dumbarton, . . . : 9 23. Glasgow,* ... 24 — 85 VI. Synod of Argyll. 24. Dunoon and Inverary, . 13 25. Kintyre, ... 7 26. Islay, .... 6 27. Lorn and Mull, . . 6 — 32 I 4 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. VII. Synod of Perth and Stirling. 28. Stirling, 5 29. Dunblane, 7 30. Dunkeld, 7 31. Breadalbane, . 12 32. Perth, . 11 33. Auchterarder, 7 VIII. Synod of Fife. 34. Dunfermline, 3 35. Kinross, 4 36. Kirkcaldy, 6 37. Cupar, . 6 38. St. Andrews, 6 IX. Synod of Angus and Hear ns. 39. Meigle, 6 40. Forfar, . 2 41. Dundee, 18 42. Brechin, 4 43. Arbroath, 10 44. Fordoun, 9 X. Synod of Aberdeen. 45. Aberdeen, . 19 46. Kincardine O’Neil, 5 47. Alford, 4 48. Garioch, 9 49. Ellon, . 7 50. Deer, 4 51. Turriff, . 9 52. Fordyce, 6 — 63 XI. Synod of Moray. 53. Strathbogie, ... 7 54. Abernethy, ... 5 55. Aberlour, ... 2 56. Elgin, .... 7 57. Forres. .... 3 58. Inverness, . . .14 59. Nairn, .... 6 — 44 XII. Synod of Ross. 60. Chanonry, . . .10 61. Dingwall, . . .10 62. Tain, .... 12 — 32 XIII. Synod of Sutherland and Caithness. 63. Dornoch, . . .19 64. Tongue, . . .10 65. Caithness, ... 27 — 56 XIY. Synod of Glenelg. 66. Lochcarron, . 10 67. Abertarff, 5 68. Skye and Uist, 14 69. Lewis, .... 11 — 40 XV. Presbytery of Orkney , • 12 XVI. Presbytery of Shetland , • 7 Total, 587 III .—Number and Description of Schools. i87i. 1. Number of Congregational Schools, .... 440 2. Do. Side and Industrial Schools, ... 93 3. Do. Missionary Schools, . . . . 51 4. Do. Grammar Schools, ..... 3 5. Do. Normal Schools, ..... 2 589 6. Number of Teachers, ...... 626 7. Number of Scholars, ..... 64,023 NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 5 IV .—The Normal Colleges at Edinburgh and Glasgow. The staff of Teachers in these important Institutions is as follows, viz.:— Edinburgh Training College, Moray House. Rector, ..... Lady Superintendent, . Governesses, .... Lecturer on English, History, etc., Lecturer on Mathematics and Physics , Master of Method, Teacher of Music, Teachers of Drawing, Maurice Paterson, B.A. Miss M. Smith. ( Misses Couper, Miller, and ( Shanks. Wm, Kennedy, M.A. Wm, Lees, M.A. The Hector. Walter Strang. Charles Hodder, and Miss Ashworth. Practising School. —Messrs. Gilbert Graham, Head Master ; R. Forrest; A. Low ; R. Pobertson ; French Master , V. Rich on; German Master, H. Gundlach ; Infant Department, Miss Flora A. Macmillan; Assistants, Messrs, James Melville and John Johnstone. Glasgow Training College. Rector, ...... Governess, ...... Lecturer on Mathematics and Physics, . Lecturer on History, Geography, and Grammar, ..... Master of Music, * . Master of Method, .... Master of Drawing, .... Thomas Morrison, M.A. Miss A. Hood. Rev. John Kerr, M.A., LL.D. A. H. Dick, M.A., D.Sc. John MRelland. Edmund Boyd. R. Banner. Practising School. —Messrs. James White, B. Hutcheson, David Caughie, A. Wilson, Wm. Sloan, Jas. M‘Birnie, Alex. Walker, R. Robertson, and J. John¬ ston ; Misses Wallace, Caughie, and Boyle. The attendance in the various departments of the two schools is as follows :— Students :— Edinburgh. Glasgow. Total. Male, .... 63 69 132 Female, .... 111 74 185 Practising School—Pupils, 772 940 1712 Pupil Teachers, 12 12 24 At the Annual Privy Council Examination for Certificates of Merit held in December, the following were the results for our two Normal Schools:— Edinburgh. Glasgow. Second Tear. First Tear. Second Tear. First Tear. TOTAL. Male Candidates, 19 24 10 34 87 Passed—1st Division, . 2 7 2 4 15 ,, 2d Division, . 11 10 2 15 38 ,, 3d Division, . 6 7 5 * 15 33 ,, 4th Division, . ... #.• * 1 • * • 1 — 19 — 24 — 10 — 34 — 87 Female Candidates, . 44 50 31 32 157 Passed—1st Class, . 32 17 6 1 56 ,, 2d Class, . 12 30 17 14 73 ,, 3d Class, . ... 3 8 16 27 „ 4th Class, . ... • • . • • • 1 1 — 44 — 50 — 31 — 32 — 157 6 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. V.—FREE CHURCH NORMAL SCHOOLS. PROSPECTUS FOR SESSION 1872. 1. Candidates for admission to the Normal Schools must produce from their ■ minister a satisfactory certificate of moral character, and a certificate of good health from a medical practitioner. 2. All Candidates for Scholarships must pass the examination for admission to be held at the Normal Schools by H. M. Inspectors in December 1871, and the examination in religious knowledge appointed by the Education Committee of the Free Church. Candidates who have not been pupil-teachers must have completed their eighteenth year. 3. The examination for admission will commence on Monday, the 18th, or Tuesday, the 19th day of December, and will continue for three or four days. One day will be devoted to an examination in religious knowledge. The exam¬ ination will be confined to simple questions on the Old and New Testaments, and on the Shorter Catechism. While the Scholarships will be granted on the result of the examination to be held by H. M. Inspectors, the Committee retain the power of withholding a Scholarship from any Candidate who does not show due proficiency in religious knowledge. The subjects of examination by H. M. In¬ spectors are the same as those required at the end of a pupil-teacher’s apprentice¬ ship, viz. :— Reading, English Grammar , Dictation, Writing, Composition, Arithmetic, Elements of Geography and British History, Music, and School Management; with, for young men, Euclid (Book I.), and Latin Grammar, and for Female Candidates, Domestic Economy and Sewing. (The more important subjects are printed in italics.) 4. Besides continuing the Scholarships of the second-year students, and pro¬ viding for several students who attended during Session 1871 at their own expense, in the expectation of obtaining Scholarships for their second year, the Education Committee are to grant Scholarships :— At Edinburgh for Young Men, . Do. do. Do. for Female Students, Do. do. At Glasgow for Young Men, Do. do. Do. for Female Students, Do. do. 12 of £24 each. 18 of £20 „ 7 of £18 „ 13 of £15 „ 10 of £24 „ 18 of £20 „ 5 of £18 „ 13 of £15 „ Female Students, holding Scholarships of the Edinburgh Normal School, whose parents or guardians are not resident in Edinburgh, must reside in the boarding establishment attached to the school. [ See note at end.] 5. The value of the Scholarship depends on the place gained by the student at the examination, but for the second year those students only who at the end of one year’s training pass in the first or second division will receive Scholarships of the higher value. A Scholarship is liable to be forfeited at any time if an un¬ satisfactory report regarding conduct or progress is made to the Committee by the Rector and Masters. 