200 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



this proved to have a deterrent effect and the numbers going 

 in for the profession decreased to an alarming extent. The 

 Board of Education then revived the pupil-teacher system in 

 a modified form, and at once an increase in numbers was 

 observed. 



Still the situation is serious ; to keep up the supply every 

 local authority ought to have a number of students training 

 to become teachers equal to 6 per cent of the teachers it em- 

 ploys. Unfortunately, few authorities are maintaining any- 

 thing like that ratio, 2 or 3 per cent being the most common 

 average. It is sad to have to say it, but the large and rich 

 urban authorities such as London, county authorities such as 

 Lancashire — are the worst delinquents ; they are deliberately 

 keeping up their supply of teachers at the cost of other authori- 

 ties, often much poorer than themselves, who are doing their 

 duty in the way of training teachers. It is most important to 

 keep up the proportion of rural boy and girl students ; if we 

 are to have the right atmosphere in our country schools we 

 must have the full proportion of country-bred teachers. 



Wherever there is an exceptionally good rural school in 

 which the manual method is fully developed it should be 

 utilized as a training centre for pupils destined to be teachers. 

 They enter this centre on leaving the elementary school, and 

 one great advantage is that, at the end of, say, two years, the 

 head master can judge whether or not this or that pupil has 

 really in him the making of a good teacher, and if he has not 

 he can be withdrawn without waste of time or money. 



To come now to suggested new developments, the first and 

 most important is undoubtedly that of continuation instruc- 

 tion. A certain amount has been done in this direction in 

 towns by evening schools and technical classes ; but in many 

 towns, particularly those of medium size, the ground is by 

 no means covered. In rural districts there is very little con- 

 tinuation instruction, and what exists is chiefly in the form 

 of evening schools that do not meet the need of the labourers' 

 sons who have been at work all day in the fields and who live 

 perhaps at a considerable distance from the school. 



