EDUCATION IN SCOTLAND.

HC Deb 17 June 1834 vol 24 cc514-9

Mr. Colquhoun moved for leave to bring in a Bill to regulate and enlarge the provision for parochial Education in Scotland. In every parish in Scotland there was not only a parish-church, but a parish-school paid like the Church, by the heritors, the master of which was appointed by them. It was placed under the superintendence of the clergy, and the master of it passed under their review. The system had been in operation for above two centuries; but about a century and a-half ago it was completed, and the principle of the system that there should be a school for every thousand persons was nearly realized by there being a school in each parish. But, since then, the population of Scotland had more than doubled—it had risen from 1,000,000 to 2,330,000; and, as there had been no corresponding increase in parochial schools, the number of parishes in Scotland being 907, and the parochial schools of Scotland, at this moment, being 1,005, it was clear, that the provision of parochial education was not now adequate. By the last census, it appeared, that there were in Glasgow 46,000 between the ages of five and fifteen; that was, between one-forth and one-fifth of the population at an age to receive education. In Prussia, by the last census, 2,000,000 out of 12,000,000 were between the ages of seven and fourteen; in the United States, there was a still larger proportion. Now, in Prussia, there were 2,000,000 persons, or one-sixth of the population, actually received education; in the State of New York, one-fourth; and, in Holland,—a country the authority of which he preferred to either of the others,—one-fifth of the population were receiving education. The result of the inquiries of the Committee of the General Assembly was similar. To educate the population of the Highlands (upwards of 500,000) there should be 83,000 at school, or one-sixth. Such was actually the state of several of the Lowland parishes. One parish, Foss-away, had one-fourth of the population at school; Comrie and Mid-Calder, had each one-fifth; Colington, Ruthwell, Kirkwall, and Tongue, had each one-sixth; so that he assumed one-sixth of the population as the proportion requiring education. Applying that test to the towns of Scotland, their deficiency in the means of education would be apparent. In Glasgow, about one-fourteenth was at school; at Dundee, one-fifteenth; at Perth, under one-fifteenth; at Old Aberdeen, one-twenty-fifth; at Paisley, (the Abbey-parish, containing nearly one-half of the population,) one-twentieth. In Paisley, thirty years ago, there was not a family who could not read, and had not a Bible—all above nine could read, or were at school; whereas, by a very accurate scrutiny, made in one parish, it now appeared, that there were, in Paisley, 3,000 families without education, and the children of which were growing up wholly untaught. In Glasgow, there were 20,000 growing up uneducated; and, it appeared, that there were from 6,000 to 7,000 persons living by crime, a large proportion of whom were young. Of the Highlands, there were authentic returns; and what was their state as to education? In the 143 Highland parishes, out of 500,000, there were 83,000 who could not read, and had no means of learning; 250,000 could not write. In the 132 parishes of Banff, Elgin, and Aberdeen, the average of the persons at school was one-eleventh; and there were instances of one-twelfth, one-thirteenth, one-fifteenth, and one-twentieth, in other parishes taken indiscriminately over the south and central parts of Scotland. In one parish in the county of Berwick, the proportion at school was one-fifteenth; in two parishes in Edinburgh and Wigton, one-eleventh; in a parish in the county of Stirling, one-twelfth; in a parish in the county of Dumbarton, one-thirteenth; and several of these instances occurred in rural parishes; the two worst instances being in the counties of Banff and Aberdeen, in one of which there was only one-thirteenth at school, and in the other one-twentieth—and both were rural parishes. He was aware that Scotland ranked high in the estimation of all, on the subject of education. He was sorry to contest that opinion, but it was the best and the truest policy to exhibit clearly the state of the case, in order that the evil might be remedied. What was the remedy? Many supposed it might be found in schools established by private teachers. But the Assembly's Committee said, that a schoolmaster ought to have at least 40l. a-year, with accommodations. But the average fees of a private teacher over the whole Highlands, were ascertained to be 13l. per annum. In Shetland, the average was 3l. One parish in the county of Dumbarton paid 15l.; two paid 4l. each. In the Returns, from 15l. to 25l. was the most frequent answer; 25l. and 30l. rare; a larger remuneration was still more uncommon. It was not to be supposed that a schoolmaster could live upon that which was insufficient for the worst-paid day labourer, and these private schools were often taught by the most incompetent persons, such as "boys and aged females, a retired soldier, a fisherman, an innkeeper." Five out of seven schools of private adventure in one parish, in the Lowlands, and in another parish, four out of the nine were taught by women. But it was supposed, that in towns where the population was more dense, private teachers might have a larger number of scholars. On the contrary, the average attendance in towns was less than in the Highland parishes, and the receipts of the schoolmasters varied from 15l. to 25l., sometimes 35l.—more rarely 40l. In one town, five out of the twelve schools were kept by females. If they would, therefore, secure well-paid masters and a respectable school, they must have something besides the fees, by which alone the master could not support himself; in other words, there must be a permanent salary. Some might suppose, that the endowment might flow from charitable contribution. But in the Highlands when the General Assembly investigated their state, they required 450 schools, or 450 endowments for the masters. They had eighty-five; and far beyond that it did not appear that their exertions could extend. But, moreover, the endowments should be adequate, not an overgrown salary, but such a decent maintenance as an income of 40l. Taking that as the standard, the salaries of many of the parochial schoolmasters in Scotland were lamentably inadequate. In one Highland parish, the Report of the Assembly's Committee said, the schoolmaster had three guineas per annum; in eleven parishes in Argyleshire, the salaries did not amount to above 10l. or 11l. each. In three counties the salaries were as low as 8l., 17l., 19l.;the salary and fees together, 19l., 20l., 23l., 28l. Either inferior men would take the situation, or superior men taking it, would turn their attention to other occupations, by which they might be enabled to eke out their income. Educated men would not be satisfied with wages which would not satisfy a farm servant; many of the parochial schools were, therefore, in a deplorable condition. Another point of almost equal importance was the superintendence and moral agency which should accompany the parochial school. Those who established the system had an eye to this, when they connected parochial schools with parochial churches, and blended the provision for schools with the provision for religious instruction. If they merely gave a good salary to a master, they might have an indolent and inefficient teacher; there must, therefore, be over him a local superintendence. But they might establish a good school, and plant in the school a good master, fix a low rate of payment, and make the school accessible to the whole people of the parish, and still the school might not be filled; for without the agency of the parish minister, visiting the people, and urging them to send their children to school, they might have little inclination to send them or to resist the many temptations to keep them away, or prematurely withdraw them. He had found, that in almost every instance in which the parish schools were well filled, the clergyman was active and zealous. In one instance where the clerical agency was not very active, one twenty-fifth of the population only went to school; but in a small district assigned to a chapel of ease, the minister of which was exceedingly active, the proportion was as high as one-tenth. The hon. Member quoted several other instances of the good effects of placing schools under the super-intendence of the clergy, and then said, he had established, he hoped, the case, which it was his object to bring before the House, that there was a great deficiency of education in Scotland; that it was necessary that that deficiency should be supplied, and that it could be supplied only by establishing additional schools, and providing the masters of them with a reasonable salary, through the medium of an endowment. He was aware his hon. friend, the member for Ross-shire, was inclined to prefer the principle adopted by the Government in the education grant for England, namely, that of applying money to the erection of schools and school-houses. Experience was decisive against that opinion. The Committee of the General Assembly had established eighty-five schools, and had never found the slightest difficulty in having school-houses and other accommodations erected by the voluntary liberality of the heritors; and the Secretary of that Committee had informed him that they had now hundreds of applications from heritors offering to build the schools and houses, if the Assembly would secure them a provision for the masters. Was it, therefore, too much to expect that the liberality of Parliament should beextended to Scotland? The sum which he proposed to be annually granted for the extension of the means of education in Scotland was 60,000l.; and he trusted, that the House would not consider that an extravagant sum. The expense to the country of maintaining a metropolitan police alone, was considerably more than 200,000l. a-year; and the expense of maintaining the police of Edinburgh and Glasgow was greater than the amount of the grant he proposed. When the House, therefore, considered the influence which education had in the suppression of crime, he trusted, his proposal would appear deserving the concurrence of hon. Members, on the mere ground of economical Government. The case in Scotland was once the same as it was in Ireland now. A century had not elapsed since there was agitation in the former country, and when garrisons and a standing army were necessary to preserve public tranquillity. Scotland had her Whitefeet and her Blackfeet and her Captain Rock, whose history had been preserved by her great novelist. The beneficial change which had since taken place, was principally to be ascribed to the diffusion of education in the country; and it would still be found that, as education prevailed, crime would be suppressed, and the peace and tranquillity of the country be preserved. The hon. Gentleman then concluded, by moving for leave to bring in his Bill.

