TRANSACTION'S OF SECTION h. 865 



to he ends in tlieniselves. The pupil when finishod witli thorn i^? regarded as 

 having completed his education. The Higher Class Schools seek to prepare their 

 pupils for the University, though naturally a large proportion of their pupils do 

 not carry on their studies beyond the school. The Leaving Certificate Exami- 

 nation holds the same relation to the Higher Class School that the Merit CertiKcate 

 holds to tlie Elementary Grant-earning School. In the meantime the subjects of 

 the Leaving Certificate Examination may be taken singly, but certificates are now 

 being issued also in groups, this grouping implying school attendance as well as 

 mere passing of examinations. Subject for subject these Leaving Certificates are 

 accepted by the Universities as exempting from the corresponding subjects in the 

 University Preliminary Examination. Probably in a few years the Leaving 

 Certificate will practically take the place of the Univei'sity Preliminary Exami- 

 nation. 



Besides the Higher Class Public Schools there are the usual endowed schools 

 and company schools, which exceed in number and rival in eliiciency the School 

 Board schools. By the Technical Schools (Scotland) A.ct, 1887, and subsequent 

 amendments, School Boards have the power of founding and maintaining at the 

 expense of the ratepayers technical schools in subjects needed in their districts. 



There are thirty-nine Secondary Education Committees, eash representing a 

 county, a burgh, or a parish — mostly counties — whose function is to distribute 

 certain moneys that are set apart by the Government each year for the purpose of 

 assisting secondary education. The Scotch Education Department is represented 

 on each of these Committees by one of His Majesty's Inspectors of Schools. Those 

 Committees wield a very important influence by the methods in which they allocate 

 the funds. The County Councils, too, have the power of aiding secondary or 

 technical education out of certain grants made to them for various local purposes. 

 There is a general desire for some unification of all the different authorities that 

 thus influence, sometimes in opposite ways, the course of Secondary Education in 

 Scotland. Some recommend the handing over of Education to the County 

 Councils, to be dealt with along with the other matters of local government ; 

 others desire an extension of the School Board area, leaving the control of all 

 educational matters, whether primary or secondary, in the hands of School Board.s 

 representing counties or other large areas. 



3. Organisation of Edihcation in Glasgov). By Dr. W. Jacks. 



4. The Training of the Practical Man. 

 By Dr. Joim G. Kekr, Head Master of Allan Glen's School, Glasgoio. 



The author quoted Carlyle to the effect that ' the grand result of schooling 

 was a mind with just vision to discern, with free force to do,' and considered 

 whether the system of education at present provided was in the direction of 

 encouraging that independent thought and action which marked the practical 

 man in tlie best sense. The kindergarten and the primary school, in Dr. Kerr's 

 opinion, were now ottering a liberal discipline, and the conditions under which 

 the merit certificate was obtained secured breadth of general and practical 

 training. That there were in the Glasgow area last year over :iO,000 enrolments 

 for special courses of instruction in evening continuation schools was fair proof of 

 the efficiency of the primary school system. Considering tliose pupils who 

 passed into secondary schools and the average duration of secondary scliool life. 

 Dr. Kerr pointed out that the superiority of Germany M-as to some extent due to 

 its military system and to the operation of ' the certificate for one year's military 

 service,' for that certificate not only reduced military service, but qualified for 

 businesses, opened the way to higher studies, and stamped tlie educated classes. 

 If our secondary school work was to grow there must be inducements to keep 

 promising pupils at school. The agencies which were at present concerned witli 

 the preliminary training of those who were to be engaged in industries and 



