Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE NEW AUTHORITIES IN ENGLISH EDUCATION. The point which England has reached in the task of organising her education is critical. We require to understand exactly what the state of things is now, what the object is that we wish to achieve, and what are the means proposed for its achievement. If we could only secure that English children should be brought up in the best way practicable, it would make a quite infinite difference to them and to the future of the country. About that we are agreed. At present they are being brought up, for the most part, in ways that are far from the best possible, and that might be improved promptly. About that we are agreed. What we want, at this moment, is to look carefully, so that when the time comes we may leap boldly. If we do not look carefully now, it will not save us that, when the time comes, we leap feebly and nervously, or, worse still, haltingly shift our feet on an impossible position. We need, then, first, a clear idea of our object; second, an accurate knowledge of our position and resources (to be reached by a process of comparison with those of other nations); and third, a vigorousadjustment of every ounce of our means to the achievement of our end;—we need clear strategy, thorough reconnaissance, appropriate and energetic tactics. Above all, we require, when the hour for action arrives, to subordinate any " political " or " official " ends to the educational end, just as, in another field, we ought to subordinate them to the military end. Our object is to improve our education. The point in which it most conspicuously calls for improvement is universally acknowledged, although it is somewhat variously expressed and defined. The Earl of Rosebery, in a speech at Chatham on the 22nd January, 1900, puts it in this way : —" I ...