come was fees; but while the Endowed Schools could draw upon endowments in supplement, the School Boards did not show any disposition to put their hand into the rates for a similar purpose. The Endowed Schools could thus afford to undersell their rivals, and a most undesirable state of matters ensued for some years a rather unworthy, if in part involuntary, rivalry of schools which ought to have been seconding one another's efforts, together with the gradual decline of the strength of the old Burgh Schools. Happily the phase has as good as passed, and the Secondary Schools—whether originally Burgh or Endowed-now begin to make common cause with one another.

The general situation has so far changed since 1868 that the classification of that date scarcely any longer applies. It is not quite easy at the moment to say definitely what are to be regarded as the Secondary Schools of Scotland. There are, first of all, some 32 higher class "Public Schools, i.e., under public management, the School Board; second, there are 23 (or 25) Endowed Schools-these are respectively what I have called the historic Burgh Schools, and the

schools arising out of the endowments just referred to; and third, there are (37 or) 39 other schools inspected by Government, but not directly subsidised for Secondary Education; and fourth, there seem to be a few others supplying Secondary Education, but neither inspected nor subsidised. There are slight discrepancies in the official lists as returned for different purposes, but the following is substantially correct:

III.-Inspected but not subsidised

IV. Other schools neither inspected nor sub

sidised.

Total

32

23

39

6

100

Of these, according to the latest return in which the figures are to hand (1901), 88 sent in candidates for Leaving Certificates. As the Leaving Certificates examination is, on the whole, the best test that exists of the Secondary work being done throughout the country, we may take the number as fairly indicative of the present supply of strictly or predominantly Secondary Schools. The number of pupils presented was, in the year 1901, 5,465,

which may be taken to represent the upper two or three classes of the schools. The returns do not give the numbers in actual attendance at the 88 schools, but for the 55 higher class schools, Public and Endowed, the total number of pupils over twelve years of age was, in 1902, 12,991.

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Here we are again confronted by a question which has already been raised in one aspect of it: To what extent do the Secondary" Schools undertake Elementary work, and to what extent do "Elementary Elementary" Schools undertake Secondary work? The Government returns do not furnish a complete answer, but they offer some suggestive data. In the one case, unfortunately, we can speak only of the 55 schools, while in the other the comparison is with the larger number, 88. In the 55 Higher Schools, directly subsidised by Government for Secondary Education, there were, in 1902, 4,692 pupils under the age of twelve, which is for this purpose taken as the border line between Elementary and Secondary. Comparing this with the number over twelve (12,991), we find that fully one-fourth of the

pupils of the higher class Public and Endowed Schools are engaged, I will not say in Elementary studies, but in the Elementary stage of Secondary studies.

On the other hand, besides the higher class schools, in this case 88, sending in their 5,465 candidates for Leaving Certificates (in 1901), there were no fewer than 353 State-aided schools that also sent in candidates, in all 11,940, and that exclusive of 303 schools from which pupil teachers alone were presented.

A comparison of the number of papers taken shows:

5,465 pupils from 88 higher class schools took 21,494 papers 3.9 per cent. papers per pupil.

11,940 pupils from 353 State-aided schools took 34,592 papers 2.9 per cent. papers per pupil.

The immediate inference from this would seem to be that the State-aided schools of the country actually do considerably more than half the Secondary work; but a moment's reflection will show that this is not warranted by the statistics as they stand. There are three grades of Certificate-Lower, Higher and Honourswith considerable differences in standard be

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tween them. The Lower Grade seems too frequently to be aimed at by those who have nothing but the most elementary and fragmentary knowledge of a subject" (Report for 1902, p. 14). On the other hand, success in Honours implies not only thorough teaching, but individual ability beyond the average (ibid.). The Lower Grade Certificate marks very moderate proficiency; the Honours Grade is beyond the reach of the average pupil, however well taught; besides, it is rather a barren honour to win it, as it confers no privileges which the Higher does not. Hence it is that the Higher Grade Certificate is the object aimed at, and the real test of the efficiency of a school, i.e., so far as the chances of an examination afford such a test. And a further important condition of a fair comparison would be that well-arranged groups of subjects should be taken by candidates, and the pass standard determined in view of the whole performance of a pupil. If we had statistics showing this in whole or in part, we should then be in a position to draw a correct inference, within the limits stated. In absence of this information