310 TIMEHRI. 
may be recommended to the Central Board by the Inspector of ss 
Schools. 
* * * * * * 
The question of the mode of Education to be pursued in the various 4 2 
Schools has engaged the serious attention of your Commissioners. — 
Except the reading of the Lord’s Prayer every morning at opening, it 
seems to them that the education should be purely secular. Onehalf __ 
holiday in the week, however, should be set apart for the purpose of 
affording the children an opportunity of receiving religious instruction __ 
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from the Ministers of their respective Churches, and the necessity of __ 
their attending Divine Worship on Sundays, according to the forms of 
their own several creeds, should be strictly impressed upon their minds, 
Public examinations should take place half-yearly in the presence of i. 
the various Local Boards and the Inspector of Schools, and prizes 
should be awarded. The expenses of these and the other charges inci- 
dental on keeping the school-rooms supplied with books, stationery, 
and other necessary furniture will, it is hopcd, be met by the local a 
rates. The hours of attendance might be left to the Inspeétor and the © 
Local Boards ; but the Holydays should be uniform throughout the 
Colony, and should consist of three days at Easter, three at Whitsun- — 
tide, two weeks at Christmas, two at Midsummer, and the Queen’s 
Birthday. These to be exclusive of Saturday afternoons, and of the 
other weekly half holyday set apart for religious instruétion. 
With regard to immigrant children, your Commissioners would 
recommend that the expense of their Education should be defrayed in 
the proportions of one-third by the owner of the estate to which they 
may be indentured, and two-thirds by the general funds of the Colony, 
Their regular attendance at School ought to be made compulsory on 
the proprietor receiving the benefit of their services, 
The establishment of a Normal School for the purpose of training 
fit and proper Teachers seems a matter of the greatest importance, and 
should be immediately attended to. Your Commissioners would sug- 
gest that a Master should be appointed as soon as possible, to be paida 
salary of not less than 1,000 Dollars per annum out of the public funds, 
and to have a residence attached to thc School. The number at the 
Training School might be limited to fifty persons, 
Bearing in mind the number of Schoolmasters not at present receiv-" 
ing salaries from the Colony, and who have to be remunerated, your 
Commissioners would recommend that the sum of Six Thousand 
