compulsory attendance of children at school, and that the total population under bye-laws stood thus :

Or that 10,467,615 out of 22,712,266 of the population (i. e., nearly one-half) were subject to the exercise of the compul sory powers of the Act.

While, therefore, five-sixths of the borough population were under school boards (nearly the whole of which popula tion being under the operation of the compulsory clauses of the Act), and while nearly every town with more than 20,000 inhabitants was under a school board, there remained 11,818 districts, with an average population of 1,036, outside of the exercise of compulsion.

We now propose to state some of the results achieved by the working of bye-laws for the compulsory attendance of children at school in a municipal borough and a small rural parish. The bye-laws of these boards will be found printed in the Appendix.

STOCKPORT SCHOOL BOARD.

The Stockport Board have no schools under their manage ment, voluntary effort having provided sufficient school accommodation before the board came into existence. The

work of the board has, therefore, been mainly that of administering their bye-laws for the compulsory attendance of children at school. By a judicious exercise of their powers under the Act of 1870, and by the most careful, considerate, and firm methods of dealing with parents, their work has been attended by the most surprising and gratifying results.

Mr. Lomax, Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools, in his Report, 1874-5, page 111, says :

Since the passing of the Elementary Education Act in 1870 school boards have been formed in the following places:-Stockport, Ashtonunder-Lyne, Macclesfield, Staley bridge, and Dukinfield. I am not in a position to say what are the results of the efforts of the different school boards throughout the country, but if they can compare with those of the Stockport School Board so far as regards the raising of the quantity and quality of education, and the reduction of juvenile crime, I think the nation will lie under a heavy debt of gratitude to the framers of that Act. I may remark, however, that the members of the Stockport School Board are workers for the general good of education, rather than politicians aiming at advancing the interests of particular sects and parties. I have the honour to subjoin an extract from the summary of the work of this board for the year ending 29th September, 1874:—

Increase in public elementary schools for year ending 29th September,

By comparing this table with statistics gathered before the bye-laws of the board were enforced, we find that the increase since 1870

The decrease in juvenile crime since the year 1870, 53 per cent.

With respect to the working of bye-laws in a rural district we insert the following particulars from the report of the Hanslope Board in Buckinghamshire, appended to the Report, 1874-5, page 127, of Her Majesty's Inspector, Mr. Pickard :

HANSLOPE SCHOOL BOARD.

The mixed boys' school for 120 children and the infants' school for 100 infants were opened in January, 1873; the school year ends on the 30th June; the bye-laws fix 12 years as the limit of school age; require continuous attendance at school till 10; grant total exemption from attendance after 10 on passing Standard III.; no partial exemption at all; exact 80 attendances by scholars of either sex over 10 in each of the winter quarters; in the quarter beginning 1st April 40 attendances by boys, 60 by girls; and in the quarter beginning 1st July, 30 attendances by boys, 50 by girls.

The first school board was elected in May, 1871; the second in May, 1874, of which two of the old members form a part. The new members, three in number, consist of a farmer, who is a large ratepayer, and two working men, labourers in the receipt of weekly wages at the Wolverton station of the London and North-Western Company.

The system of compulsion (a) has been firmly enforced both by the old and the new board, and exhibited the following satisfactory results in the week ending the 9th May last, and immediately preceding the election of the new board:

Number of children between 5 and 12 years

Number on registers of both schools

Attendance for week ending 9th May, 1874, at

- 1,723

220

80

300

270

316

Thus showing an attendance exceeding the number of children of school age in the district, and equal to 83 per cent. of the number on the

register.

(a) Rewards have been given for regular attendance.

The report goes on to show that the cost to the ratepayers may be fairly estimated at 34d. in the pound. The erection of the schools in 1872, accommodating 220 children, of a master's house, and of the fence walls, cost less than £6 a child; and the whole expense of schoolhouse, site, legal expenses, architect, fittings, books and apparatus did not exceed £1,760, of which £1,710 was borrowed of the Public Works Loan Commissioners, the annual payment for interest and capital on which loan is estimated at £72, or a penny rate, and the salary of the clerk, who is also the visiting officer, is £28, or three-eighths of a penny rate; nor are the maintenance charges more suggestive of alarm. The school year ending 30th June, 1874, gives the following state of accounts :— £8. d.

Salaries of master and mistress, including estimated

share of grant

149 0 0

Ditto, assistant mistress, pupil-teachers, and monitors 50 00

Books and apparatus,-mixed and infant schools
Coals and wood for school and master's house
Repairs and cleaning

20 10 0

24 4 3

13 8 0

The board in May, 1871, was elected on the understanding that the Bible should be read and explained, and on that footing religious instruction has been given every school morning from 9.10 to 9.50. At the election of May last the question was never raised, and no change has been made in this respect.

It would be difficult to point to stronger cases than these; but the reports of all the boards, where bye-laws have been framed and enforced, show a marked increase in the average attendance of the scholars in the schools.

The problem of compulsion may be said to have been solved in the boroughs, but to many of the small parishes the words of the Registrar-General, in his report on the census of 1851, still largely apply :—

Children of the labouring classes are employed at an early age-some permanently, others temporarily-at a rate of recompense which, though apparently but trifling, is sufficient for their maintenance, and more than sufficient to induce their parents to remove them from school. It is evident that even the lowest amount of wages which the child of a labouring man will receive (from 18. 6d. to 2s. per week) must be so great a relief to the parents as to render it almost hopeless that they can withstand the inducement, and retain the child at school in the face of such temptation.

It is to meet such difficulties that the Elementary Education Act of 1876 has mainly been framed.

The main feature of this measure, introduced into the House of Commons on 18th May, 1876, by Viscount Sandon, Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, is that which, whilst making due provision for the necessary and beneficial employment of the children, declares "that it shall be the duty of the parent of every child to cause such child to receive efficient elementary instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and if such parent fail to perform such duty he shall be liable to such orders and penalties as are provided by this Act."