SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—L. 499 
Tuesday, September 18. 
9. Joint Meeting with Section G on The Teaching of Dynamics. 
0. Rt. Rev. Bishop Weiipon.—How Far the Value of Education 
im Elementary Schools has Corresponded with the Increase of 
Expenditure upon it. 
History of education in Great Britain. Foundation of the British and 
Foreign School ‘Society and the National Society for the education of the poor 
in the principles of the Established Church at the beginning of the nineteenth 
century. Education Bills of Mr. Forster, Myr. (now Earl) Balfour, and Mr. 
fisher. Dangers inherent in education, but greater dangers in ignorance. 
ducation and political power. Payment of teachers before and under the 
Burnham scale. Increasing cost of education from 1871 to the present time. 
Education not in itself an unmixed gain, for if it lessens certain offences, 
e.g. drunkenness, 1t may increase others, e.g. fraud. Danger of lowering the 
moral standard of the educational profession. Anxiety about the results of 
plementary education as in letters addressed to ‘ The Times’ by Sir P. Magnus 
and Mr. W. L. Hichens. Complaints made by men of business as to ignorance 
spelling, literary expression and geography among the pupils coming out 
elementary schools. Examination of time-table in schools. Some reason 
o fear that teachers have concentrated their attention far too much upon 
ntellectual knowledge, and not enough upon moral character. ‘Teachers them- 
selves have not always taken a high patriotic view of their vocation as, e.g. 
f they have refused to spend a few minutes’ overtime in the care of their 
pupils, and perhaps their infant pupils, or have gone on strike, to the serious 
njury of their pupils, against a reduction of salaries. The National Union 
of Teachers has not prepared teachers to accept their due share of the national 
urden after the Great War by not pressing for the full amount of the salaries 
lue to them under the Burnham scale or otherwise. ‘The first thought of all 
teachers should be the good of the children entrusted to them. It is fully as 
mportant that individuals should discharge their responsibility to the State 
the State its responsibility to the individuals. The educational profession 
s distinguishable from a trade union. Selfishness of class which is a serious 
deril to-day is no less deplorable than personal selfishness. (It is difficult to 
verrate the influence of the educational profession upon the national life. In 
sermany before the War that influence tended to evil; in Japan and in the 
Jnited States it has tended to good.) But the State cannot feel that it has 
ttained an adequate value for its expenditure upon education unless the 
itizens of the future are not only better instructed than their fathers and 
orefathers, but are actuated by a higher, or at least an equally high, spirit 
patriotism. The public school spirit, as it is called, has signally justified 
tself in the War. 
The unhappy discord between the Christian Churches has set an obstacle 
n the way of the moral and religious teaching which is essential to the creation 
f good citizenship. The State needs unity, and unity is hardly attainable if 
he children of ditferent Churches are educated in different schools without 
ver learning to co-operate with citizens of different religious creeds from 
heir own. 
Upon the whole it seems clear that the time has come when the educational 
ystem inaugurated in 1871 may well be reviewed, and may so be brought into 
onformity with the opportunities and aspirations of a people who know that 
ulture plays an ever-increasing part in the national life, but who know, too, 
hat character is a more valuable element than culture in the life of a 
ation and an Empire like the British. 
. Mr. T. Samuen.—Qualifying and Competitive Tests for Admission 
to Secondary Schools: An Account of Experiments in Wallasey. 
The paper traced the development of the annual school examination, insti- 
ated in 1920, tor the award of free places in secondary and central schools. 
Phe chief points dealt with were the conditions of admission to the examina: 