Mr. Hume

said, that he was a warm friend to education; but he doubted whether the bringing in the hon. Gentleman's Bill at present would not defeat the object he had in view. He would suggest to the hon. Member, whether the most proper course to pursue would not, in the first instance, be to move for the appointment of a Committee of Inquiry into the state of education in Scotland, and then the House could act on the Report of that Committee to whatever extent should appear to it most advisable.

Mr. Stewart Mackenzie

concurred with the hon. member for Middlesex in suggesting the propriety of an inquiry previous to legislating on the subject.

Mr. Aglionby

was also of opinion, that it would be premature to legislate on the subject without previously appointing a Committee of Inquiry.

Sir George Strickland

said, the House should not rashly agree to large grants of the public money for such purposes as those contemplated by the hon. Member. If 60,000l. were annually granted to promote parochial education in Scotland, how large would be the sum the House would be called on to vote to England for the same purpose, when the difference in the amount of the population of the two countries was considered?

Sir Daniel Sandford

cordially concurred with the hon. member for Middlesex in suggesting the propriety of appointing a Committee of Inquiry previous to bringing in any Bill on the subject. He thought that a Committee might be appointed, and witnesses got up from Scotland and examined (for only four or five would be required), in sufficient time to enable the hon. Member to carry his measure during the present Session, notwithstanding its advanced state. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was in the habit of annually instituting inquiries into the state of education in that country; and the venerable Moderator of that Assembly would at once furnish the Committee with many valuable documents on the subject, which, with the examination of two or three witnesses, would afford all the information that would be requisite.

Lord Althorp

differed in opinion from the hon. and learned member for Paisley, when he said, that there would be sufficient time for the examination of witnesses, after getting them up from Scotland, this Session. He agreed with those hon. Gentlemen who thought that, unless there were further information on the subject before the House, it would be premature to legislate on the matter. He did not wish to institute any comparison between the system of education adopted in England and that which was pursued in Scotland; but he must say, that his own opinion was, that the system which had been adopted as to England should be adopted for Scotland. He (Lord Althorp) thought that the better plan for the hon. Gentleman to have pursued would have been to bring in the Bill and refer it to a Committee up-stairs.

Motion withdrawn.

Mr. Buckingham

rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to prevent duelling, but the House was counted out.