PEOPLE, LANGUAGES, AND EELIGIONS. 47 
their habits better, they will cease for the most part to 
indulge in these dangerous and costly vices. 
In this place I do not speak of the Baptists, as I have 
spoken elsewhere of their operations in Trinidad. 
Education in Trinidad is attended to in some good 
degree. In Port of Spain there are a model school for 
the training of teachers, a borough council school, a 
collegiate establishment, a college under the care of the 
Catholics, a convent for Catholic girls, and many private 
schools. 
Throughout the country there is a system of ward 
schools, which seems to work very well. Each Avard 
has to meet the expense of school-house and school- 
master’s salary. The average salary for Avard school- 
masters is about £70 sterling. The schools are for 
children of both sexes. There seems to be no attempt 
to provide infant schools, and I think that Avere they 
established, much good Avould be done. Dame schools 
have their place, Avhich it is not for the good of a com- 
munity to dispense Avith. Female teachers are ahvays 
obtained at less expense, and to their care Avould be 
committed the children that are (though sent) too 
young to get good at the Avard school. From these 
Avard schools all religious teaching is excluded, the 
GoA^ernment haAing deemed it best, from the many creeds 
of the people, to make the education entirely secular as 
far as the Government is concerned. But it must be 
addecf that Wednesday is given, that the ministers of 
the various denominations may haA^e an opportunity of 
instructing the children of their communion in religious 
doctrine. This system has been in operation some few 
■years noAV, and considering the mixed character and the 
many creeds of the people of Trinidad, AA-ould seem to 
answer as Avell as any system that could be deAused. 
hlany persons, hoAvever, condemn it, and AA'ould if they 
could, bring aljout a change, and go back to the days of 
denominational schools. There does not, hovA^ever, 
