1870-71 THE EDUCATIONAL LADDER 29 



and report upon the scheme of education to be 

 adopted in the Board Schools. 



This motion came up for consideration on February 

 15, 1871. In introducing it, he said that such a 

 committee ought to consider 



First, the general nature and relations of the schools 

 which may come under the Board. Secondly, the amount 

 of time to be devoted to educational purposes in such 

 schools ; and Thirdly, the subject-matter of the instruc- 

 tion or education, or teaching, or training, which is to be 

 given in these schools. 



But this, by itself, he continued, would be in- 

 complete. At one end of the scale he advocated 

 Infant schools, and urged a connection with the 

 excellent work of the Eagged schools. At the other 

 end he desired to see continuation schools, and 

 ultimately some scheme of technical education. A 

 comprehensive scheme, indeed, would involve an 

 educational ladder from the gutter to the university, 

 whereby children of exceptional ability might reach 

 the place for which nature had fitted them. 



The subject matter of elementary instruction must 

 be limited by what was practicable and desirable. 

 The revised code had done too little ; it had taught 

 the use of the tools of learning, while denying all 

 sorts of knowledge on which to exercise them after- 

 wards. And here incidentally he repudiated the 

 notion that the English child was stupid ; on the 

 contrary, he thought the two finest intellects in 

 Europe at this time were the English and the Italian. 



