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i 56 ' » OUR ISLAND STORY

_ common school education in a manner best suited to the capa- cities, ages and conditions of the pupils who may hereafter be under their care.” .

When,.in 1879, the Normal School was united with Prince 'of Wales College the members of the staff, Messrs. Harper and McSwain and Miss Montgomery, were transferred to the en- larged institution. Subsequently there were appointments and resignations to and from the college staff. In 1891 Professor Shuttleworth was succeeded by Mr. Harcourt and Mr. George

_E. Robinson succeeded Mr. D. I. McLeod who had been pro- moted to the positiOn of Superintendent of Education. In 1892 Mr.iFrederick West was added to the staff and was succeeded in the following year by Dr. S. N. Robertson. In the year 1901

. Dr- Anderson was appointed to the office of Superintendent of i

4 .i' Education, and Dr. RobertSon took his place at the head of Prince

- of Wales College. Subsequently there 'were appointed to the staff: Professors G.Doug1as Steele,Vice-Principal, Shaw, Blanchard,

) _ Bennett, Smith, McDonald, Hansuld, Waugh, Brow, the Misses ‘ Lily H. Seaman, Helen McKenna and Eleanor Lowe.

' .1, V In the course of time questions arose concerning the condi- .1 =l tions upon which instruction in religion should be given in the 1 .public schools. Some persons objected to the reading of King James’ version of the Bible to classes of children made up of Roman

Catholics as well as Protestants. At a later date application

was made for aid by the Government to be given schOols in which

g , religion was inculcated together with instruction in secular sub—

. «:q jects. These disputes, and also the failure of some schools, :3 g V . led eventually to the passage of the Public Schools Act, 1877. By the will of a majority of the electors, expressed at‘a general electiOn, Government grants desired for schools in which dis- tinctive religious beliefs were imparted were refused; and it was enacted that all public schools should be strictly non-sectarian. The Board of Education was, by the new Act, enlarged to include all the members of the Executive Council together with the Super-—

_ intendent of Education for the time being, and the Principal of Prince of Wales College. It was given full control of all matters connected with public schools throughout the Province." It

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