EDUCATION IN IRELAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 134, 26 November 1875, Page 8

EDUCATION IN IRELAND.

"Thank God!" said O'Connell once, "there are 540,000 children in the schools of Ireland, and they will be the masses in future." It is not a bad sign for Ireland, that, although two millions of people have left her shore since O'Coiinell's time, there are more children in the Irish schools to-day than there were then. The Report of the Commissioners of National Education for 1874 is now issued. It states that on the 31st of December last there were 6,237 schools in operation, being 97 more than in 1873. The number of children on the rolls who made any attendance was 1,00(3,511, which was an increase of 31,Sir> over the previous year. The average daily attendance was 325,300, which was 31,815 more than in 1873. The Commissioners explain the irregularity of the attendance by the habit, and in most cases the necessity of employing the children during certain seasons in farm work. They have endeavored to make other schools attractive, and the system of payment by results has acted as a stimulus, and there has been a decided improvement in the attendance. There were 85 schools struck oil the rolls, chifly lor insufficient attendance, and live schools suspended. The number of warranted schools is 0,35(>. There are 1,252 clerical and 204 lay Protestant Episcopalian managers, 328 clerical and 178 1 lay I'l-eal^tc ii,iu managers, SH clerical and 1-2 Liy managers of other I d<. nominations;, aiid 207 oiiicial lay managers. There are 4,741 fcchools under Catholic clerical management. Over 7'J per cent, o the pupils m attt.nda.nce aro Catholic, 11 per cent. Presbyterian, and o\cr S per cent. ProtesLmt Episcopalian.

Tin: brevity of human life is generally recognised in the abstract by all uieu ; and yet nearly all of tneni act as if it would endure for evor.