42 Middle-Class Education. 



until they reacli the middle of the school. At this point a bifurcation takes 

 place, and hoys can pursue either the mathematical or the classical course. 

 Latin remains their chief common ground, together with divinity, history, and 

 modern languages. This, however, is not the point at which the clever 

 ' Moderns ' will usually divide from the others. It is suited for those who 

 are backward or who are to leave school young. The more advanced now 

 continue their Greek with a view to make it available in examinations ; and as 

 all the boys have four hours a week at mathematics, to which they can add 

 two or three imder a private tutor, there is time for them, if forward in 

 mathematics, to continue longer in the classical division, and to join the 

 mathematical divisions higher in the school." 



Eev. R. Elwyn, Charter House. — " In the lower forms all the boys learn 

 Latin, Greek, mathematics, history, and geography, and the greater number 

 French. But when a boy has reached the fourth or any higher form if he is 

 desirous of entering into any profession for which special examinations have to 

 be passed, or for which the usual course of education in the school may not be 

 specially adapted, he is allowed to leave off the study of Greek and verse com- 

 position, and to devote the time which he would otherwise have given to these 

 subjects to mathematics, history, geography, &c. There are as has been 

 already mentioned, drawing and chemistry classes for those who wish to study 

 these subjects." 



The Classics. 



Eev. H. Latham, Trinity Hall, Cambridge. — " I have, after much consider- 

 ation and some change of opinion, come to the decided conclusion that classics 

 and mathematics are the best subjects to make the staple of education. 

 I have found that boys from schools at which it was made an object to 

 give information seldom recollected what they had learnt with suffi- 

 cient accuracy to be able to rely on it for any practical purposes, and were 

 generally deficient in the power of expressing their thoughts. In examining 

 schools when there has been a modern department, I have usually found that 

 the boys who had learnt Latin and Greek beat the boys in the other depart- 

 ment in their oivn subjects (except perhaps in something purely technical, as 

 drawing), and the impression was irresistible that the classical boys had 

 received better cultivation and could use their faculties to better purpose," 



G. B. Airy, Esq., Astronomer Eoyal, although a " Mathematician by 

 profession," cannot express the great importance which he attaches to the 

 classics, and would not on any acconnt disturb classical learning as the basis of 

 English education at our great schools, but sees no difficulty but rather great 

 advantage in superadding mathematics and good scientific knowledge. 



Eev. C. Evans, Eugby, in answer to Lord Clarendon : — " You say that 

 having accjuired a solid groundwork in Latin and Greek they might then be 

 permitted to drop a certain portion of their classical work (say versification and 

 Greek), and devote the time thus gained to mathematics principally, to physical 

 science, history, and modern language, care being of course taken to guard 

 against superficial smattering ? " (Answer.)—" That meets exactly what I 

 think are the requirements of the age, and what parents now desire but know 

 not how to achieve. 



" A valuable mental education would be afforded by the prosecution of the 

 study of mathematics or physical science, combined with a groundvjork of classics. 

 I should give the same education to all boys up to the average age, I think, of 

 fifteen. Up to Iburteen I think a boy's riiind is not fitted for the prosecution 

 of the study of physical science. I should make the education up to fourteen 

 almost identical with the education a boy now gets up to that age — the staple 

 being the classics, mathematics, and French. I do not propose in any case to 

 drop Latin up to Horace, Livy, Virgil, Cicero : would drop Greek simply for 

 the sake of the time spent on it." 