6. All Students obtaining Scholarships are required, (1.) To declare in writing their intention, bona fide, to adopt and follow the profession of teaching in Elementary Schools, and to bind themselves to repay the Scholarship, in the event of their not doing so. (2.) To engage to attend the Normal School for two years. (3.) To engage to purchase the Books and Stationery required during their course of Study through the authorities of the Schools. Printed forms embodying these conditions will be furnished to the successful candidates after the examination. NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 7 7. No Pupil-Teacher who has deserted the service can compete for a Scholar¬ ship. 8. Candidates for admission who pass the examination, but do not get bur¬ saries, may obtain Scholarships for a second year’s attendance. 9. The Fees of Students for the Session are—For Males, Three Guineas ; for Females, Two Guineas. All Fees are payable quarterly in advance. 10. Applications for admission require to be forwarded, on or before the 1st of December, to the Rector, Free Church Normal School, Edinburgh, or to the Rector, Free Church Normal School, Glasgow. 11. Students who, during their two years’ training, have given proof of dis¬ tinguished ability in Classics or Mathematics, combined with superior teaching power, may, should the Education Committee of the Free Church see fit, be encouraged to continue their studies in these subjects at the University, with a view of still further preparing themselves for their duties as teachers. Preparatory Classes.— A class will be formed in Edinburgh on Thursday, 7th September, and in Glasgow on Monday, 7th August, for the purpose of pre¬ paring candidates to pass the entrance examination. For information regarding these Classes, application should be made to the Rectors. Note as to Boarding House in Edinburgh.— If the whole accommodation is not required for the holders of Scholarships, other Female Students or Pupil- Teachers may be received as boarders. Application to be made to, and terms ascertained from Miss Smith, Lady Superintendent, 8 St. John Street, or from any of the VISITORS. Mrs. Dr. CANDLISH, 52 Melville St. Mrs. Dr. ALEX. WOOD, 10 St. Colme Street. Miss PAUL, East Claremont Street. Miss ANGELICA FRASER, 3 Atholl Place. Note as to Lodgings. —A list of respectable families who can supply lodgings at a moderate charge, is kept at the Normal Schools, both in Edinburgh and Glasgow. These lodgings are open to the inspection of the Rector and Superin¬ tendent, or of anv Member of the Committee. Free Church of Scotland Education Office, Edinburgh, 17 th May 1871. VI.— Correspondence with the Privy Council, and Report of Deputation to London in connexion with the omission of Religious Subjects from the Syllabus of Study in Normal Schools for 1871. Education Department, Whitehall, London, S.W., 13 th December 1870. General Examination 1871 —Circular to Training Colleges. Sir,—I have the honour to forward six copies of the Syllabus for 1871. You will observe that the examination in religious subjects has been omitted. Their Lordships have felt themselves called upon to make this change in the Syllabus, in order to bring it into conformity with the principles affirmed by Parliament last Session, in the Elementary Education Act.—I have the honour to be, etc., F. R. SANDFORD. 8 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. Offices of the Free Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, 21 st December 1870. Sir, — I am instructed by the Education Committee of the Free Church of Scotland respectfully to request their Lordships’ attention to the circular from your department, dated 13th instant, and the syllabus which accompanied it, with reference to the omission of religious subjects from the examination, by H. M. Inspectors, of Normal Schools in Scotland. The second clause of the Act referred to in the circular states, “ This Act shall not extend to Scotland or Ireland.” The Education Committee therefore direct me to express the hope that it will be found that the proposed application of the new Syllabus to Scottish Normal Schools has resulted from overlooking the fact that the Elementary Education Act of last session had no reference whatever to Scotland.—I have the honour to ALEX. THOMSON. Education Department, Whitehall, London, S.W., 30 th December 1870. Sir, —Adverting to your letter of the 21st instant, I am directed to state that the Syllabus for 1871 was issued at the close of the late session of the Training Schools under inspection, in accordance with the usual practice of the department, in order to give timely notice to the authorities of the Training Schools of the subjects of examination for Christmas 1871. The Syllabus will be laid on the table of both Houses as soon as Parliament reassembles, till which time my Lords must defer entering upon any discussion of the change to which your Committee has called attention.—I have the honour to be, etc., F. R. SANDFORD. Offices of the Free Church of Scotland, Edinburgh, 9th January 1871. Sir, — I am directed to inform you that your letter of 30th ulto. has been sub¬ mitted to the special Sub-Committee appointed by the Education Committee of the Free Church to watch over the subject to which it relates. I am instructed by them to express their astonishment and regret at finding that the proposed application of the new Syllabus to Scotland has not been done inadvertently. As Scotland was expressly excluded from the operation of the Act of last session, they consider that they are entitled to protest in the very strongest terms against the proposal to make the principles embodied in that Act apply to this country. The matter will be immediately reported to the Education Committee, who will no doubt take such measures as the gravity of the crisis may seem to demand. — I have the honour to be, etc., ALEX. THOMSON. Free Church Education Office, Edinburgh, 17 th January 1871. Sir, —Referring to my letter of 10th inst., I now beg to send you, as instructed by the Education Committee of the Free Church, a copy of Resolutions unani¬ mously adopted by them at a meeting held to-day, with regard to the proposed omission of religious subjects from the Syllabus, for 1871, of Normal Schools in Scotland. I am also instructed to express the hope of the Committee that their Lordships, on further consideration of the case, will resolve to depart from their recent decision.