§ 6. "That a sum, not exceeding £604,933, be granted to Her Majesty, to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charm, which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March 1898, for Public Education in Scotland."
§ *MR. WEIRcomplained that in many parts of the Highlands children who did not know a word of English were put under masters who did not know a word of Gaelic. He wished that in those districts where the children spoke Gaelic only, the schoolmasters should be Gaelic-speaking.
§ *THE LORD ADVOCATEsaid there was nothing to prevent the School Boards appointing competent Gaelic-speaking teachers. Certainly the question was one which was properly left to the School Boards to deal with.
§ *Mr. THOMAS HEDDERWICK (Wick Burghs)said that the idioms in the Gaelic language were entirely different from those in the English language, and it was well that a teacher should comprehend the forms of thought passing through a child's mind, and that a child should be able to understand what his master really meant. It would certainly tend to make education in the Gaelic-speaking portions of the north of Scotland much more efficient if care were taken that a certain number, at all events, of school instructors understood the language of the children they were employed to teach.
MR. McLEODsaid that lie and his hon. Friends were anxious that by means of a Gaelic-speaking teacher a child would at a very much earlier age and at very considerably less trouble acquire the English language than it did under the present system. He was certain that if the Education Department were to show a greater desire to encourage employment of Gaelic-speaking teachers the authorities in the Highlands would gladly employ them At present the Government gave a special grant—it is only a small one—in cases where Gaelic-speaking teachers were employed. But to employ such men it cost the authorities 790 considerably more than the grant they received.
§ SIR THOMAS ESMONDE (Kerry, W.)said it seemed to him that the attitude of the Scotch Office in this matter was very similar to that of the Irish authorities. The authorities in both countries did not appear to be friendly to the Gaelic language: their policy seemed to be directed towards—he would not say stamping the language out, but offering no facilities for its extension. That was a very great pity. Gaelic was one of the oldest languages in Europe, and it ought to be a care of the Government to preserve it. The hon. member for Ross and Cromarty merely asked that in those districts where the children spoke Gaelic a man who understood Gaelic should be employed to teach their. Surely a more modest request could not be made.
§ *MR. WILLIAM JONES (Carnarvon, Arfon)said the Gaelic-speaking children could never think in English. They thought in the language they were accustomed to speak in, and whenever they wanted to learn English they naturally used their own language as a basis. The encouragement given by the Education Department for the study of English through the medium of Welsh ought to be taken as a precedent and an illustration in this ease. ["Hear, hear!"] In Welsh schools children learnt both English and Welsh simultaneously and with marvellous results, as is abundantly shown in Mr. Legard's recent report on Primary Education in the Principality. ["Hear, hear!"] In the interest of true education it was well that the mother tongue should be regarded as the basis of education; and, therefore, teachers in the Highlands of Scotland ought to be familiar with Gaelic. [Cheers.]
§ SIR MARK STEWART (Kirkcudbright),said that he hoped the concession which had been asked for would not be granted. If the people of the Highlands were to he handicapped with the Gaelic language their career in life would be very poor. This demand was a pure matter of sentiment. [Cries of "No!]"
§ MR. ELLIS GRIFFITH (Anglesey)said that the hon. Baronet misunderstood the position. He talked about, "handicapping children with Gaelic," but he forgot that nature had already done that. The question was, how were Gaelic-speaking children best to be 791 taught to speak English? To send a teacher who could not himself speak Gaelic was absurd.
§ *MR. ROBERT CAMERON (Durham, Houghton-le-Spring)said that he was perhaps the only Member of the House who could speak Gaelic, and the knowledge of that language had been an unspeakable pleasure to him. It would be a great pity if such a poetical and fluent language were allowed to die. The child who had been taught Gaelic literature properly had a great advantage over the ordinary English-speaking child.
§ Motion made, and Question put: "That this House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution.
§ The House divided; Ayes, 127; Noes. 40.—(Division List No. 255.)
§
7. "That a sum, not exceeding £2,000, be granted to Her Majesty, to complete the sum necessary to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March 1898, for a Grant to the Board of Trustees for Manufactures in Scotland in aid of the maintenance of the National Gallery, School of Art, and Museum of Antiquities, Scotland.
§ Resolution agreed to.