PLATO’S THEORY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. 267 
present at all events obliged to be content with something less than 
the millennium, and pray that the millennium may soon come. 
(Applause.) 
The SECRETARY.—This is a subject that is of the greatest 
interest to us all, especially when we consider the extraordinary 
confusion that now reigns on the subject of education. It is one 
of the most difficult problems with which we have to deal in this 
country. I have been in touch with education, both State and 
voluntary, for some time, and that must be my excuse for adding 
to the cloud of words in which our subject is getting so involved. 
There are some who consider that we should bring national 
education down to the lowest level, that is to say, to give the 
minimum to everybody, and not try and get beyond that minimum 
without which no manhood can thrive at all. Then there are 
those who go far beyond, and wish to give to all that advanced 
education which, at present, is only within the reach of the few. 
Between these there are all sorts of other ideals, and we all pursue 
our ideals in different ways. (Hear, hear.) We have elementary 
education, which embraces every child in the whole country from 
the highest to the lowest, for none can escape education. Then we 
have those various schemes for supplying the defects in our 
elementary education. Some are worked by the State, and some 
are worked by voluntary organizations. We have secondary 
schools and evening classes for those who have availed themselves 
of the primary education, and, therefore, are fit to go on to some- 
thing better. But there are things really more interesting than 
that. There are growing up all sorts of organizations which the 
State is now beginning to assist, attempting to give education to 
those of the masses whose primary education has been a failure, 
and who must now attempt to make up for its blunders. Well, 
the fact that that should be necessary points to something very 
wrong at the beginning (hear, hear) ; so that we have to re-consider 
our whole primary education. And it is a very large question 
indeed, for, I suppose, after some experience in having examined 
the educational systems of Germany, Austria, and France, that our 
elementary education is probably the best that is given anywhere 
by the State, although our secondary education is probably the 
worst organized. And yet, with our splendid system of elementary 
education, there are all these gaps that require to be filled up; 
