49 

 DISCUSSION. 



[The reporter's copy was sent to each speaker with a request that he would revise 

 and, as far as convenient, condense it. This request was in all cases complied with, 

 and the Discussion now appears as revised.] 



The Chairman, Professor Letts. — Ladies and Gentle- 

 men — I am sure that you will agree with me when I say 

 that Mr. Brown has brought before us a most interesting 

 and instructive Paper ; and that it contains much that is 

 new and original. 



I have not the slightest idea, however, as to what practical 

 educationists will say regarding my friend's opinions. For 

 myself, I may say that I fear some of his ideas are a little bit 

 Utopian ; for he seems to assume that all young people are, 

 more or less, angelic, while on the other hand his paper gives 

 me the impression that he is of opinion that the older folks 

 who instruct them are, more or less, the opposite. Many of us 

 will, I suspect, be scarcely prepared to agree with him on this 

 point. But I am quite sure of one thing, namely : that Mr. 

 Brown's Paper opens up a wide field for discussion which, I 

 doubt not, will be amply taken advantage of by the many 

 eminent educationists I see present. I therefore invite them 

 to speak. 



Professor Meissner, (Queen's College) expressed his great 

 pleasure at what he had heard from Mr. Brown, especially at 

 what he had said respecting American schools. As to the 

 injurious effects of the examination system, he did not see 

 how we could get out of the difficulty. Our present educa- 

 tional system was the result of a political compromise. It 

 would be necessary to change the religious and political ideas of 

 people before attempting to change the present educational 

 system. The practice of giving money-prizes at the inter- 

 mediate examinations had created certain interests which it 

 might not be easy to deal with. One of the objects of the Inter- 

 mediate Education Act had been to assist schools in the poorer 

 districts ; in this the Act had signally failed. The two schools 

 in the North of Ireland which carried off the largest amount 

 of prizes — the Belfast Academical Institution and the Methodist 



