Tue Report drawn up by the Committee appointed to investigaio the Educational condition of the Settle. ments reflects much credit upon the compilers for the impartiality and conscientiousness with which their enquiries have been carried out. They have visited all the existing schools, and provided us with much valuable detail as to their origin, their sources income, the managements under which they are carried on, the number of pupils educated in each institution, and other matters of interest; adding, in the form of appendices, the prospec: fuses issued from the different schools The work has been well done, and the Committee are entitled to the thanks of the ratepayers for the trouble they lnve taken. "hey have, we think, told us all they could; and if they have not told us quite all we should like to know it has been b cause it was not practicable to obtai fuller information, It would have been more satisfactory could they have thrown some light upon the actual courses of instruction given, and th discipline prevailing at the various schools they visited. A list of the sub. jects taught at any given establishment us, of course, its value; but we suppose that only personal experience and obs intelligently—whetber the peculiarity of each scholar are taken as a guide in determining the curriculum to which ho is subjected whether the instruction ficial und, whether a solid foundation is laid in the various branches of study before the loamer is permitted to proceed higher in the scale of subjects, These and other kindred points are of very great practical importance i the merits of a scholastic system, and the Committee of course had no opportunity of forming an opinion upon any of them, The Report concludes with an expression of opinion which was no doubt anticipated by all. A Public School for European boys, based on noniples, is a generally re. A nucleus exists for the establishment of such an institution in the one now presided over by Mr. Lanning, with the course of instruction adopted by whom the Committee profess themselves "well satisfied." Whether the Anglo-Chineseachool be enlarged, or whether a new school be founded, the Committee believe that " many persons would be found willing to contribute towards the establishment of a first-class educational institution on the spot." They further inform us (page 12) that "there are, unquestionably, a considerable number of Protestant parents who object to having their children under the care of Roman Catholics, for the education of whom it is desirable that further school accommodation should be if possible provided;" adding (p. 14) that they think that an appeal to the commanity to assist in providing the fands necessary, either to convert the Anglo-Chinese school into a public institution such as is now needed here, or to establish an entirely new school, might be made with succesefal results.' Such, in brief, is the conclusion at which the Education Committee have arrived and we do not well seo how they could have arrived at any other. At present there are two permanent schools in Shanghai available for Earopoan boys—St. Xavier's College and the Anglo-Chinese school. The question of making future educational provisions reste, however, outirely- bebweon enlarging the latter school and buildinga new one; it is, of course, impossible that it should lie between the latter school and the former. The Committee, indeed, have recognised this fact in so marked degree as not even to mention the two schools as possible rivals for public favour and tance. It would be as impossible for the Anglo-American Council to offer a subsidy to the French school as it would be for the managers, of the French school to accept it. The Jesuit Fathers constitute porlinps the richest community in the East, and would never dream of coming before the public in forma paupers, Such a course would be inconsistent their dignity and their policy alike. It would deprive them of all the independence they so much value, were they to accept a pony from the publio funds; for it is clear that the only grounds on which official assi ance could be given would be an acknowledgment, the part of the Fathers, of the Council's right to super. vise their accounts and even interfere in their domestic management, Besides, the Jesuit Fathers are missionary they are nothing. They do not come z|to to touch little Buglish boys dictation and arithmetic, but to extend the borders of the Church, and whatever they do is with this object and this alone. In any case, we should hope that the Council would never pay them the poor compliment of offering them pecuniary assistance. If ever the edacatioual resources of the French Concession stand in need of help, let the French Council take steps to remedy the defect; we, on this side, lave no more to do with such matters than we have with lighting the French streets, But we are very sure that no French Council would commit such an offence against good taste as to offer money to members of the rich and powerful Society of Jesus.
It has been said that to give to one school and not to another would be a misuse of the public funds, which are furnished by members of all denomina
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.