meeting. It remains, then, for the electors to discharge the three important duties which the act imposes. The first relates to the financial report of the trustees; the second to the election of one or more trustees; the third to the manner of providing for the support of their school during the year.

(1.) The meeting is to receive and decide upon the report of the trustees for the past year. The 18th clause of the 12th section of the Act requires the trustees" to cause to be prepared and read at the annual meeting of their section, their annual school report for the year then terminating, which report shall include among other things prescribed by law, a full and detailed account of the receipts and expenditures of all school moneys received and expended in behalf of such section, for any purpose whatever, during such year; and if such amount shall not be satisfactory to a majority of the freeholders or householders present at such meeting, then a majority of said freeholders or householders shall appoint one person, and the trustees shall appoint another; and the arbitrators thus appointed shall examine said amount, and their decision respecting it shall be final; or if the two arbitrators thus appointed shall not be able to agree, they shall select a third, and the decision of the majority of the arbitrators so chosen shall be final." This provision of the act affords trustees an opportunity of publicly refuting any imputations which may have been cast upon them from any quarter as to their expenditure of school moneys; it also secures to the tax-payers in each school section a public annual account of the school moneys of their section. They have, therefore, the satisfaction of knowing that whatever may be the amount of school moneys which they have raised, such moneys will be expended in their own section, by men of their own election, and accounted for to them at the end of the year. We are not aware of a provision for so prompt and satisfactory a mode of accounting for school moneys to school constituencies existing in any other country.

(2) The second important duty of an annual school meeting is "To elect one or more persons as trustee or trustees, to fill up the vacancy or vacancies in the trustee corporation, according to law: Provided that no teacher in such section shall hold the office of school trustee." It will be observed from this clause of the act, that the electors at a school meeting can elect whom they please (except a teacher in their section) as trustee or trustees, whether rich or poor, resident or non-resident. The 5th section of the Act having specified the order of the retirement of trustees from office, there can be no misunderstanding or doubt on this subject in ordinary cases. But questions have arisen as to the order of the retirement of trustees elected at the same time, not in a new section, but in sections already established, in cases where one trustee has been chosen to fill a vacancy occasioned by the retirement of a trustee after his three years' service, and another has been chosen to fill a vacancy by death, removal or resignation. The doubt will be removed, when it is recollected that a person elected in the place of a trustee who had died, removed from the neighbourhood, or resigned, as authorized by the 8th section of the Act, remains in office, not three years, but so long as the person in whose place he has been elected would have remained in office had he lived, or not removed or resigned. Thus is the harmonious working of the principle of the triennial succession of trustees secured. I will not repeat here what has been said heretofore, as to the importance of electing the most devoted friend of youth and the most judicious promoter of education in each section, as school trustee for the next three years, commencing the 14th January, 1852. There can be no doubt that the duties of school trustee are much more im ortant than those of a township councillor, and not second to those of a member of the Legislature. We pray every school elector to think of this, and in behalf of his children, the children of his neighbours, and his country in all time to come,to vote for the best men as school trustees.

the

(3.) The last important duty of each annual school meeting is to decide upon manner in which the salary of the teacher or teachers, and all the expences connected with the operations of the school or schools shall be provided for." It will be observed by this clause, that the amount of the teacher's salary and of other expences of the school is not to be determined at the school meeting; the amount of all such expenses

T

(as required by the 4th and 5th clauses of the 12th section of the Act) is to be decided by the trustees-the elected representatives of the section. Indeed the question of the precise amount of expense can seldom be decided upon by a public meeting in regard to any undertaking whatever. It is not so decided in any of the public works of Government, of municipal councils, road companies, &c. And the expenses attending the operations of a schoool are so contingent, that it would be as impracticable as it would be injurious to attempt the discussion and disposal of them at public meetings. Therefore what is done by a majority of 84 men for United Canada, and a majority of 5 men for each township, is wisely left to a majority of three men for each school section in respect to the amount of expenses of the school-three men elected for that purpose, and who can have no other interest than that of the majority of those who elected them. But the manner of providing for these expenses is left to be decided by vote at the annual, or a special school meeting. There is, however, one mode of providing for the expenses of a school which is not recognised by the School Act, though some school meetings erroneous adopted it in the early part of the year; we refer to that of a tax according to the number of children of school age. Those who have fallen into the error of adopting this method of supporting their school, have found it necessary to re' race their steps. There is no provision or principle of the law that will authorise a tax upon man according to the number of his children. The act recognises three modes of supporting common schools-voluntary subscription, rate-bill, (that is on parents' sending their children to school), and general rate, or tax "according to the valuation of property, as expressed on the assessor or collector's roll. Which of these three mode of supporting the school shall be in each section adopted, must be determined by the electors themselves of such section. In the neighbouring States, a majority of the Legislature determine how each school throughout the state shall be supported; but in Upper Canada it is left with the electors of each school section to decide how their own school shall be supported. If they decide to support it by voluntary subscription, the 2nd clause of the 12th section of the Act authorises the state to collect such subscription in the same manner as if it were a rate-bill or rate. If the majority at a school meeting should deter mine to support their school by rate-bill, they should then determine how much should be paid per month or per quarter for each child attending the school: so that all parent's sending their children to the school may know at the commencement of the year how much they must pay. But the most simple, equitable and patriotic mode of supporting each school is by rate on property, and then opening the school to all the children of school age in the section, as free as the sun light of heaven. The inhabitants of upwards of 250 school sections in Upper Canada adopted this mode of supporting their schools in 1850; and some of the early results are attested in the extracts from local reports, given in the Annual Report of the Chief Superintendent of Schools, for the year 1850, pp. 154-198. In the same report will also be found the address of the chief superintendent to the people of Upper Canada, "On the System of Free Schools." In every case where a free school is adopted, two things should be especially remembered-there should be room for all children in the section who will attend the school, and there should be a teacher competent to teach them all.

