Sir John F. W. Herschel’s Views on Public Education. 437 
put into the hands of the junior classes. The best mode of disposing of the 
subject of jurisprudence would perhaps be by lecture, but on a very limited 
scale. A few lectures also on the useful arts—engineering and manufac- 
tures, might, perhaps, satisfy all the requisites of the occasion. 
Drawing should, of course, be taught by a drawing-master, and paid 
for as an extra; but the principles of perspective should be included in 
the course of geometry. The physical sciences—those especially which 
most require experimental elucidation (as all do, more or less), could 
hardly be taught adequately otherwise than by a regular course of lectures. 
As a single elementary compendium of physical science, I know nothing 
comparable to the ‘‘ Physics” of Dr. Arnott; but without the elucidation 
which experimental lectures afford, the study of this, or any other work 
must be insufficient to communicate distinct and satisfactory notions. No 
provision, however, (I believe,) exists for any such course, and as no one 
can be expected, or indeed ought, in justice, to be suffered to perform so 
extensive a task gratuitously, there is no course open but one of the fol- 
lowing, or a combination of them all: 
Ist, To establish one or two lecturing professorships, with salaries from 
the funds of the institution ; 
2ndly, To provide for their support by fees from the pupils ; 
3rdly, To apply to the public for support by subscription ; 
And, lastly, to apply to Government for assistance. 
That any, or all of these modes, independent of the last, would prove 
permanently sufficient, is much to be doubted. But no worthier or more 
truly useful application of a portion of the public treasure than for the 
maintenance of a high standard of education, in at least one point, the 
metropolis of the colony, can be imagined—supposing such an application 
made, and successful. The professor or professors, being APPOINTED and 
SALARIED by Government, it would devolve upon the resident masters of 
the college to enforce the attendance of their classes (for which no payment 
should be required), to aid their progress by a course of reading, prospec- 
tive and retrospective, and to estimate their proficiency by public and pri- 
vate examination. 
But in that case I would by no means confine the benefit of the lectures 
within the walls of the institution. The doors of the lecture-room should 
be thrown open, not only to the pupils, but to the public in general, on pay- 
ment of a small fee in aid of the professor’s salary. This would have several 
 highlybeneficial effects: 1st, Theaugmentation of his income would be amo- 
tive to the professor to render hislectures intelligible andattractive. 2nd, It 
would afford an opportunity to many adult persons, tradesmen and others, 
to acquire knowledge of a kind which must be useful to themselves, and 
have a direct tendency to develope the internal resources of the colony. 
3rdly, It would probably furnish to many an attractive counteractive of 
intemperate and idle habits, which mainly grow out of the absence of some 
object of interest enough to engage the attentiou. 4thly, It would afford 
to parents and relations of the pupils an authorized and no way invidious 
opportunity of witnessing in person the actual process of instruction to 
which they are subjected. Lastly, but not of least importance, should 
any unforeseen circumstance, such as want of funds, occur, to suspend for 
atime, or permanently to cripple the efficiency of the institution itself, 
the lecturing professors being entirely or chiefly supported from without, 
and independent as (in this view of the subject) they would be of its internal 
arrangements, would still continue to perform their duties, so that the public 
instruction, though grievously wounded (as it must be, by any event, so 
much to be deprecated) would not be entirely annihilated, and a rallying 
point would always be preserved for a reconstruction of a more extended 
system, whenever the necessary means should be forthcoming, 
