SECONDARY EDUCATION. 



8^9 



many may unitedly carry forward the ponderous machine 

 until some Gulliver arise to propel it with the strength of 

 individual genius. 



(5.) If teachers themselves are disunited, if not occasionally 

 in mutual antagonism, it is not a matter of surprise that there 

 is no development of public opinion upon educational matters. 

 With the one exception of the vexed question of rehgious 

 teaching in State schools, it is difficult to specify any important 

 topic on which the general pubhc holds definite and reasoned 

 convictions. It may be urged that there is no need for 

 organised pubic opinion on these matters, — that they are best 

 left to experts. But to this objection a conclusive answer is 

 supplied by the fact that in more than one of the colonies {e.g. 

 New South Wales and Queensland) the State subsidises or 

 controls a system of secondary education. Whenever this is 

 the case, the system is at the mercy of a minister who may be 

 of a reforming or of an apathetic disposition, and who may 

 or may not have any practical or theoretical knowledge of 

 education. All financial aid given by the State has to be 

 regulated by Parhament, and it is notorious how inadequately 

 this particular State department is discussed and how 

 imperfectly it is understood by Members of our Legislative 

 Assemblies. To questions of educational reform there ishttle 

 or no support or criticism from expert opinion in Parliament. 

 Since, therefore, public opinion is the greatest force that affects 

 parliamentary action, some effort should be made to interest 

 the general public in the work and problems of teaching. 



3. If the foregoing faults and defects of the present system 

 are to be remedied, it must be by the combined efforts, not 

 merely of teachers, but of all true friends of higher educa- 

 tion. Teachers themselves can do much : but their ideal is 

 attainable only with the aid of the State, the University, 

 and the educated public. It may clear the ground to men- 

 tion certain conceivable changes that are undesirable : — 

 (1) The organisation and control of secondary education by 

 the State is not a consummation to be wished. The free 

 play of thought which is induced by a variety of systems 

 would be hampered as by a straight-jacket. Only one channel 

 would remain for introducing reforms, and even that opening 

 would be largely checked by officiahsm. (2) Secondly, the 

 enforcement of a university degree upon all secondary 

 teachers would be a suicidal pohcy, at least in the present 

 circumstances of Australian schools. Unless a school is 

 heavily endowed the junior teachers have to be content with 



