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That this institute regards with disfavour the continuance of State aid to secondary schools and colleges. That Inspectors of Schools be placed under the Central Department. That scholarships and district high schools be abolished." 4. "(1.) That the number of compulsory subjects included in the Syllabus is excessive. (2.) That the compulsory subjects for individual examination and individual passes be restricted to reading — including explanation, spelling, and dictation — writing, arithmetic, and grammar. (3.) That class subjects be divided into two groups, compulsory and optional: (a) Compulsory group—Geography, drawing, and composition ; (b) Optional subjects—History, English literature, extra drawing, elementary physics, botany, physiology, chemisty (elementary and agricultural), mineralogy, or other authorised subjects. That one subject shall be selected from the optional subjects. That the additional subjects remain as at present. (4.) That in schools with only one certificated teacher any two successive standards may be examined together in reading, writing, composition, grammar, geography, and in the optional subject or subjects chosen." A. Matheson, Secretary.

EEPLIES FEOM OTHEE PEESONS TO CIECULAE ON PAGE 24. Mr. E. H. Gibson to the Hon. the Ministeb of Education. Hon. Sib, — Upper Carrington Eoad, near New Plymouth, 22nd November, 1887. As requested in your letter of the 16th instant, I will try to lay before the Committee on Education a brief statement of my views upon the subject. Ist. It appears to me the system is too complicated and too artificial, especially in the circumstances of the average child living in our rural districts. The Syllabus needs simplifying and weeding-out of more than one subject now taught in the Standards — e.g., grammar, if taught at all, should be confined to Standards IV.-VI. As now taught, particularly to younger children, it is merely a " puzzler," and worse than a waste of time. Let children be taught their own language by regular and frequent exercises in writing down their own thoughts, &c, and their grammatical errors pointed out. Professor Brown, of Canterbury College, and the Nelson School Inspector have both made admirable observations on this subject. " Science-teaching," under existing conditions ■ — e.g., in the absence of apparatus and of qualified teachers in most schools—l do not hesitate to term a mere farce. In short, fewer subjects should be taught, and these in a simpler and more practical style. Again, promotion from class to class should be by classification, as in New South Wales and Tasmania. Our method is alike tedious, uncertain, and every way unsatisfactory. 2nd. The School Inspector should be appointed by the central department at Wellington, not, as now, by Education Boards. I have seen enough of the evils arising out of this latter method— evils too obvious to need mention, when the constitution of these Boards and the ordinary abilities of the members—very ordinary indeed—are taken into account. An intelligent, conscientious Inspector cannot do his duty; an unconscientious and inefficient Inspector will not attempt it: he will try to please the Board and School Committees, or influential members of either body—influential, too often, because unscrupulous. The Inspector might be suspended by the Board in case of incompetency or immoral conduct, pending inquiry by the Education Department. This is the plan, I believe, adopted by the Board of Health Department of the Privy Council in appointing or removing their medical officers. It is said to work well. 3rd. Either School Committees or Education Boards should be abolished. The two bodies are not wanted: their functions overlap, or are opposed to, each other; the result is a great waste of time, temper, and money. I am inclined to think an Education Board composed of one or more representatives from each school district, said representatives to be elected by bond fide householders, as members of County Councils, &c, now are, would be found to work tolerably well, and would certainly be far better than the present method. 4th. A school fee should be charged on each child. I came to New Zealand a thorough-going "free educationalist." I have been, against my will, converted to the opinion that a fee, however small, charged the parent, would have a most beneficial effect not only in improving the attendance of the children and giving the parents more interest in the school, but in checking the existing shameless waste of public money in innumerable ways, into the details of which I cannot possibly enter in writing. sth. To meet the wishes of those who desire " religious instruction " in public schools or "Bible-reading," would it not be worth while to try the method so long and successfully pursued, by the late Archbishop Whately's advice, in the Irish National Schools, and adopted by more than one School Board — e.g., the Birmingham —in England, the method of admitting ministers of religion and others, after school hours, to give " religious instruction," in separate class-rooms, to those children whose parents desire it ? 6th. The salaries of Board Secretaries and School Inspectors might perfectly well be reduced, in most instances, at least 20 per cent.; even then their remuneration would be, considering the cost of living, &c, greater than in many far wealthier countries than our own — e.g., Prussia and Switzerland. I do not here enter on the difficult question of secondary education, except to say that, at present, it has the following grave defects: (a) It overlaps, in many places, the primary, instead of only supplementing it; (b) it is far too pretentious, and too exclusively modelled on the English public schools, instead of the American or German; (c) it is extravagant in the highest degree ; (d) practically it is largely a class education; (c) no provision whatever exists for examination ab extra. Apologising for these imperfect remarks on a matter in which I should have been glad to be heard and questioned personally by your Committee, I am, &c, E. Heney Gibson, Graduate of London University, late of University and The Hon. G. Fisher, Wellington. Manchester New Colleges, &c.