180 REPORT—1858. 
On some of the Results of the Society of Arts’ Examinations. 
By Joun Pore Hennessy, M.P., of the Inner Temple, London. 
Statistics of an interesting and useful kind have at various times been published 
with reference to the primary education of the working classes. Such statistical 
tables, however, referred to the period of school life; to the number of years spent at 
school and the age at which children left school. The results of the Society of Arts’ 
examination furnish a new class of educational facts. ‘They deal with persons who 
have left the school for the workshop. They enable us to estimate the relative 
effects of different periods of school-life. They enable us to estimate the effect which 
early removal from school has on that portion of the working population with which 
the system deals. In one of the printed forms of inquiry which each candidate at 
the final portion of the late examination was requested to fill up, the following ques- 
tions were asked: ‘‘ How many years were you at school?” ‘ How many years have 
elapsed since you left school?” The total number of candidates examined this year 
was 1107, but, as some were rejected at the preliminary examination, as others did 
not offer themselves for the final examination, and as some of the forms, as far as the 
mere educational statistics were concerned, were imperfectly filled, not more than 310 
supplied the requisite information. I have to thank the Council of the Society of 
Arts for having placed at my disposal all the documents referring to the examination. 
Neither the Council, however, nor any of the officers of the Society are answerable 
either for the statements of fact or the expressions of opinion which this paper con- 
tains. The first result at which I arrived was that the average period of the school 
life of the candidates was under that usually regarded by educationists as the normal 
and necessary period. Some of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools have asserted 
that the normal period of school life is 12 years. Other educationists have estimated 
this period at nine or ten years; that being in fact the average duration of school life 
on the Continent,—in Bavaria, Holland, Switzerland, Sweden, and many other coun- 
tries. It will be seen from the following table that the great majority of the candi- 
dates were at school for a much shorter period. 
Under 1 year at school .......cessceeeee 13 | Q years at SChOOl......sscseseseeceeeee 2I 
1 year at School........sscsecesesesseeee 12 | 10 ,, 3) SRO TR Gaten oteea ee 1S 
Z years at schoOles.....scseccseeeeeeeeee LL | 11 yy og) | edtenettee shearncorectaa meal 
E hae Femme WE ore LER ED ga SOUR ein hn mL, 
awe: Te ee ee REND AN Ra Ye og Habahg de eee eee 
Tess 59, spetdn sere tetenicecctoee TO a MLS: kes, $y deesNeeeaccdwenteenccmieen TL 
Growisce | lag, céastenicencceeuaecccsvasn ds — 
erie phase selina Rakes, a Ce 310 
8 »” 7 Coeerrereseeesescesesees 40 
The average period was therefore 6016 years, or less than 6 years and 6 days. Al- 
though this period is much less than that which we are told should be the minimum 
duration of school life, nevertheless it is somewhat over the average in this country. 
Mr. Horace Mann proves that the average school-time of all the children in England 
and Wales is, as nearly as possible, 5 years. I have found, contrary to a common 
opinion, that in this apparently too short period much benefit is acquired by the pupils. 
Taking all the candidates who only attended at school for 5 years, 4 years, 3 years, 
2 years, 1 year, or less than one year, and calling them Class I.; and taking all the 
candidates who attended school for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 years, and calling 
them Class II., I find that 129 candidates belong to Class I., and that 181 candidates 
are included in Class II. These candidates were each examined in a certain number 
of subjects, chosen from a specified list of 25 different branches of science and litera- 
ture. ‘There were therefore 25 candidates who obtained highest places; and 14 of 
these 25 were awarded first prizes. I find that the highest places in fifteen subjects 
were obtained by the candidates in Class I1.—that is, those who had attended school 
only 5 years, or under, carried off two-thirds of the first places. Of the fourteen first 
prizes, eight were taken by candidates in the first class; and only six were left for 
those who had spent six years or more at school. In estimating the practical value 
of this result, it is necessary to remember that Class I. was numerically smaller than 
Ciass II.; the two classes being in the proportion of seven to ten, It therefore ap- 
