has had to ask itself those questions and has not yet, it would appear satisfactorily answered then. The discns- sion, by some thought to have been finally closed, has been re-opened, and the point to be debated is, on whom does the duty primarily rest of educating our children; on the Government as one of its essential obligations, or, on the parents, to be performed by them to the best of their means and ability with aid only from the state as may be requisito in each case. If the state is to undertake the
duty then comes the further question, within what limits is the Government to act and is the education it gives to be secular, or, religious and if religious, of what religion.
A great deal has been said and written in Hongkong on this business of education, many things that might well have been left unwritten and unsaid. Charity would not have been wounded so grievously as it has been, if there had been less heat and more consideration.
We do not now intend to join in the discussion, but to chronicle in this pamphlet the dates and events in the educational history of Hongkong, the origin and growth of the secular and of the religious schools and to give a sketch, but only a sketch, of the phases of opinion that have existed at different times on the subject and of the controversies that have been excited by it.
Hongkong as a British colony is thirty six years old, but it was only twenty years ago that any thing was done towards the establishment of schools and the promotion of Education.
We purpose to give the educational history of those twenty years, dividing it into five periods, each of which formed an epoch in the development of the school system.
FIRST PERIOD.
From 1857 to 1860.
Schools existed in Hongkong in 1857 both for Chi- nese and Europeans. The Chinese pupils at the Govern- ment school were not less than 420 as appears from the Report for the year 1857. In the Hongkong Govern. ment Gazette of November 27th, 1858, we find a Notice about Government School, by which Parents and Guardians are informed that Schools for gratuitous instruction had been established by the Government of Hongkong, within the City of Victoria, and thronghont the Island, wherein
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the Chinese Elementary Books, their Classics, Geography eto, and the English language is well taught by compe- tent Native Teachers. No School Fee would be demanded but a sum not exceeding 27 cash per month, in lieu of Tea, would be expected from each pupil. Complaints from the Parents as well as applications for the Establishment of new schools were to be sent to the Members of the Educational Committee, who were the Bishop of Vic- toria, Rev. J. Chalmers, J. Scarth Esq, Rev. W. Løbschied, This latter gentleman signed as Inspector of Government Schools.
The hours of Tuitions were:
From 6 to 8 o'clock a.m.
From 9 to 12 o'clock am. From 3 to past 4 p.in.
In the Government Gazette of the 12th February 1859
we notice a Report, for which the thanks of the Government were given to the Members of the Committee for superin- tending Government Schools.
The Report was for the year 1858. The number of scholars had increased from about 420 to 675 in the five months of January to May 1858 inclusive The number of schools was fifteen, and the Inspector made application for permission to establish additional schools.
The course of instruction pursued was the general rentine of native Chinese books with an endeavour to im part at the same time the meaning of the sentence or words more fully than is used in the purely native system of teaching at school; the pupils learned also portions of the Now Testament in Chinese, the meaning was explained, and passages were committed to memory.
The first rudiments of spelling with reading English were also taught in the larger schools, and a few facts of Geography were learnt.
There was the continued difficulty of raising the moral and intellectual tone of the Native teachers.
Although the Committee did not intend to place them- selves in antagonism to private schools they expected how- ever in the course of time to attract to the Government public schools a good part of the pupils from the private schools by elevating the standard of the former. The Com- mittee notices the presence of a few girls at some of the schools. The sum of £1,500 was granted by the Colonial Government for the ensuing year, thus providing Educa- tion for each day scholar at the rate of £1, to £1 10s, as
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