—I have the honour to be, etc., ALEX. THOMSON. NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 9 “ EESOLUTIONS. “1. That the Committee regard with surprise, as well as regret and alarm, the communication from the Privy Council, intimating that religious instruction shall hereafter be excluded from the subjects of examination in the Normal Schools. “ 2. That this resolution of the Privy Council is in direct opposition to the express arrangements made by the Privy Council with the Free Church, and embodied in the Trust Deed of all our Schools, including our Normal Schools.* “ 3. That the Committee strongly protest against the principle on which the resolution of the Privy Council is founded, viz., the application to Scotland of an English Act, from which, by the authority of Parliament, Scotland is ex¬ pressly excluded. “ 4. That they strongly protest against allowing the resolution to stand as at present until the meeting of Parliament, as not consistent with fairness, as the Normal Schools must meet on the 26th current ; and should they be under the necessity of commencing the work of the Schools for the session under the proposed new Syllabus, they must be held as in no way acquiescing in the resolution adopted by the Privy Council. “ The Committee also agreed to bring the matter under the notice of the Lord Advocate ; to authorize the Special Sub-Committee to continue to watch over it, with power to take such further action as they may consider necessary ; and to publish the correspondence and resolutions for the information of parties interested in their Schools.” * Report by the Deputation from the Education Committee of the Free Church of Scotland —Mr. Nixon, Dr. Begg, Mr. Wm. Dickson, and the Secretary— of what passed in interview between them and the Right Hon. the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on © Education, 2d February 1871. The Deputation informed Mr. Forster that they had been appointed to wait upon him for the purpose of representing the unanimous opinion of the Educa¬ tion Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, with reference to the omission, by the Privy Council, of religious subjects from the Syllabus for Normal Schools in Scotland for 1871. They had respectfully but strongly to urge that the new Syllabus, prescribing secular subjects only as the course of study upon which H. M. Inspectors would examine at the close of the session, should not have been issued in regard to Scotland. The Education Committee regarded this as opposed to the agreement entered into between the Free Church and the Committee of Council on Education, at the commencement of their connexion in 1847. In proof of the correctness of this opinion, the Deputation referred to * The Inspection Clause, approved of by the Committee of Council on Education (see Minutes 1847-48), and inserted in the model deed of the Free Church Schools, is as follows :— “And further providing and declaring, as it is hereby provided and declared, that the School buildings erected or to be erected on the piece of ground above disponed shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of the inspector or inspectors for the time being appointed by Her Majesty or her successors for the inspection of schools in Scot¬ land : Provided always that the General Assembly of the said body of Christians, or the Committee on Education appointed by them, shall have concurred in the employment of such Inspector or Inspectors in the visitation and examination of schools connected with the said body of Christians ; and also that such Inspector or Inspectors shall be guided and limited in the discharge of his or their duties by the instructions and minutes presented to Parliament by the Committee of Council on Education prior to the date of this disposition or feu charter, and by such other instructions and minutes of the said Committee of Council on Education as may hereafter be so presented to Parliament, and may be accepted and approved by the said General Assembly of the body of Christians aforesaid, or the Committee on Education appointed by them.” 10 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. the Inspection Clause, approved of by the Committee of the Privy Council, and embodied in the trust deed of the Normal Schools and other schools of the Free Church.* With reference to the reason which had been assigned by the Privy Council Committee for omitting religion from the subjects on which students would be examined, in 1871, for certificates of competency as teachers, viz., that the Syllabus might be brought “ into conformity with the principles affirmed by Parliament last session, in the Elementary Education Act,” the Deputation pointed out that the second clause of the Act of last session expressly declared, “ This Act shall not extend to Scotland or Ireland.” They also stated that the Scotch Education Bill of 1869, as it left the House of Commons, contained the following provision (Schedule A.), “ The Committee of Council, within twelve months after the passing of this Act, and after receiving a report from the [Scotch] board as to the modifications of the revised code suitable to Scotland , shall issue a code of minutes and regulations according to which the sum of money voted by Parliament for public education shall be distributed in Scotland.” They further referred to the suspension of the Eevised Code in Scotland, while it was enforced in England, as showing, along with the proofs already given, that the difference between the educational position of the two countries had been distinctly recognized both by the Privy