PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. The Elementary Education Act forms the basis of a great system of National Education, and consequently affects directly or indirectly all classes of the community. Having regard to the great importance and extensive operation of the measure, it is considered desirable to publish an edition of the Act, in a convenient form, with explanatory notes. These notes I undertook to prepare. With the view of affording means for readily obtaining a general knowledge of the provisions of the Act, I have embodied in an Introduction a digest of the several Sections, bringing together, as far as practicable, under a convenient arrangement of headings, all provisions bearing on the same subject. In order to facilitate reference to the text of the Statute and the notes, the number of the Section containing the enactment is in each case stated. Several Acts and portions of others are incorporated with or referred to in the Act. These, with the exception of the Lands Clauses Consolidation Acts, Charitable Trusts Acts, and Endowed Schools Act, which on account of their great length are necessarily omitted, are either embodied in the notes or given in the Appendix. As in some districts there will probably be a desire to establish denominational Schools and thus render unnecessary the provision of Schools by a School Board, the regulations of the Education Department with regard to Parliamentary Grants in aid of the erection of Schools are also set forth in the Appendix. I venture to hope that the little volume will be found useful by those who feel an interest in the great question to which the Act relates, and by the local authorities on whom duties devolve under its provisions. It only remains that I should advert to the indebtedness of the nation to the Right Hon. gentleman who had charge of the measure in Parliament. Mr. Forster, in the conduct of the Bill, affecting as it did so many interests and prejudices, not only displayed great ability, broadness and catholicity of views, and a thorough appreciation of the difficulties attending the question, but by his great tact and conciliatoriness of manner most materially aided its passing. The Act will always be known as Mr. Forster's Act, and his name will thus be handed down, associated with one of the most important social reforms of the age. September 26th, 1870. The present edition contains several additional notes, together with the Orders which have been issued by the Education Department with reference to the first elections of School Boards in London and municipal Boroughs. Dec. 15th, 1870. H. O. |