these the natives trap with a peculiar snare manufactured by themselves, consisting of a ring in which many thin strips of wood are fastened, meeting in the centre. This ring is just covered with sand and tied to a tree, so that when the animal steps upon it its leg is caught and it is easily captured; there are great numbers of these ingenious traps to be found in every hut.

We spent one pleasant day on an expedition to a mountain hamlet high up in the recesses of Kokout—a spur of Erba, and approached by a curious gorge, so narrow in places that we thought it must end soon, and requiring considerable agility to get up. The women were all busy making butter by shaking the milk in skins tied to a tree, which product is the principal one on which they subsist for a livelihood; their children were learning the art of war with toy shields and toy swords, and the men played us tunes on long reed pipes, most suitable to their pastoral pursuits and wild surroundings, and on our return home we had ibex for dinner, which we did not like much, being in flavour too closely related to old goat.

Then we bid adieu to our wild roving life, and returned to our dhow, which took us in two days to Sawakin, where war and rumours of war were the order of the day.

J. THEODORE BENT.

COUNTY COUNCILS & RURAL EDUCATION

THE following pages upon the recent educational proposals of the Government are in no sense prompted by political considerations. They are simply intended to embody certain conclusions suggested by a long and fairly wide interest and experience in connection with rural elementary schools, and by the experience gained and the interest awakened in secondary education in the conduct of the business (as chairman) of the Technical Education Committee of the Devon County Council, which was appointed immediately upon the passing of the Act in 1890. That committee has worked zealously and steadily, and with a measure of success such as only the boldest and most sanguine would have ventured to predict from the reception which was usually accorded to their proposals during the first four or five years. It is some satisfaction to be able to remark that the lines upon which they have principally run have been in most matters closely paralleled by the lines followed in other counties of a comparable size and of circumstances at all similar; and this fact to some extent justifies the inference that the conclusions to be drawn from our experience in Devonshire and the western counties are far from being inapplicable to other rural districts.

I have therefore ventured to put forward these suggestions solely from a sincere anxiety to promote, as far as in me lies, sound permanent progress in education, both elementary and secondary, in rural districts. In urban districts the solution of the problem is as child's play compared with the overcoming of the difficulties that attend its solution in 'the country;' and it is mainly with 'country matters' that county councils have to do. It is of rural and not urban districts that I write. And it may be well to remind the reader that while it is with regard to rural districts that those interested in education find the most numerous and the most serious obstacles in their path, it is also in rural districts that the need for energetic action is greatest and the reward of success would be the most encouraging.

It would be difficult to say which were the greater, the hopes or the fears excited by the educational project so unexpectedly sprung

upon the country by the Government during the session of 1896, and not less suddenly withdrawn.

On the one hand were those who for the moment congratulated themselves on seeing the problem solved of how to combine financial aid to voluntary schools with 'Local Control,' in such a manner as to steer clear of the parochial ratepayer; while, on the other hand, at least an equally appreciable number of persons looked with dread upon what they regarded as a proposal to introduce sectarianism into the minds of children at the very outset of their education, and viewed with intense anxiety the proposal to entrust to county councils the administration of so vital a subject as elementary education.

But probably when the bill was withdrawn, and time was thus given for the mature consideration of an experiment so revolutionary (as regards education), the sense of relief was both more general, and stronger than any feeling of disappointment at the postponement of what may have at first sight appeared to some to be an ingenious practical solution of a difficult problem.

The tendency to decentralisation in administration, which is regarded by some as one of the phases of democracy in this country, presents a curious variety of aspects. Any one who has taken part in local affairs during the last quarter of a century must have been struck by the antipathy felt by the local authorities to interference and control, and the healthy hatred of red tape and of the official uniformity which is the necessary result of excessive centralisation such as is often attributed to 'my Lords' and the 'Board above.'

At the same time it is by no means an uncommon experience among local authorities to find a collision between them and the ' Board above' in such matters as the appointment and efficient remuneration of competent officers, or as to the outlay necessary for efficient sanitary precautions, and so forth. And cases are frequent enough in which theguardian' watches far more carefully over the rates than over any of the other subjects entrusted to his charge.

On the other hand, there can be no question that some devolution of responsibility for the conduct of ordinary local public business is essential to a combination of efficiency and economy. Nor can there be any reasonable doubt of the general soundness of the maxim that taxation and representation ought to go together, although as regards parochial affairs there may have been amply sufficient reasons for its having been disregarded in the establishment of parish councils and meetings.

