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 Rev. Thomas Phillips, D.D., an accomplished scholar, came out
from England in 1825 to take charge of the school, and remained in
the position of headmaster, much honored and beloved by his pupils,
until, in 1830, chiefly by the exertions of the Governor, Sir John
Colborne, Upper Canada College was established and the work of the
college began in the old District Grammar School building. Classes
were opened in the new buildings erected in another part of the
city for the college in 1831, and the Grammar School was closed,
the building being removed from its original site to the line of
Nelson street (now Jarvis street), and fenced into a plot about 70 ×
120 feet. The remaining portion of the six acres was handed over to
Upper Canada College.
On the active remonstrance of the citizens living in the eastern
part of Toronto, the school was re-opened and secured to the city,
Mr. Charles N. B. Cosens being appointed headmaster in 1836, and
succeeded by Mr. Marcus C. Crombie in 1838.[23]
[23] _Ibid._, page 59.
EARLY EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH COMMON SCHOOLS 1816-1820.
In 1816, seven years after the establishment of District Grammar
Schools, a praiseworthy effort was made to provide for the
establishment and maintenance of common schools."[24] A liberal
grant of $24,000 a year, for four years, was made as an experiment.
Whether the experiment was a success, or not, does not appear, but
in 1820, the grant was reduced to $10,000 a year.
[24] In 1816, an Act was passed granting £800 for the purchase
of a library for the use of the Legislative Council and house of
Assembly.
STATE OF EDUCATION IN UPPER CANADA, 1784-1819.
In regard to the state of education of Upper Canada in 1817, and
the fluctuating character of its progress since the settlement of
the Province, in 1784, up to that time, Mr. Gourlay, a well-known
Canadian politician and author, writes as follows:--
"There is no college in Upper Canada, but there are said to be
several townships of land set apart for the purpose of endowing
such institution, when the population and circumstances of the
Province shall require it.
"No provision is made by law for free schools. The inhabitants
of the severe! townships are left to a voluntary support of
schools, according to their own discretion.
"An Act of the Provincial Legislature, in 1807, granted a
hundred pounds a year to the teacher of one school, in each
of the eight districts under the direction of trustees. In
some districts the school thus provided for is made a free
school; but in other districts the salary is considered as a
public encouragement to a teacher of literary eminence, in
addition to the compensation received for the tuition of each
scholar."--_Statistical Account of Upper Canada, etc., by Robert
Gourlay, 2 vols., London, 1822._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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