The following table presents the latest general statistics attainable for all classes of schools:

e Includes Owens College, Manchester, University College, Liverpool, and Yorkshire College, Leeds. d Includes 768 evening students and 60 women.

e Includes 819 evening pupils and 168 medical students. There are in addition 1,580 evening students not included.

Includes 15 professors of medical colleges.

gNot additional to students in elementary and secondary schools; enumeration for entire Kingdom. h Science.

iArt.

For all the purposes of the department, including administration appropriations to museums, etc. Parliamentary grant, $16,414,725.

SYSTEM OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.1

Relation of the state to.-Elementary education was carefully organized by the education act of 1870. By this act the Government assumed the responsibility of securing adequate accommodation in public. elementary schools for all children of school age in England and Wales, an interest which had hitherto been left to private initiative. The terri

The sources of information that have been consulted for the preparation of this statement are the education acts, 1870, 1873, 1876, annual reports of the education department, reports of city boards, report of the royal commission appointed in 1884 to investigate the operations of the system, and educational journals which make weekly records of its movement.

tory was divided into school board districts, provision made for the election of boards and the rates (i. e., local taxes) made contributory to the work. In case of the failure of the rate-payers of a district to take action the Government stepped in and ordered the election of boards. Government grants for education which dated from 1833 were greatly increased and their application extended. Through the operations of this act in six years school attendance was doubled.

The system is under the fostering care of the state, which provides the greater portion of the funds for its maintenance directly from the public treasury in the form of an annual parliamentary grant, and exercises a large measure of control over its operations.

The policy of the Government, however, in the management of this great interest, is that of stimulating and aiding local effort. This is done not only by requiring the rate-payers of school districts to take the initiative in providing school accommodation, but further, by the extension of Government aid to schools established by denominational or private effort, provided that their managers fulfill specified conditions. In all cases the Government grant is proportioned to the amount of local funds raised.

Schools, how established.-The system includes two distinct classes of schools, viz, board and voluntary; the former established by the school boards elected by the rate-payers; the latter chiefly church schools, but including also a small number of private undenominational schools. The voluntary schools at the present time make provision for about two-thirds of the school-going children. These schools bear witness to the zeal of religious bodies in respect to education. In England, as in other countries, they began the work of instructing the young. Their ideal was developed from the Christian consciousness of the church; it had chief reference to the moral nature and immortal destiny of people, and led naturally to the employment of formal religious instruction as the chief means of human enlightenment.

The board schools are the outcome of the political consciousness of the nation, which developed rapidly from the time of the passage of the reform act of 1832. Although the two ideals have much in common, they have come to conflict at many points; at this moment it is apparent that the later ideal is to prevail over the earlier.

The record of the progress of this dual system since 1870, the date of its organization, is interesting and suggestive. In that year 8,281 voluntary schools came into relation with the department. They had accommodations for 1,878,584 pupils, and an average attendance of 1,152,389; the former number being a little over 8 per cent. of the poplation at that date.

The following statistics bring into comparative view the two classes of schools at the date of the latest report. The present enrollment is slightly above 16 per cent. of the present estimated population. The average attendance shows an increase of 220 per cent. over that of 1870.

STATISTICS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ENGLAND AND WALES, 1888–89.

Under the codes, i. e., annual regulations of the Educational Department, preceding that of 1890 the larger proportion of the grant allowed each school depended upon the number of pupils passing the Govern ment examination. Hence, the number present on the day of the inspector's visit was an important item in the statistics. In 1889 this number was 4,307,979, i. e., boys, 2,228,341; girls, 2,079,638. Of the registered pupils 31.34 per cent. were under 7 years of age; 64.43 per cent. between 7 and 14, and 4.23 per cent. above 14 years of age.

Finances.-The funds for the support of board schools are derived chiefly from local rates, fees, and the government grant; those for the support of voluntary schools from endowments, contributions, school fees, and the grant. The amount and proportion from each source in 1888-89 were as follows:

TABLE 21.-Total income for support of schools and proportion from each contributing source, 1888-89.

Ratio of school rates to ratable values.-From a careful estimate, it appears that the amount raised from the rates for the support of board schools bears to the ratable values the following proportions:

Extraordinary expenditures.-In addition to the current expenditure, large sums are annually required for buildings and other permanent improvements.

The education act authorizes boards to secure loans for these purposes, the repayment being spread over such numbers of years, not exceeding fifty, as may be sanctioned by the Education Department.

In 1889, loans for works of permanent character received by 2,246 boards amounted to a little more than $5,000,000.

The total amount advanced for this purpose from 1870 to 1889 inclusive, is estimated at $105,168,365.

The annual expenditure under this head naturally diminishes as the school provision becomes more and more complete.

ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION.

Central administration.-The system of elementary education is administered in accordance with the education act of 1870, the subsequent modifying acts of 1873; 1874, and 1876, and the latest annual code.

It is in charge of the Education Department, generally termed the Committee of Council on Education, composed of lords of the privy council.

The nominal head of the department is the lord president of the privy council; the active head is a member of the privy council who is called the vice president of the committee on education; he represents the department in the House of Commons. The department prepares the annual code for the regulation of the schools, which is submitted to Parliament for approval. Local school authorities are subject to the regulations issued by the department, and all contentions respecting school matters may be referred to it. The department also distributes the Parliamentary grant and makes an annual report upon the condition of the schools.

Inspectors appointed by the sovereign, upon the recommendation of the department, visit the schools each year, examine the pupils, and investigate the general condition of the schools. Their report determines the amount of grant which each school may claim. Chief inspectors are also appointed for general superintendence over assigned sections of the country.

There are twelve of these superior officials, two of whom are assigned to the charge of training colleges. The inspectorate is an interesting feature of the system, and its operations deserve careful consideration. The incumbents of the office are generally university men, not experienced in the details of elementary school work. The list includes several names of distinction, notably Matthew Arnold and J. G. Fitch. The service which these men have rendered is of great and permanent value and well illustrates the advantage to be derived from bringing into such a work minds having what has been happily called "intellectual detachment."

It is very generally asserted, however, that such appointments are exceedingly rare, and do not compensate for the disadvantages resulting from the ill-directed efforts of the large body of inspectors who lack the practical understanding of their duties that previous experience in humbler relations with the schools might supply. The questions here suggested are constantly discussed, and it is probable that in the future at least a fair proportion of teachers may look for promotion to the more lucrative and more distinguished service.

Local management.-In pursuance of the policy of fostering local effort, large liberty is left to local school authorities in respect to all matters not directly affecting the interests of the Government or of the general public.

For the purposes of the education acts England and Wales are divided into "school districts." These are the metropolis, every borough, two only excepted, and each parish.

School boards may be formed in these districts upon the application of the rate-payers or by order of the department. A school board must be formed in a district whenever there is not adequate provision for the children of school age (i. e., 5 to 13) in schools recognized by the department as efficient.