Council and by Parliament. It was also stated that, while the examination under the new Syllabus would not take place till December 1871, the preparation for it on the part of the students had to be going on during the session, which commenced on the 26th January. The Deputation, therefore, strongly urged the withdrawal of the new Syllabus from the Scottish Normal Schools, and the substitution for it of one containing similar subjects of examination to those hitherto prescribed. In reply, Mr. Forster, after expressing his opinion that it was not unnatural for the Free Church Education Committee to send a deputation in the circum¬ stances, stated that he thought there was much misunderstanding on the subject, and that he would give an explanation in regard to it, as he had already endeavoured to do to another deputation. He stated that the action of the Privy Council had not been taken with any desire to anticipate the consideration by Parliament of the Education question in Scotland. It had been necessary for the Council to frame a new Code for England in consequence of the passing of the Education Act of last year. While that Act did not contain any clause relating to Normal Schools, the Council had felt themselves called upon to consider the changes which required to be made on the Code with reference to them, in order that the same principles which Parliament had affirmed regarding elementary schools might be applied to Normal Schools. The Council, in view of the provisions contained in the English Act of last year, decided that they could not propose to Parliament a vote in connexion with English Normal Schools except for in¬ struction and inspection in secular subjects only. They had then to consider whether they would apply the same regulations to Normal Schools in Scotland ; and, taking into account the character of the discussions in Parliament last year, and also the similarity between the English Bill then passed, and the Scotch Bill which was on the point of passing in 1869, the Council determined, in the exercise of their discretion, for which they were responsible to Parliament, to make no distinction between England and Scotland in the matter of the Syllabus for Normal Schools ; and accordingly, they had withdrawn religious subjects from the Syllabus of the Normal Schools of both countries for 1871. It was represented by the Deputation that the fact that an Act had been passed for England did not, in their opinion, give any warrant for applying the principles embodied in it to Scotland, even though it had not contained a distinct provision that the Act was not to extend to that country. All previous legisla¬ tion with reference to education in the two countries had proceeded on the clear understanding that they were entirely distinct, and that Scotland ought not to be made to follow, as a mere matter of course, in the wake of England. It was stated that in the Scotch Bill of 1869, to which reference had been made, there * See Inspection Clause quoted on page 9. NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 11 was a clause with regard to inspection which implied that religious instruction would he given in the schools.* * * § That bill, moreover, gave the Scotch Board power to determine the subjects on which candidates for certificates of competency would be examined.t It was also stated that in the Model Deed of the Free Church Schools, approved of by the Committee of the Privy Council, it was provided that religion should be taught in them “ and above all, that there was an express provision in that Model Deed, founded upon the agreement between the Privy Council and the Free Church, that no change could be made in the instructions given by the Privy Council to Inspectors without the consent of the General Assembly of the Free Church, or their Education Committee.§ In reply, Mr. Forster, whilst promising to take these matters into considera¬ tion, said he hoped there would not be a disposition on the part of the Deputa¬ tion or of the Free Church Education Committee to press technical points. The Deputation expressed their conviction that the application of the principles of an English Act to Scotland, and the setting aside of the stipulations embodied in the Model Trust Deed, could not be regarded as technical matters, but were really matters involving very important principles. Mr. Forster then stated that the principle on which Parliament had acted in regard to England last year—viz., liberty to local parties managing schools to give religious instruction within certain limits, without any cognizance of such instruction being taken by Parliament, or any grant being given in respect of it —would no doubt be again acted on this year with reference to Scotland ; and he went on to express his own opinion that, considering the circumstances of the country, and the forces now at work in this matter, such a settlement of the question was the best for the interests of religion itself, and the most favourable that could be expected by the friends of religious education in our schools. The Deputation again, before leaving, called the attention of Mr. Forster to the unanimity of the feeling of regret with which the alteration of the Syllabus in question was regarded. In the Education Committee—one of the largest and most influential in the Free Church of Scotland, and embracing ministers and elders belonging to all parts of the country—there were doubtless various shades of opinion on the general question ; but the Committee were perfectly unani¬ mous in the desire that the alteration now proposed should be withdrawn. In the event of any clause in the direction of the alteration now proposed being contained in any forthcoming Bill, the Deputation did not undertake to say to what extent it might or might not be acquiesced in. That, as well as all its other provisions, would receive full consideration when the Bill came before the country. But it was generally felt that the pressing at this stage of the new regulation would, with many, create such a feeling of prejudice and alarm as to the probable tenor of the Bill, as might hinder it from getting that unbiassed consideration,—possibly welcome,—by the country, which it might