No. 7.*

CIRCULAR TO CLERKS of Cities, Towns and Villages, in Upper Canada, notifying them of the Apportionment of the Legislative School Grant for 1852.

SIR,-I have the honor to intimate to you, as provided in the 35th section of the School Act, for the information of the council, of which you are clerk, and of your board of common school trustees, that the sum placed opposite the name of your municipality

• This Circular should appear before No. 8, on page 170, but was omitted by mistake,

has been apportioned to it for the current year, out of the legislative school grant appropriated to Upper Canada.

By the 42nd section of the School Act, the money thus apportioned is payable to the treasurers of those cities, towns and villages, which have complied with the 5th clause of the 27th section, in connection with the 21st section of the act, as well as other provisions of the law. I have to state that no apportionment (although made and notified) will be paid in behalf of any of those cities, towns and villages from which no certified abstract of school accounts, a blank form of which, was transmitted to you from this office, on the 19th of last February-has been received at this department ;* nor until such abstract shall have been received.

.*

For the convenience of the public, His Excellency the Governor General has been pleased to direct that hereafter the legislative school grant will be payable at this department, Toronto, instead of at the office of the Hon. Receiver General, Quebec.

As required by the 21st section of the Act, taken in connection with the 2nd proviso of the 3rd clause of the 27th section, you will please favor me from time to time with a copy of the proceedings of your council on educational matters.

On the subject of the basis of the apportionment for this year, I have to refer you for information to the foregoing circular [No. 8, p. 170], addressed to clerks of counties. I have the honor to be sir,

The following are the Towns and Villages from which no certified Abstract of School Accounts for last year has been received at the Educational Department, Toronto, as authorized and required by the 5th clause of the 27th section, in connection with the 21st and 25th sections of the School Act, up to the date of the publication of this circular:

APPENDIX D.

DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE NORMAL SCHOOL, TORONTO.

1. Programme of the annual examination of the Normal and Model Schools for Upper Canada, at the close of the seventh session, 1851-'52.

2. Examination paper for His Excellency the Governor General's prizes in the science of Agriculture.

3. Examination paper in Education and the art of Teaching.

4. Examination paper in Book-keeping.

5. Examination paper in themes for Composition.

6. Examination paper in Algebra.

7. Examination paper in Grammar.

8. Examination paper in Practical Arithmetic.

9. Examination paper in History-General, English and Canadian.

10. Examination paper in Geography-general and Canadian.

11. Examination paper in Geometry.

12. Examination paper in Mensuration and the Rudiments of Mechanics.

13. Blank form of Certificate given at the close of the seventh session of the Normal School, to students then in attendance and deemed worthy of it.

14. Blank form of application for admission to the Normal School.

15. Revised terms of admission to the Normal School.

No. 1. PROGRAMME of the Annual Examination of the Normal and Model Schools for Upper Canada, at the close of the seventh session, 1851-'52.

Thursday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
8th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th of April.

NORMAL SCHOOL.

Thursday, the 8th of April.

Private examination for his Excellency the Governor General's prizes in Agricultural Chemistry, &c.

Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, 10th, 12th, and 13th of April,

PRIVATE GENERAL EXAMINATION, WITH WRITTEN ANSWERS.

HOURS.

Wednesday, April 14.

PUBLIC EXAMINATION.

10 to 11-Grammar and the Principles of Teaching.

11 to 12-Principles of Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration, and Mechanics. 12 to 12-Hullah's System of Vocal Music.

HOURS.

Specimens of Writing and Drawing exhibited in the Examination Hall.

INTERMISSION.

2 to 3-Natural Philosophy and Agricultural Chemistry.

3 to 4-History and Geography.

4-Distribution of Prizes given by his Excellency the Governor General.

3 to 4-Hullah's System of Vocal Music.

GALLERY.

Object Lessons-(1st division,)
Grammar-(2nd division.)

INTERMISSION.

Geography-(2nd division.)

Specimens of Writing and Drawing exhibited in the large room.

2.-EXAMINATION PAPER, for his Excellency the Governor General's Prizes of £5 and £3 in books) in the science of Agriculture.

April 8th, 1852.

EXAMINERS:

The Masters of the Normal School.

The Professor of Chemistry in the University of Toronto.

The President of the Agricultural Society of the County of York.

The first Vice-President of the Agricultural Society of the County of York.
The Secretary to the Agricultural Association of Upper Canada.

TIME: THREE HOURS.

1. Trace the history of an annual plant from germination to maturity.