Payment by Results in British Guiana. 137 



less and indolent assistants, have a difference of opinion 

 with their managers over church matters, or who should 

 in an evil moment dare to offend some favourite stable- 

 boy or cook? The insecurity of the teacher's posi- 

 tion has been the prime cause of the complete failure of 

 the past systems, and while it is not the only reason 

 why the present is failing, yet it is the chief. Indeed, 

 the " Longden System," the best ever formulated in this 

 colony, provided against the summary dismissal of 

 teachers by making the Board of Education then in exis- 

 tence the only dismissing body ; but it was charged with 

 prodigality, and instead of rectifying the evils complained 

 of, the whole sytem was ruthlessly swept away to make 

 room for one which was infinitely worse. The regula- 

 tions of 1862 made no provision for the proper control of 

 the Education Vote by the Government, whilst those ot 

 1S69, 1882 and 1890 levied heavy fines on the grant-in-aid 

 earned by the passing of the children, for the non- 

 payment of fees by parents and guardians, at the same 

 time ignoring the advantages to be gained by having a 

 body of properly trained and educated teachers. Is it 

 any wonder, then, that all these regulations failed to 

 give satisfaction ? And is it not more wonderful that 

 we are not infinitely worse off in matters relating to 

 Elementary Education ? 



