204 REPORT— 1876. 



The rise in two years lias tluis been 12,572, or 42 per cent., a rate almost as remark- 

 able as that of Birmingham. The percentage of a-^erage attendance to roll attend- 

 ance amounts to 



79 per cent, in 1873 



7G „ „ 1874 

 78 „ „ 1875 



which is still more remarkable. The latest results (October 9) are that Glasgow 

 has managed to raise her average attendance to 84 per cent, of the numbers on the 

 roll. Some not inspected efficient schools are included in these estimates ; but they 

 are a small fraction of the whole, and their exclusion would not materially alter the 

 proportions of increase. They account for about .3000 children. Settmg them 

 aside, indeed, we shoidd ha-\e an increase of 50 per cent, in the two years in the in- 

 spected schools, which is nearly quite equal to that of Birmingham. 



The remarkable pait of the case of Glasgow is the manner in which the compul- 

 sory clauses have been worked. The Glasgow secret is very simple. The board 

 goes down among the defaulting parents, holding frequent meetings in their ovsni 

 locaHties, to hear the stories of the poor and to persuade them for their own and 

 their children's good. They try every thing before they prosecute. They distribute 

 ily-lea^es copiously, narrating the facts, so as to make every actual prosecution go 

 as far as possible in persuading other people. Gentleness woidd be useless without 

 iirmness, and the Glasgow board has not worn its sword of justice altogether in 

 vain ; but it has shrunk from prosecutions with an energy and a success which, now 

 that compidsion is to be uni^•ersal, it is hoped we may see widely imitated. In some 

 riu'al districts, and perhaps with sensible women for compulsory ofhcers, prosecutions 

 ought to be almost unnecessary. The fact that the law is in the background ought 

 tliere, at least, to be generally sufficient. 



The name of the con^ ener of the Glasgow School-Board School Attendance Com- 

 mittee win long be lield in honour for a work imique in its character and in its suc- 

 cessful residt. In the three years of his reign the School Attendance Committee 

 has dealt with 20,515, less by removals 2819, and exemptions 1684 — say 10,000 de- 

 faidting parents. Of these, 8000 sent children to school after a remonstrance and 

 personal warning by ■N'isit of the officers ; 5800 more went to school after notice 

 sent to them warning them of the possibility of prosecution following that notice. 

 The members of the school board themselves met with the defaulting parents on 

 eighteen separate occasions, and 1400 children of the balance of nearly 2200 were 

 sent to school in consequence. Only 51 have been pi-oseoitcd durin;/ the three years 

 of the action of the Board. E^ery thing is done to avoid prosecutions ; it is only 

 when every thing else fails that they are resorted to. The ratepayers' money is 

 saved, the goodwill and the consciences of the people are enUsted in education, the 

 work of future boards is made infinitely easier, and attendance more regular than 

 elsewhere has been secured. No part of the labour of the Glasgow board has been 

 more profitable than the eighteen meetings held witli defaulting parents, in different 

 parts of the city where the people live, between February 1874 and January 1876. 

 There were 18-34 parents summoned to meet the board, representing 2269 children. 

 All but 250 of the parents answered. The board divided itself into fragments, each 

 sitting separately, and in the whole of a long day getting through about one htm- 

 dred cases each. Mr. Mitchell has shown how to meet the greatest difficulty of the 

 compulsory system. His is a Idndly and patriarchal government. Parents are, so 

 far, reasonable creatures, and an ounce iif gentle but firm persuasion seems to go as 

 far with most of them as a pound of punishment. Even if, on a review of the whole 

 circumstances, it might seem desirable, it might in some cases be difficidt to go back 

 on the decided steps wliich have been taken ; and these steps, it must be remem- 

 bered, have been fairly effectual. In London and Birmingham the residts obtained 

 are undoubtedly satisfactory, and in Liverpool and Manchester they are consider- 

 able. The author does not pretend for a moment to criticise the action of men to 

 whose admirable labours this coimtry and these great communities are deeply in- 

 debted. He has no wish to make out percentages of credit for the different com- 

 munities and school boards. If he did he should certainly ha-\e to take account of 

 an infinitude of circumstances which he has neglected here. He is deahng only 

 with actual residts. But nobcdy will doubt that persuasion, with punishment in 



