III. List of Grants voted and Sums paid from the First, Second, 50 REPORT OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF THE FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. Submitted to the General Assembly, May 1847. I. On the subject of Schools, your Committee report 1. That the number of congregational schools, or schools recognised as in connection with sanctioned charges or congregations, whose teachers receive salaries upon the Scheme, is, 2. That the number of missionary schools, or schools instituted for the benefit of particular districts, in town or country, not yet supplied with a stated ministry, whose teachers receive salaries, is, 3. That the number of side or district schools, situated chiefly in large Highland parishes, whose teachers receive small gratuities, is, 4. That the number of ejected teachers of the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge, now employed and receiving salaries, is, 5. That the number of schools taught by females who receive allowances from the fund, is, 6. And that the number of schools not as yet fully received upon the Scheme, whose teachers, at the discretion of the Committee, and with the concurrence of Presbyteries, have had donations made tothem, is, Total, 327 10 63 75 27 11 513 The Committee have received returns from a considerably larger number of schools, connected with the Free Church, but not as yet receiving salaries for their teachers; and they have access to know of several not reported to them at all. On the whole, the Committee can only give a rough estimate of the total number of schools which may be regarded as properly Free Church schools, when they reckon them at about 650. In addition to the above 513 schools, the Committee report that two schools, viz., the Inverness and Oban schools, have been recognised as model or grammar schools; the former having three teachers, and the latter, as yet, only one, receiving salaries from the fund;-and further, that each of the two Normal schools of Glasgow and Edinburgh, has nine male teachers, including the rectors, and three female teachers, receiving salaries. Of the congregational and missionary schools, several are provided with an industrial department for female work; and two have connected with them small patches of land, in which agricultural training is given. is The number of scholars returned as in attendance in 595 schools, is 44,036. But on this, as well as on the number of schools, your Committee's report unavoidably defective. II. On the subject of Salaries, your Committee report— 1. That, during the past year, the salary of each of the ejected parochial teachers, of whom there are 50, has been raised to L.30. 2. That the salary of each of the ejected Assembly teachers, of whom there are 62, has been raised to L.20. 3. That the salaries of the ejected teachers of the Society for Propagating Christian knowledge, of whom there are 75, have been continued at the same rates as those granted to them by the Society, varying from L.12, 10s., to L.40. 4. That, during the past half-year, the minimum salary of the teacher of every congregational school has been raised to L.15. 5. That the gratuities to teachers of side or district schools, the allowances to female teachers, and the donations to teachers not yet on the Scheme, have varied from L.2, 10s., to L.10. 6. And that 21 teachers, including the rectors and upper masters of the Normal schools, and the masters of Grammar and Model schools, have received higher salaries at the discretion of the Committee.* Independently of these fixed allowances, the Committee have invited all the teachers on the Scheme to a competition for higher rates of salaries, to take effect for the past half year, on a scale of L.20, L.30, and L.45 (to be provided for out of the annual income of the Committee, and to be increased in the same ratio, should the funds afford it); and they have the satisfaction of reporting, that, under very great disadvantages, arising from the short notice given, and other causes, 110 teachers presented themselves for examination, of whom 5 were adjudged entitled to the first class, or L.45 salaries; 12 to the second, or L.30; and 95 to the third, or L.20; it being open o these, and all other teachers on the Scheme, to engage in the next compeition, with a view to a still further rise in the scale.t III. On the subject of Funds, your Committee report— 1. That the entire income, including the annual Collection, which amounted to L.3080, 14s. 9d., has been L.9624, 18s. 6d.‡ 2. That the monthly return for the last month from 350 congregations, is L.648, 6s. 2d.; being at the rate of L.1, 17s., in the month for each. Your Committee will afterwards advert to the manner in which the congregations of the Church have contributed, whether by monthly church-door collections or through their Associations, to the sustentation of Schoolmasters. They would only remark here, that were all the congregations contributing, even at the extremely low average of L.1, 17s., above mentioned, the annual income from this source might be reckoned at L.16,050. 3. In regard to the School Building Fund, the Committee report, that the Annual Receipts for the three years past are as follows: For 1844-5, 1845-6, Total in three years, £14,465 10 5 8,441 0 5 7,476 16 4 £30,383 7 2 Upon the preceding summaries, your Committee will take the liberty of submitting a few explanatory remarks, in their order; and thereafter they * See Appendix, No. VI. + See Appendix, No. VII. See Appendix, No. IV. will offer some observations of a more general nature, on the importance of this Scheme, and the present prospects of its advancement and success. I. Of the Schools and Teachers. Your Committee regret that, from the unavoidable imperfection of former Reports, they are not able to state, with entire accuracy, the actual progress made during the past year, in the planting of schools; and they regret also that the returns from the Teachers, from Presbyteries, and from the Superintendent, are not, as yet, so complete as to enable them to show particularly the state and character of the different schools upon the Scheme, in respect of attainment and efficiency. An approximation only to what may be expected in future years can now be attempted. 