system. It is the Treasury at
the present moment, and the Treasury alone, that blocks the way to this
reform. Since 1902 it has been asked to sanction the establishment of
higher grade schools in large centres; the National Board also has
repeatedly pleaded for the institution of a "higher top," or advanced
departments, in connection with selected Primary Schools in rural
districts. But all these requests, founded though they have been on
intimate knowledge of the requirements of Irish Education and a ripe
experience ranging over many years, have been brushed aside by the
officials at the Exchequer, although the cost would be only about
L25,000 a year, on the very insufficient ground that the Development
Grant has been depleted to defray the loss of flotation of stock for the
purposes of land purchase. What, in the name of common sense, has land
purchase to do with education? What indissoluble relationship is there
between the two that the expenditure upon the one should be made
dependent upon the requirements of the other? This niggardly and
short-sighted attitude is hardly worthy of one of the richest countries
in the world. It is but a matter of a few thousands, and surely the
efficient training of the youth of Ireland is quite as important as
buying out the Irish landlords and placing the Irish tenant in
possession of the soil. The result of the present want of co-ordination
is that the clever pupil is now kept far too long in the lower school.
There he remains, kicking his heels until he is sent up to the
Intermediate School at 15 or 16--much too late an age at which to begin
the study of languages. The Primary teachers are, of course, only too
pleased to retain the clever boys as long as possible in the National
Schools, but it is unfair to the children, and is robbing the community
of services which might be rendered to it by these pupils in the future
if fair opportunities were afforded them of training themselves while
there was yet time. Without higher grade schools, without scholarships,
without at least some system of a "higher top" in connection with the
Primary Schools, there can never be proper co-ordination of
administration, and education in Ireland will never be able to progress
beyond a certain point. The Christian Brothers have set the Treasury a
good example in this matter. In their schools there is close
co-ordination of primary and intermediate education. Promising boys in
the fifth standard are re