PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 737 



man or woman, should be armed with the instruments -which may give them 

 independent means of acquiring the knowledge they desire, so far as this can be 

 acquired through books, that we compel parents to send their children to 

 school. No doubt, however, an even more important reason is our now almost 

 universal use of reading and writing as a means of communicating with each 

 other. The more widespread these arts are, the harder it is for anyone who has 

 not acquired them to keep abreast of his fellows. But even now it would, of 

 course, not be impossible, and the use of such phrases as compulsory education, 

 in which education merely means the reverse of illiteracy, tends, I think, in 

 itself to obscure the apprehension of what education really is and to reduce the 

 general sense of responsibility for it, and particularly that of parents. 



Many years ago before the days of compulsory education, or at least 

 before it had time to produce any effect, I knew a man in the South of 

 England who had had no school education, or practically none. I believe he 

 could read a little with effort, but he could neither write nor keep accounts, so 

 I was told. His wife did these things for him when they were necessary. Ho 

 was, however, a good farmer, farmed a considerable amount of land, and 

 acted as manager or agent under the landlord for a large estate. He knew his 

 business thoroughly, had the power of managing men, and was much respected. 

 It is impossible not to regard such a man as a more valuable member of the 

 community, and a better-educated man in some respects, than many of those 

 who climb the educational ladder to become clerks in an office. But, of course, 

 such a man must have regretted that he had not had opportunities of schooling 

 in his early youth — that he had not acquired the art of writing while he still 

 had leisure. The want of the three R's must have been a serious handicap, 

 only overcome by unusual ability. And, in fact, no one now doubts that it is 

 almost as important to acquire these elementary arts as to learn to speak or 

 walk. It is with the question of carrying school education further that doubt 

 arises whether it is really the best education for everybody, and whether we 

 ought to regard the person whose scholastic education has been longest, or who 

 has succeeded best in examinations, as therefore necessarily the best educated. 



I do not mean in saying this to set the practical man above the man of 

 learning. Of course we want both, and we should like our schools to help to 

 develop both. The value to the world of good scientific and literary work is 

 enormous. And so far as science is concerned the British Association exists 

 to bring home to the general public its value and interest, and coiasequently 

 the importance of men who can advance it. Nor do I mean in what I have said 

 to suggest any divorce between practice and learning. The business of most of 

 us is practical, but what is to be desired is that everyone capable of it should 

 combine practical ability — whether in manual work, or in organisation or 

 administration^ or in any other line — with a desire to learn ; and that not only 

 in relation to his work in life, but in a wider sphere. And, of course, we must 

 wish that the means to satisfy this desire should be within everyone's reach. 

 My point, therefore, is not that learning is not valuable, but that it is of little 

 value unless it meets a desire in the learner's mind. And here the parents come 

 in. The required attitude of mind is much more likely to be inspired by parents 

 who possess it, than it is by the school. Or let us say that those children 

 are most likely to grow up with it whose parents combine with the school to 

 stimulate it. Unfortunately the result of compulsory primary education has 

 not been to promote any sense of responsibility in parents as regards this ; at 

 least that is my belief. And I may, I think, appeal to Scottish experience 

 in support of it. 



The institution of parish schools is, as is well known, older in Scotland 

 than in England. They date there from the Reformation, and were part of 

 the ecclesiastical organisation initiated by John Knox. In the scheme drawn 

 up by him and his colleagues education had a great place. The parish schools, 

 in which Biblical instruction was foremost, were put in charge of the Church 

 and long needed its efforts for their maintenance. Starting in this way the 

 zeal for school education had become traditional. All respectable parents aimed 

 at giving their children the best education they could. There was a strongly 

 rooted sense of duty in the matter, and this from a double motive. Thev 

 sent their children to school not only to help them to get on in the world, 

 but because of the traditional association of knowledsre and religion. Observe 



1915. 3b 



