1 84 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



These would appear to be the main charges and 

 counter-charges. As to their respective merits, it is not 

 for us to say, probably there is an element of truth 

 in each. At all events, the result is, with, thank 

 heaven ! many an exception, the comparative unsuit- 

 ability of the class for our older Colonies. Nor is the 

 reason of this far to seek. For three hundred years or 

 more the whole aim of a public-school education has 

 been to fit a boy, not for work, but for the overseeing 

 of work. Until comparatively recent times, for the sons 

 of gentlemen, and more especially of country squires 

 (which class formed the huge bulk of the public school), 

 there were but three careers : the overseeing of the 

 estate itself for the eldest son ; the Army, which then 

 demanded little or no expert knowledge ; and the 

 Church, which amounted to the overseeing of the 

 parish and the position of the squire's right-hand man. 

 Even when, say about the middle of the last century, 

 the merchant class began to invade the public 

 school, it was customary, after a very brief period 

 of probation, for the merchant's son to take up 

 the position of partner rather than apprentice. 

 To this end, therefore, i.e. that the finished 

 product might become an efficient overseer of labour 

 — was the whole system of education directed. And 

 well, indeed, it served its purpose. I venture to say 

 that never again will England see such good land- 

 lords, such good magistrates, such good clergymen, 

 or such splendid leaders of soldiery, as she saw last 

 century. But times have inevitably changed, and in 

 the main, of course, for the better ; at all events, the 

 design of giving a more equal chance to every human 

 being born into the world is a great one. To be a 

 landlord at all now is next door to a criminal offence, 



