TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 203 



strain children to give at least 80 per cent, of possible attendances. The population 

 of Manchester is 351,000, so that seventy per week — say 3o00 per year — represents 

 one prosecution for every hundred persons. But this rate is only the existing or re- 

 cent rate. In the whole of 1875 there were only 1039 prosecutions— say 20 per 

 week, or 1 in 340 of the population. The author supposes that the increased acti^■ity 

 of prosecution is largely due to the rise in the increased number of attendances, 

 from 50 to 80 per cent., required under recent bye-laws, in the last week of which 

 he was told the prosecutions anioiuited to as many as 130, which is pretty much the 

 same as for the ten times more populous city of London. lie does not know the 

 expense of school-board prosecutions in Manchester. Both in that city and in 

 Liverpool the attendance seems to have become slightly less regidar under compul- 

 sion. 



In Birmingham the results are veiy remarkable. The city was the head-quarters 

 of the Education League, and that powerful and intelligent organization influenced 

 the School Board. Noblesse ohlige. The first Birmingham board felt itself bound 

 to show what educational zeal could do. In December 1871 the a\erage attend- 

 ance in pubhc elementary schools w'as 16,263. Compidsion was not resorted to till 

 May 1872. Then and since then the average has been : — 



December 1871 16,263 



May 1872 20,028 



„ 1873 28,035 



„ 1874 30,339 



„ 1875 34,718 



w 



1876 38,817 



Thus in 4^ years the apparent increase in Birmingham has been 138 per cent. 

 "When account is taken of half-timers, according to the modes of computation of the 

 department, the increase in these 4^ years is the prodigious one of 150 per cent. In 

 additi<in to tliis the proportion of average attendance to the roU attendance has risen 

 from (j'2 to 70 per cent. Tliese magnificent residts make the record of the first two 

 school boards of Birmingham memorable in the educational annals of England. 

 They have not been obtained, howe-\er, without great exertions and severe pressure. 

 Since May 1872 prosecution has been resorted to in 7515 cases, an average of 1000 

 aranially. At that rate the annual average for London with its 306,000 of atten- 

 dance should be 17,000 instead of 8000. Birmingham manages compidsion cheaply. 

 Prosecutions used to cost them £1000 anmiaUy ; they now cost, under a system of 

 specially reduced fees, only £300. But the chief expense of compulsion in Loudon, 

 and probably everywhere, is due to the staff of visitors. The mere legal expenses 

 of compulsion in London were imder £-300 in the half-year ending Midsmnmer, 1876. 



The compidsory action taken in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool 

 is very stringent. Li London there is one prosecution annually for e'sery 450 of the 

 popvdation ; in Birmingham about one for every 200 ; in Manchester about one for 

 every 100 at present, and about one for every 340 in 1 875. To the author it appears 

 doubtful whether the poorer classes wiU long endure such a pressure with patience. 

 As the con^•iction of the necessity of school attendance and the habit of obedience to 

 the law deepens in the masses of the people we may hope, doubtless, that the same 

 results, or others e\en more satisfactory, may be obtained at a far lower cost of legal 

 process, with all tlie hardships and harassments which it involves. But it is dilh- 

 cult to believe that so much pressure is necessary. 



In these respects the procedure and experience of Glasgow are in remarkable con 

 trast vdih that of England. The authorities started two years later than in Eng- 

 land ; and as new schools have often to be built before children can be driven to 

 school, the first years of compidsory action are always the least effective. The re- 

 sults are these. In inspected schools, and not mspected efficient schools charging the 

 same as board schools, there were 



30,103 in average attendance in 187;5 

 36,568 „ „ 1874 



42,075 „ „ 1875 



