AEMY SCHOOLS. 
625 
vidual attention to all who come. 1 2 As a consequence the recruits grow 
disheartened. In obedience to the wish of their officers they begin by 
putting their names down for voluntary school attendance, and then 
one by one they fall off. It is within the recollection of the writer that 
many a promising recruit who joined the army with the best intention 
to improve himself has gradually relinquished his efforts to obtain his 
certificate from sheer want of sympathy, encouragement, and help. 
The results of the Education Act of 1870, and subsequent Acts, are 
not so satisfactory as was expected. Boys who have passed the neces¬ 
sary standard are frequently removed from school by their parents at 
the age of ten, while not 3 per cent, of the sons of the working classes 
ever remain at school after 13. 3 Taken for hard work at this early age 
their minds lie fallow for seven or eight years until they enlist in the 
army. It is usually found that during this period they have forgotten 
most of what they learnt before leaving school. To show how lament¬ 
ably low the standard of education still remains in the country Sir 
Robert Biddulph quotes the experience of a large employer of labour, 
who wished to obtain a number of labourers in connection with the 
construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. He states that he found 
only five out of every 20 men could read writing, and that in some 
cases the proportion was only one in 20, while out of a large number of 
candidates for employment he could not find 20 who could write a 
legible hand and do a simple sum in addition. “ If,” writes Sir 
Robert Biddulph, “ this is a fair sample of the state of education in the 
country among the labouring classes it is not surprising that the state 
of education in the army is not better than it is, and the day when 
army schools for adults can be dispensed with seems to be as far off as 
ever. 
Much can undoubtedly be done, as Sir Robert Biddulph points out, 
even under the present system by Commanding Officers to improve the 
education of their men; 8 but they work under difficulties which will 
increase each year. If it is true, as has been said, that “ the 
Prussian school-master won the battle of Koniggratz,” primary edu¬ 
cation should surely be as much a part of regimental training as fire 
discipline and fire tactics. Are we wise to relegate it to a secondary 
place in our system of instruction ? Ought not the compulsory atten¬ 
dance of every recruit at school to be insisted on till he has obtained a 
3rd Class Certificate of Education ? 4 * * The proposal to re-introduce com- 
1 The difficulty in getting efficient soldier assistants is very great under the present system. On 
this point Sir Robert Biddulph writes as follows:-—“Formerly, when school-masters were attached 
to regiments, the regimental school-master had the ear of his Commanding Officer, and he was 
practically allowed to choose his own soldier assistants, and to retain their services. A man likely 
to make an efficient teacher was selected, and he was left in the school without removal for a 
considerable time. Kow, however, especially in large stations, the school-master is not known 
to the Commanding Officer, and a soldier assistant is detailed to the school under orders from 
the District Office. A man is selected who is perhaps incompetent, and his instructions so in¬ 
ferior that soldiers are kept away from attending school as they feel they make no progress.”— 
Report on Army Schools. 
2 In Germany the compulsory school age is from 6 to 14. 
3 The foundation of the winter school at Woolwich (for non-commissioned officers of the R.A. 
who wdsh to obtain 1st Class Certificates), which has been attended with such excellent results, is 
an instance in point. 
4 The examination for which consists in writing to dictation from a book of easy words arranged 
for children of nine years of age, and a paper in arithmetic, limited to the first four rules. It can 
hardly be said this is aiming too high. 
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