In this connection there is probably no greater difficulty in legislation (and perhaps it may be said in administration also) than the due appreciation of the differences between the aspects presented by problems affecting similar subjects in urban and rural districts respectively.

In the one case it is easy to collect at any time an assembly of

intelligent men bound together by membership of the same community, with many interests in common, and with minds kept alive and in constant activity by daily contact with their equals in intellectual power and in social station, sharpened by business, and impatient of waste of time. In the other case, long distances have to be travelled; the men available are fewer, their minds are of a different order, their occasions of intercourse with their fellow-men are also different; time is not so precious to them, the very nature of their employment accustoms them to wait long for results; and their shrewdness is more often shown in the personal conduct of their own separate business than in the active participation in the local affairs of their immediate neighbourhood, and the community of which they are fellow-members has a much less definite and corporate existence.

The result is shown in a far less rapid formation of public opinion in rural than in urban districts, and consequently a much slower rate of progress, much less elasticity or fertility of resource, and much less evidence of public spirit or devotion to public duty.

In no department of public business has this difference already produced more evident effect than in matters connected with elementary education.

In the working of the School Board system two very opposite effects have been produced, which tend to illustrate the complexity and difficulty of the questions connected with this subject.

While in some cases in urban districts the effect of entrusting education to bodies locally elected ad hoc has been a steady growth of expenditure reaching almost to extravagance, the other extreme -namely, economy amounting to foolish parsimony-has been not less frequently the fault of such bodies in rural districts.

It is hardly going too far to say that, so far as elementary education is concerned, that system which has been a success in urban districts has been comparatively, in rural districts, rather less than more successful for the most part than the voluntary system. And unquestionably the 'intolerable strain' spoken of by Mr. Balfour as inflicted upon voluntary schools can only fairly be considered to exist in those urban districts where the supporters of voluntary schools have been compelled to support by rate the Board schools from which it was their main object to save their children.

In country districts, on the other hand, the voluntary school has ordinarily been regarded by its supporters as a more economical, and at the same time equally efficient means of discharging the public duty of providing elementary education of which in nearly all cases by far the greater part has been paid for from Imperial funds, so that while, in urban districts, the supporters of voluntary schools have been fair objects for sympathy, in rural districts they may rather be congratulated, as far as expenditure has been concerned, though the burden on subscribers is often heavier than the rate would be if borne by the whole community.

It is difficult to believe that the authors of the Education Bill had really thought out the results which must follow the proposals embodied in it. One can hardly wonder at their feeling a very strong temptation to seize the opportunity of sailing round the parochial ratepayer, and obtaining 'Local Control' without his interference, which appeared to be afforded by the existence of the county councils. But can they have carefully considered all that would be involved in so far-reaching a proposal?

Did they examine the composition of the county councils?

Did they endeavour to ascertain the amount of unpaid work which falls necessarily upon county councillors, even exclusive of what they already have in connection with education, which will certainly become the heaviest work of all when the whole area of local secondary education is brought under their superintendence? The presence of experts on the Education Committee may no doubt be desirable, but it would in no way lighten the pressure of the increased burden upon the shoulders of county councillors.

Did they realise all that is involved in exposing county councils to the inevitable attacks from all sides in connection with the financial and religious difficulties about which those who have the management of elementary-especially voluntary-schools have made so loud an outcry?

It must be remembered that upon the shoulders of county councils as 'paramount' authorities it was proposed at once to place the whole burden not only of elementary, but also of secondary education, excepting only the non-local schools.

The financial part of the elementary school business alone brings with it such a train of other details as to render that part taken by itself more formidable than any other division of the present duties of managers. But what evidence of the willingness (not to say desire), and what evidence of the fitness of county councils for the duty of keeping up the standard, by efficient inspection and evenhanded strictness of administration, has been forthcoming? Did the Government seriously entertain the belief that the utmost efficiency of administration of which county councils might be capable could be comparable to that of the existing Department?

And were the evils of divided government, dual control, present to their minds?

There is one consideration which has not as yet been much brought to the front, but which might have been expected to have had some influence where evidently it has had none-namely, a fundamental and essential distinction between the nature and aim of elementary as distinguished from secondary education.

The field and scope of 'public elementary education' are clear, distinct, and homogeneous throughout the country. They are the instruction and religious and moral training of the children of that section.