262" oa schoolmaster’s salaries; June 25,5. 
pose, that would in all situations prove effectual; yet he 
believes that as few objections can lie against the follow- 
ing, ‘as any. other that could be proposed, which induces 
him to submit it to the public, as a measure that might be 
beneficially substituted in place of that which has becu 
proposed. 
“The fees of teaching in country places of Scotland 
are in general too low. In some places they are so ex- 
tremely insignificant, as scarcely to be an object of impor- 
tance even to those who are in very mean circumstances. 
This serves at the same time to deaden the efforts of the 
teacher, by precluding all hope of being able tlhius to pro- 
cure, by his greatest exertions, a comfortable subsistence, 
and is attended with other consequences that are hurtful 
to the community, as explained in the first part of this 
efsay. To obviate at once, in some measure, both these 
evils, I would humbly propose, that the schoolmasters 
fhould be authorised by law to raise‘their teaching fees. 
I will not pretend to say that these fees fhould be exactly. 
the same in all cases, as that must depend upon local cir- 
cumstances; but methinks that no inconvenience could in 
any case arise from fixing the #znimum of the fee for 
teaching to read Englifh in country parifhes, at one fhil- 
ling a quarter, and tae maximum at half a crown; autho- 
rising the teacher in each parith to fix on any rate of feés - 
between these two that he ‘fhould thiak proper. For all 
such scholars as were not recommended to him by the 
heritors, minister, and kirk sefsion, to be taught at the low- 
est rate. For writing, arithmetic, and Latin or Greek, 
the minimum might be five fhillings per quarter, and the 
maximum seven fhillings and sixpence ; with the same re- 
servation as above. ‘These fees would not be so high as- 
to prevent any one from acquiring such useful branches 
ef education. as were, suited to their circumstances. and: 
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