Middle-Class Education. 21 



i. The means existing at present for the education of the 

 middle classes in England. 



ii. The means adopted in other countries of Europe for sup- 

 plying any deficiency. 



iii. The schemes that have been started for a similar purpose 

 in England. 



iv. And conclude with a practical suggestion for, at the least, 

 a partial remedy of the acknowledged evil. 



I. As a general rule, our middle classes have been compelled 

 practically to rest contented with what are called " commercial 

 schools " — speculations conducted by teachers of very varied 

 qualifications, but too often the last resource of an ill-educated 

 man, who had failed in every mercantile pursuit in which he had 

 previously embarked. This may seem a hard saying, but those 

 who are best qualified to judge will admit that the statement is 

 not overdrawn. 



II. What methods have been adopted in foreign countries for 

 providing means of education for the middle classes ? Let us 

 first take the five great powers of Europe : — 



1. In England we may at once confess that nothing has of late 

 been done. 



2. In France we have one most important fact — there is a 

 Minister of Public Instruction. Moreover, it appears from the 

 Returns of October, 1863, that there were 82,135 establishments 

 of primary instruction (being an increase of 16,136 since 1848) ; 

 out of this number 41,426 were public and free schools, where 

 subjects adapted to the requirements of the middle classes are 

 especially taught. During this period (1848-1863) the number 

 of scholars had increased by nearly a million. The sum voted 

 in July, 1862, to the Ministry of Public Instruction amounted 

 to 2,548,178/. 



3. In Austria there is no INIinister of Public Instruction ; but, 

 in 1857, there Avere 442 middle schools (exclusive of militar}-, 

 national, and superior schools), with 4500 professors and teachers 

 attached to them, and an attendance of 72,646 scholars. We 

 may observe by the way that more than two-thirds of the popu- 

 lation of Austria are engaged in husbandry, the total population, 

 in 1862, being computed at 35,795,000. 



4. In Russia there is a Minister of Public Instruction ; and, 

 according to his official Report, in 1860, there were in the whole 

 empire 8937 schools, with 950,002 pupils, giving one pupil to 

 every seventy-seven inhabitants. The grants from Government 

 to these schools amount annually to 593,832/. The division of 

 the schools into " elementary schools," "gymnasia," and " Lycaea," 

 seems to correspond with that in Germany. The " subjects," 