otherwise receive. The Deputation respectfully reminded Mr. Forster, that in the cause of * Clause 40, Parochial Schools (Scotland) Bill 1869, “Provided that no inspector shall examine any person in any such school in religious knowledge, unless he shall have been requested to do so by a majority of the managing body of such school t Clause 42, Bill 1869 :— “ It shall be the duty of the Board to make such regulations as they may see fit in regard to the time and manner, and the standards of the examinations to be passed by such -persons as desire to obtain a certificate of competency , and as to the subjects to which such standards shall extend. t “Provided always that religion shall be given in said school according to such regu¬ lations as may be laid down from time to time by the said General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland.” § “ Provided always that such Inspector or Inspectors shall be guided or limited in the discharge of his or their duties by the instructions and minutes presented to Parlia¬ ment by the Committee of Council on Education prior to the date of this disposition or feu-charter, and by such other instructions and minutes of the said Committee of Council on Education as may hereafter be so presented to Parliament, and may be accepted and approved by the said General Assembly of the body of Christians aforesaid, or the Com¬ mittee on Education appointed by them.” _ • 12 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. IT. Christian Education in Scotland, the Free Church had, since the Disruption expended above £600,000, besides an outlay still continued of about £15,000 a year. This, the Deputation believed, would at least be accepted as an evidence of their deep interest in the subject ; and it encouraged them in the hope that, on the various grounds stated, the present remonstrance would be given effect to, and the alteration objected to would be withdrawn. VII. — Report of the Education Committee on the Education (Scotland) Bill 1871, ordered to be presented to the Commission of the General Assembly, at their Meeting on 1st March 1871. The General Assembly of 1870 instructed the Education Committee to watch over any measure of National Education that might be proposed, “ in its relation to the educational position and work of the Church, and the interests of the various parties connected with her schools.” In considering, under the above remit, the Bill recently introduced into Parlia¬ ment by the Lord Advocate, the most important thing to be taken into account by this Committee is the effect which it may have on the objects which the Free Church Education Scheme was designed to accomplish. Those objects were chiefly two, viz., to provide for teachers deprived of their situations on account of their adherence to the Free Church, and to secure for as many children as pos¬ sible the means of an education based upon Scriptural principles. I. In connexion with the second and more permanent of these objects, the point which on several accounts deserves first to be considered, is the general superintendence under which the Bill proposes to place the schools of Scotland, and which, in respect of such of the Free Church schools as may come under the management of local boards, will supersede the functions of superintendence now possessed by the Church. The Scotch Education Department, in which, accord¬ ing to the provisions of the Bill, this general superintending power is to be vested, and which will exercise great control over the education of the country, is to con¬ sist of “ the Lords of any Committee of the Privy Council appointed by Her Majesty on Education in Scotland.” There is no security that the members of Committee or any of them shall be Scotchmen, or acquainted with the distinctive and highly-prized features of the Scottish educational system. In all probability, indeed, the Scotch Education Department will be virtually the existing Educa¬ tion Department, acting under a new name ; for the Bill provides (clause 2) that “ the said Scotch Education Department shall be at liberty to employ the same officers who may from time to time be employed by the Education Department for England.” Besides the powers which the Bill specifically confers on the Scotch Education department, the same clause (2) proposes that they shall “ possess and exercise with respect to Education in Scotland all powers and authorities possessed and exercised with respect to Education in England by the Education Department, as the said Department defined in the Act of the thirty- third and thirty-fourth of Victoria, chapter seventy-five [i.e., the English Educa¬ tion Act of last year], in so far as these shall be applicable to Education in Scot¬ land, and shall, in the judgment of the said Scotch Education Department, be capable of being advantageously exercised, having regard to the law of Scotland on the subject as amended and extended by this Act.” The third clause of the Bill seems to imply that inconvenience is expected to result from having all the business of superintending the schools of Scotland carried on in London, for it provides that “It shall be lawful for the Scotch Education Department, from time to time, with the consent of the Lords of Her Majesty’s Treasury, to appoint and employ such officers in Scotland as they shall judge necessary to perform the duties connected with the said Department, which it shall be deemed proper and convenient to be performed there, and the said officers shall be subject to the control of the said Department, and the expenses of the said officers shall be NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 13 deemed part of the expenses of the said Department.” It is desirable that the exact scope and bearing of this clause should be known. It may be so interpreted as to enable the Department to appoint what would practically be a Scotch Board, or it may be only intended to enable them to employ officials in Scotland for the performance of some of the ordinary routine work of administration. In either case, however, it is desirable that the arrrangements contemplated, in regard to the officers who may be employed, the powers that may be given to them, and the nature