35(5 



Notes and Correspondence. 



[April, 



individuals, to lend the movement 

 their utmost support.* 



Sir John Pakington was right 

 when he said that great dissatisfac- 

 tion prevails throughout the coun- 

 try with the administration of that 

 section of the Government which is 

 supposed to consist of a number of 

 cabinet ministers, but which is prac- 

 tically represented by two or three 

 heads of departments, or more pro- 

 perly speaking Government officials. 

 It is not Lord Palmerston, nor Mr. 

 Gladstone, nor any other minister, 

 who manages the Educational De- 

 partment of the State — it is Mr. 

 Lingen and Mr. Cole. 



Of the former we know but little, 

 excepting that he appears to be no 

 greater favourite with the Science 

 and Art Department than he is with 

 the country. Of the latter we per- 

 haps know a little more. He loves 

 art, takes a great pride in the South 

 Kensington Museum, upon which he 

 is permitted to expend vast sums of 

 money, which should, if the engage- 

 ments of the State were honourably 

 fulfilled, be paid to Science teachers 

 for work done ; and he is heard of by 

 the committees and managers of 

 Science schools about as frequently 

 as they hear of the " Lord Presi- 

 dent." Nay, let us not be unjust 

 to his lordship — not so often. Dur- 

 ing the last four or five years 

 we have seen every protocol, and 

 every "form," issued by the De- 

 partment, and we never recollect to 

 have observed the signature of Mr. 

 Henry Cole to one of them. Sir 

 John Pakington is right, then, when 

 he says that there is no responsible 

 head to the Education Department, 

 and it is easy to conceive the con- 

 fusion which must exist under such 

 a state of things — the little fracas 

 which must arise between the de- 

 partments as to the disposal of the 

 public funds. We have good cause 



* The Select Committee consists of 

 Sir John Pakington, Mr. Bruce, Mr. 

 Walpole, Viscount Enfield, Lord Robert 

 Cecil, Mr. William Edward Forster, Mr. 

 Adderly, Mr. Clay, Mr. Howes, Sir 

 Colman O'Loghlen, Mr. Walter, Mr. 

 Thompson, Mr. Stirling, Mr. Buxton, 

 and Mr. Liddell. 



for believing that, after the ap- 

 pearance of the Eevised Educational 

 Code, the Science and Art Depart- 

 ment had to struggle with the Edu- 

 cation Department for its very exist- 

 ence. It escaped being choked to 

 death, but its life-blood is ebbing fast. 

 One of the speakers, on the mo- 

 tion for a select committee, stated 

 that the inquiry now being institu- 

 ted would merely have the effect of 

 showing the excellent system of 

 management adopted by the Com- 

 mittee of Council on Education, 

 whilst another, holding similar 

 views, remarked that it would sim- 

 ply cause persons with grievances 

 to pour them into the ears of the 

 committee. We can hardly recon- 

 cile one statement with the other, 

 but doubtless the second will be 

 found to be correct. 



No doubt every means will be 

 taken to make matters look as plea- 

 sant as possible in the happy fami- 

 lies at South Kensington and White- 

 hall, but we trust that the loud com- 

 plaints which will not fail to reach 

 the committee will open their eyes, 

 and cause them to enter upon a 

 searching investigation of the ac- 

 tual state of the case. We hope that 

 the Committees of Management, 

 who not only work gratuitously 

 themselves, but pay those persons 

 whom they entrust with the central 

 authority (a fact which seems to be 

 quite overlooked by the officials in 

 receipt of fat salaries) — we hope that 

 these will come forward and lay a 

 correct statement of the working of 

 the various departments before the 

 committee, and that they will peti- 

 tion for a reformed management of 

 the whole section of the State. That 

 it is their duty towards those whom 

 they engaged, relying upon the 

 good faith of Government, to do 

 the work of Science teaching, there 

 can be no doubt, and it is equally 

 true that they owe this to the 

 numerous young students upon 

 whom they have hitherto been the 

 means of conferring " a little know- 

 ledge," but who, under the present 

 system, will soon be thrown entirely 

 upon their own resources. 