1. Of the entire number of teachers receiving grants from the fund,being 513 in all, it appears that upwards of 200 have been admitted during the past two years. It is to be observed, also, that the teachers admitted on the fund, especially during this present year, are for the most part teachers of regular Congregational or Missionary Schools, and not of side-schools. Scarcely any new teachers of this last class have been added to the Committee's list. The increase, therefore, is chiefly in the class of schools in which a superior style of education is given, and having a larger attendance of pupils, and represents a progress more considerable, in proportion to the extent of the whole Scheme, than the mere number of additional teachers, of itself, would imply. The advance from year to year may be stated thus: in the Report to the Assembly 1844, the number given is 122,-being 63 ejected Parochial or Assembly teachers, and 59 others: in 1845, the number receiving salaries is stated to be about 280, while it is added that probably about 220 others were teaching schools, more or less closely connected with the Free Church, but without salaries from the funds of the Committee: in 1846, the Report does not specify the exact number : while the Report for this year, 1847, gives 513 as the number of teachers actually upon the Scheme; irrespective of a considerable number of Free Church teachers not yet receiving salaries. 2. In regard to the number of children under instruction in the schools of these teachers, the returns from 595 schools connected with congregations give the gross number of 44,036, not as the number on the roll, but as the average number in actual attendance, upon week-days, in all the schools. This includes many schools not salaried by the Committee, while it omits many that are; and over all, it gives an average of about 74 pupils to each school. The entire number of 44,036 might be very considerably increased, were this average of 74 scholars to be applied to sundry other schools, from which no returns, or only imperfect ones, have been received: and if the Committee were to take in the schools, situated in different populous towns and districts, from which returns have not been received, a still farther addition might be warranted. The Committee do not go beyond the actual returns. But comparing these, with the numbers given for the whole Parochial Schools of Scotland, in Lord Kerry's returns, for the year 1833-1834,— long before the Disruption had occurred to diminish the attendance at these schools,―a very remarkable result comes out. It is there reported, that in all the Parochial Schools of Scotland, the greatest number at any time in attendance, between Ladyday and Michaelmas 1833, was 63,586; and the smallest, 36,029; and between Michaelmas 1833 and Ladyday 1834, the greatest number is 68,293, and the smallest 37,543; giving an average for the whole year of 51,362. Considering all the circumstances of the Disruption, and the state of the country since, especially over a large portion of the Highlands and other rural districts, it is not probable, to say the least, that the number attending the parochial schools would be found to be greater now than it was in 1834: so that it is a liberal allowance to suppose that A a about 50,000 in all may be regarded as more than the number of the youth of Scotland receiving instruction in these schools. But even the partial returns received by your Committee shew upwards of 44,000 attending schools connected with the Free Church of Scotland. So that it would appear that already, in the very initial stage of our proceedings, nearly as large a proportion of the elementary education of the country is in the hands of the Free Church as the whole Endowed Parochial School-establishment of Scotland possesses. Your Committee desire, in bringing out this result, to fix the attention of the Church on the solemn responsibility which it lays upon her. The people are evidently, to a large extent, willing and waiting to receive the instruction of their children through the instrumentality of the Church of their Fathers: they have confidence in that Church, as being prepared and able to furnish an education at least equal, in all essential particulars, of intellectual attainments and efficiency, to what any other body can furnish; they value the security which her countenance affords for the religious character of her schools, and the soundness of the principles that are to be inculcated in them; and having so wide and so effectual a door opened, for influencing aright the minds and hearts of the rising generation, and training them up on the side of God and His Truth, she cannot, and by God's help, she will not, cast away or neglect such a precious opportunity as never Church had before, for perpetuating, through coming ages, the faith and the testimony of which God has been pleased to make her the honoured depository in this land. 3. On the subject of the different kinds of schools upon the scheme, and the character of the education provided in them, your Committee have a very few remarks to make. And here, (1.) Beginning with what may be considered, in one point of view, the lowest class of their Schools, your Committee observe that there is a considerable number of schools-which they have ventured to call side or district schools-set up, most of them some years ago, in districts and localities where their services were, and still are, most urgently required, but without many of those advantages which the Church desires now to secure to all her educational institutions. The teachers in these schools are, for the most part, a highly meritorious and useful class of persons; they serve the Church faithfully; keeping together the children of the adhering population, especially in the Highlands and the remoter parts of the country, and so encouraging the parents to an extent which no other agency, in the circumstances, could have done. Thus, in some instances, a single minister, charged with the care of one or more enormous parishes, has several such teachers in different corners of his domain, upon whose assiduous attentions in their respective spheres, both to young and old, his own influence throughout the whole greatly depends. It is to be confessed, however, that many of these worthy and pious men, selected as the only available agents at the time, and destitute of the benefits of a special education and training for the purpose, are not qualified altogether as the Committee would desire, and are not in a position for receiving the full salaries at the Committee's disposal. The attention of your Committee has been, and will still be, anxiously directed to the condition of these schools and their teachers. The object to be aimed at is, of course, the raising of the qualifications of the teachers, with a view to which facilities may be afforded to such as have the requisite energy and abilities for improving themselves by study, and by attendance occasionally at the model or normal schools; and where it seems practicable and desirable, efforts will be encouraged for placing these somewhat inferior establishments on a better and more permanent footing, as fully equipped and fully salaried congregational or missionary schools. (2.) Your Committee consider the congregational schools-or schools connected with particular congregations, for the benefit of the children of the congregation, or of the district or parish of which the congregation has the over |