of their duties, as well as the benefits that are expected to be obtained through the operation of the clause, should be indicated to the public. But is the Department referred to the right body to intrust with the management of education in Scotland ? No doubt, objections have been offered to the constitution of previous School Boards named in former Bills. But it is surely possible to secure a satisfactory Scotch Representative Board meeting in Edinburgh, and with its deliberations open to the press, which would superintend education in Scotland greatly better than a Department of the Lords of the Privy Council; and this Board, making an annual report of its proceedings to Parlia¬ ment, might be intrusted with the administration of an amount of Parliamentary grant proportionate to the requirements of Scotland, and to the sum given for education in England and Ireland. The Schedule (C.) appended to the Bill, provides that the Scotch Education Department shall issue a code of minutes and regulations, which may be altered from time to time, and according to which the annual Parliamentary grant shall be distributed in Scotland. In connexion with this, attention may be directed to the New Code which has recently been issued by the existing Education Department, although, except as regards Normal Schools, it has not yet been applied to Scotland. Among other changes, the code omits religion altogether from the subjects in regard to which the qualifications of pupil-teachers are to be tested, either at the commencement, or during the course, or at the close, of their engagement: and it provides that pupil-teachers shall, at other than the ordinary school hours, receive, without charge, from the certificated teachers to whom they are apprenticed, special instruction during six hours a week,—but such special instruction must be in the subjects in which they are next to be examined, as prescribed in the code. The Revised Code, which has in England been superseded by this New Code, and under which religious knowledge formed one of the subjects of examination for pupil-teachers, required that five hours a week should be devoted to their special instruction in the subjects in which they were to be examined. It has also to be borne in mind that the indentures of pupil-teachers must be made out in the terms of the schedule attached to the code, which con¬ tains no provision for instruction in religion being given to them even at extra hours. Indeed, it is a question whether either teachers or pupil-teachers, in ad¬ dition to giving twenty-five hours a week to the ordinary school work required of them, and six hours to the special instruction above mentioned, could be expected to devote the time and attention necessary to make the religious instruction which has hitherto formed an indispensable part of a pupil-teacher’s training, really effective. The New Code will, therefore, discourage the religious training of pupil-teachers, a training which the Committee consider to be of the greatest importance. And when it is considered that in future the head masters of our national schools will be drawn even more largely from the ranks of pupil-teachers than they have hitherto been, the risk of their being insufficiently instructed in the knowledge of religion during their apprenticeship, and of their being led to attach comparatively little importance to it as part of the preparation for their life work, and the consequences that are likely to result therefrom, deserves serious attention. Probably one of the most effectual means of guarding against such regulations being laid down in the Scotch Code as may operate injuriously on our educational system, will be to secure that the framing of the Code is in¬ trusted to parties who are acquainted with, and will give effect to, the wishes of the people of Scotland in regard to this matter. But at all events there should be some security against any Code including so many hours for ordinary secular instruction as to leave no time for daily religious training. 14 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. II. The next point that may he considered under the remit of the General Assembly relates to the mode in which the Bill proposes to deal with existing schools. Under this head the provisions of the Bill, in so far as the opening up of the management of the parish schools is concerned, will doubtless meet with a very decided approval. Though the Act of 1861 removed the test, the enforce¬ ment of which had caused the ejection from their situations of the parochial schoolmasters who adhered to the Free Church at the Disruption, it left the management of the schools in the hands of the parish ministers and the limited body of heritors qualified under the Act of 1803. And the Scottish Education Commissioners reported in 1867 that, notwithstanding the passing of the Act of 1861, the election of teachers to parish schools had been almost entirely limited to members of the Established Church. In the case of the parish schools, the Bill (clause 25) provides that boards elected by the ratepayers shall, with respect to school management and the election of schoolmasters and teachers, supersede and come in the place of the parish minister and heritors qualified according to the existing law, and abolishes all jurisdiction, power, or authority, possessed or exercised by presbyteries or other church courts. Probably “ management ” includes the power of fixing the branches of instruction, but this should be made clear. With regard to the manner in which existing schools,—of which our own will form an important portion,—other than parish or burgh schools, are to be treated, clause 29 provides that the Local Boards shall have power, subject to the approval of the Scotch Education Department, to determine the educational requirements of their respective districts, and the extent and quality of the provisions for sup¬ plying the same by means of existing schools. They may, according to clause 39, “ acquire by purchase, or take in lease, any existing schools.” There is some doubt, however, as to the exact bearing of this clause when taken in connexion with the one (40) that follows it, which may be quoted in full. “ With respect to schools now existing, or which may hereafter exist, in any parish or burgh erected or acquired and maintained, or partly maintained, with funds derived from contributions or donations (whether by the members of a particular church or religious body or not) for the purpose, or authorised by the contributors or donors to be applied for the purpose of promoting Education ; be it enacted, that it shall be lawful for the person or persons vested with the title to any such school, with the consent of the person or persons having the administration of the trusts upon which the same is held, to transfer such school, together with the site thereof, and any land or schoolmaster’s house held and used in connexion therewith, upon the same or a similar title, to the School Board of the parish or burgh in which it is situated, to the end and effect that such school shall there¬ after be under the management of such Boaj-d as a public school in the same manner as any public school under this Act, and it shall be lawful for the School Board, with the consent of the Scotch Education Department, to accept of such transference, and on the same being made and accepted, the said school, with the site and any land or schoolmaster’s house included in the transference, shall be vested in the School Board, and the school shall thereafter be deemed to be a public school under this Act, and shall be maintained and managed by the School Board, and be subject to all the provisions of this Act accordingly ; and the existing schoolmaster and other teachers, if any, of such school may be continued as such schoolmaster and teachers by the School Board, and their continuance in office may be made a condition of the transference of the school to the Board ; and when so continued, such schoolmaster and teachers shall have the like salaries assigned to them, and shall be in" all respects in the same position, and have the same rights, and be subject to the same provisions as schoolmasters and teachers appointed by a School Board under this Act to a public school of the same class as the school so transferred.” It is not quite clear whether the “ acquiring by purchase,” on the part of the Local Boards, mentioned in clause 39, and the “ transference,” mentioned in clause 40, refer to the same transaction, or are intended to apply to different kinds of schools, or whether the transference in clause 40 is intended to refer to transference for a price. The connexion of NO. II. APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. 15 the two clauses, and the powers given to local managers of schools, to the trus¬ tees of the general funds, such as the Free Church School-Building Fund, with aid from which many schools have been built, and to the Local Boards, respec¬ tively, should be clearly ascertained. It is also both equitable and important that provision should be made by which the Free Church, if she is disposed to part with her. schools, should do so according to some general understanding with whatever body may have the superintending power, rather than that they should be taken, or not taken, by Local Boards in detail. And it is clearly not consis¬ tent with right and justice that the schools to the erection of which the Free Church has contributed so large a sum of money, and which in many cases may at present be used for other than mere school purposes, should be transferred without compensation, more especially as in some cases Free Church teachers may be thrown out of employment, and may require to be provided for. It is also a matter of importance that equitable provision should be introduced into the Bill for the disposal, or appropriation to other purposes, of Free Church school buildings that may be found to be unnecessary under the new system, but which, by the terms of their charters, might be forfeited if not used for schools. If our schools be disposed of, they will then be managed as public schools by the Local Boards, which, according to the provisions of the Bill, are to consist of from five to fifteen members, as may be determined in the case of each parish or burgh by the Scotch Education Department. The members are to be elected by the method known as the cumulative vote. Both the plan of nomination, and of election proposed in the Bill (clauses 8 and 9) require very careful consideration. Should any of our schools be retained under their present management, they may, if taught by certificated teachers, obtain annual Parliamentary grants according to the rates and under the conditions prescribed by the Code to be issued in connexion with the Bill, provided they be recognised as efficiently con¬ tributing to the secular education of the parish or burgh in which they are situ¬ ated (clause 74). The third rule of Schedule (C) attached to the Bill, provides that the amount of the Parliamentary grant to any school shall not, except in special cases, to be mentioned immediately, exceed the income of the school derived from other sources. The English Act of last Session contained a similar clause. Subject to that restriction, the New Code, which has come into force in England, allows grants to be made to schools, if earned according to the condi¬ tions prescribed in it, to the amount of 15s. per scholar, calculated on the average number in attendance. Grants of equal amount will probably be allowed to schools in Scotland. To meet the case of schools in poor localities, especially in the Highlands and Islands, the fourth rule of Schedule (C) proposes that they shall receive extra Parliamentary grants. But it is declared that such extra grants shall not exceed the sum of 16s. per scholar, according to the average number in attendance ; and considering that, under the Bill, the expense of maintaining the parish schools is to fall, not on the heritors as hitherto, but on the ratepayers, it is doubtful whether in the Highlands, where so much of the educational work of the Free Church is at present carried on, the Parliamentary grants and the fees will be sufficient, along with such local assessments as the people may be able to bear, for maintaining and'extending the means of educa¬ tion. It may be necessary for the Church to consider specially how