Ryerson Memorial Volume: Prepared on the occasion of the unveiling of the Ryerson statute in the grounds of the Education department on the Queen's birthday, 1889Hodgins, J. George (John George)
History
Ryerson Memorial Volume: Prepared on the occasion of the unveiling of the Ryerson statute in the grounds of the Education department on the Queen's birthday, 1889
Hodgins, J. George (John George)
Education -- Ontario; Ryerson, Egerton, 1803-1882
"The Honorable Robert Sympson Jameson, Vice-Chancellor, to be
Superintendent of Education, under the Provincial Act, 4th and
5th Victoria, chapter 18.
"The Reverend Robert Murray and Jean Baptiste Meilleur, Esquire,
to be Assistant Superintendents of Education for Western and
Eastern Canada, respectively.
"By command,
"S. B. HARRISON, Provincial Secretary."
Had the Governor-General, Lord Sydenham, not met with the fatal
accident which terminated his life, in September, 1841, the Rev.
Dr. Ryerson would, without doubt, as I have shown in "The Story of
my Life," have been appointed in that year. Mr. Murray, who was
neighbor and friend of the Hon. S. B. Harrison, of Bronte, near
Oakville, then Provincial Secretary, was nominated by him, and
received his appointment from Lord Sydenham's successor, Sir Charles
Bagot.
In point of fact, the appointment was first spoken of to Dr. Ryerson
by Lord Sydenham himself, in the autumn of 1841. The particulars of
that circumstance are mentioned in detail in a letter written by Dr.
Ryerson to T. W. C. Murdoch, Esq., Private Secretary to Sir Charles
Bagot, on the 14th January, 1842. Dr. Ryerson said:--
"In the last interview with which I was honoured by [Lord Sydenham],
he intimated that he thought I might be more usefully employed
for this country than in my present limited sphere; and whether
there was not some position in which I could more advantageously
serve the country at large. I remarked that I could not resign my
present official position in the Church, with the advocacy of whose
interests I had been entrusted, until their final and satisfactory
adjustment by the Government, as I might thereby be represented as
having abandoned or sacrificed their interests; but that after such
adjustment I should feel myself very differently situated, and free
to do anything which might be beneficial to the country, and which
involved no compromise of my professional character; that I knew
of no such position likely to be at the disposal of the Government
except the superintendency of Common Schools (provided for in the
Bill then before the Legislature), which office would afford the
incumbent a most favorable opportunity, by his communications,
preparation and recommendation of books for libraries, etc., to
abolish differences and jealousies on minor points; to promote
agreement on great principles and interests; to introduce the best
kind of reading for the youth of the country; and the not onerous
duties of which office would also afford him leisure to prepare
publications calculated to teach the people at large to appreciate,
upon high moral and social considerations, the institutions
established amongst them; and to furnish, from time to time, such
expositions of great principles and measures of the administration
as would secure the proper appreciation and support of them on the
part of the people at large. Lord Sydenham expressed himself as
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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