the neces¬ sities of these districts are to be provided for. Clause 74 of the Bill also allows the Scotch Education Department to give a grant to any new school—not being a public or rate-supported school—if they are satisfied, after such inquiry as they see fit, that such school is specially needed for the population in the locality in which it is situated. The Committee are of opinion that, under a proper national system, such a provision as this is unneces¬ sary. III. It is to be noticed that the Bill contains no reference to religion, except that it shall be no part of the duty of H. M. Inspectors to examine any scholar in religious knowledge (clause 73); that the annual Parliamentary grant shall not be made in respect of any instruction in religious subjects (clause 74); and 16 APPENDIX TO REPORT ON EDUCATION. NO. II. that there is a conscience clause (75). All these clauses, it will be observed, are of a negative or excluding character. On the other hand, it is presumed from clause 25 that, in regard to the parish schools, the Local Boards are to possess the power, presently possessed by the ministers and heritors, of fixing the branches of education to be taught; and clause 27 may be understood as giving power to the Local Boards to fix the branches to be taught in all the schools which shall be conducted under their “ control, management, and superinten¬ dence.” The Committee are impressed with the importance of securing, in any national system, that “ godly upbringing of the young ” which has ever been the special object of our Scheme ; and they are strongly of opinion that religion must form an essential part of education in common schools. With these convictions, they agree that, to remove any doubt that may exist as to the provisions of the Bill with regard to this matter, power should be given, in express terms, to Local Boards to fix the branches of education to be taught; that the use of the Bible in National Schools should be secured by a clause in the Bill so worded as to be incapable of a construction which would exclude the Shorter Catechism ; and also that provision should be made in the Bill that the Code for regulating the Parliamentary grants shall be so framed as not practically to prevent, or put obstacles in the way of, the teaching of religion in the schools. IV. There are various provisions in the Bill connected with the training, re¬ muneration, and status of teachers, which deserve serious consideration. The proposals with regard to the training of teachers are unsatisfactory ; and this is all the more to be regretted considering that the Committee and the deputies appointed by the Assembly of 1869 were successful, after great exertion, in securing the insertion of clauses in the Bill of that year which were, on the whole, satisfactory. Under that Bill, as it left the Commons, certificates might have been obtained either from the examiners whom it proposed to appoint, or from the Committee of Council ; while it further provided that no person could be even presented to these examiners unless he had gone through a course of train¬ ing either at a Normal School or in some other way approved of by the Scotch Board. But under the present Bill, certificates are to be obtained in only one way (clauses 60 to 65), viz., by passing an examination before a Board consisting of a member elected by each of the University Courts, and of such other parties as the Scotch Education Department may think fit to add. Any person may present himself for examination on paying a fee of one pound ; and the students attending the Normal Schools will not receive certificates on passing the usual examination at the end of their course of training, but must pay the fee and present themselves for examination before the new examining body. The Scot¬ tish Education Commissioners recommended that certificates should be obtained in both the ways above mentioned ; and the provisions secured in the Bill of 1869 seem to be the least that could be regarded as satisfactory. The proposal with regard to the remuneration of the teachers of public schools (clause 57) is not clear, and the amount mentioned as the minimum, though it should be exclu¬ sive of school fees, is regarded as too small ; and the clause (71) by which retiring allowances to teachers are made to depend, in every case, on the will of the School Boards and of the Scotch Education Department, does not seem to have been framed with a sufficient regard to the reasonable claims of teachers. The proposal to confer power on the Scotch Education Department, without a public inquiry, not only to dismiss a teacher from his situation (clause 68), but to deprive him of his certificate (clause 70), and so render him incapable of teaching in any public school, is also open to objection. In name and by appointment of the Education Committee, WILLIAM NIXON, Convener . NO. II. APPENDIX. 17 COMMITTEE 1 871-72. -- MIN ISTERS. Mr. John Laidlaw. Mr. George Laing. Mr. A. Anderson, Helensburgh. Mr. J. C. M'Phail. Mr. R. C. Smith. Mr. G. F. Knight. Mr. David Ogilvy, Dalziel. Mr. William Nixon. Principal Lumsden. Dr. Begg. Mr. George Brown. Mr. Thomas Brown. Dr. R. Buchanan. Principal Candlish. Mr. A. Grierson. Mr. W. Fraser, Paisley. Mr. J. Thomson, Prestonkirk. Mr. A. R. Findlay. Mr. Thomas Main. Dr. R. Elder. Dr. Thomas M‘Lauchlan. Professor Douglas. Mr. Alex. Rankin. Mr. Wm, Masterton. Mr. G. S. Sutherland. Mr. D. F. Arthur. Mr. Wm. Tasker. Mr. George Philip. Mr. Alex. Mackenzie. Sir H. W. Moncreife, Bart., D.D. Dr. Thomas Smith. Dr. W. Wilson, Dundee. Mr. W. Cousin. Dr. John Nelson. Mr. Archibald Smellie. Mr. Finlay M‘Pherson. % ELDERS. Mr. R. C. Williamson. Mr. John Macmillan. Mr. F. Edmond. Mr. Wm. Rettie. Mr. James Wilson. Mr. John Dick. Mr. F. B. Douglas. Sheriff Galbraith. Mr. John Greig. Dr. George Brown. Mr. J. 0. Dalgleish. Mr. D. Macdonald. Mr. Wm. Dickson. Mr. Wm. Kidston. Mr. P. D. Swan. Mr. John Cuthbertson. Mr. F. J. Ferguson. Mr. H. Walker. Mr. William Mitchell. Captain Shepherd. Dr. James Cumming. Mr. John Gifford. Mr. W. Davidson. Mr. Nixon, Convener. Principal Lumsden, Vice-Convener. Mr. Alex. Thomson, Secretary. 2 B ■ ' > . •: . . . .’i I., > . i . ■ .-i )i ^ ,1 j . ■ ' • , . I .