In Upper Canada There Are 1559 Churches, For 952,000 Adherents, Being One
Place Of Worship For Every 612 Inhabitants.
Of these houses of worship,
226 belong to the Church of England, 135 to the Roman Catholics, 148 to
the Presbyterians, and 471 to the Methodists.
In Lower Canada there are
610 churches, for 890,261 adherents, 746,000 of whom are Roman Catholics.
There is therefore in the Lower Province one place of worship for every
1459 inhabitants. These religious statistics furnish additional proof of
the progress of Upper Canada. The numbers adhering to the five most
important denominations are as follows, in round numbers: -
Beside these there are more than 20 sects, some of them holding the most
extravagant and fanatical tenets. In the Lower Province there are 45,000
persons belonging to the Church of England, 33,000 are Presbyterians, and
746,000 are Roman Catholics. With this vast number of Romanists in Canada,
it is not surprising that under the present system of representation,
which gives an equal number of representatives to each province,
irrespective of population, the Roman Catholics should exercise a very
powerful influence on the colonial Parliament. This influence is greatly
to be deplored, not less socially and politically than religiously. Popery
paralyses those countries under its dominion; and the stationary condition
of Lower Canada is mainly to be attributed to the successful efforts of
the priests to keep up that system of ignorance and terrorism, without
which their power could not continue to exist.
More importance is attached generally to education in Upper Canada than
might have been supposed from the extreme deficiencies of the first
settlers. A national system of education, on a most liberal scale, has
been organised by the Legislature, which presents in unfavourable contrast
the feeble and isolated efforts made for this object by private
benevolence in England. Acting on the principle that the first duty of
government is to provide for the education of its subjects, a uniform and
universal educational system has been put into force in Canada.
This system of public instruction is founded on the co-operation of the
Executive Government with the local municipalities. The members of these
corporations are elected by the freeholders and householders. The system,
therefore, is strictly popular and national, as the people voluntarily tax
themselves for its support, and, through their elected trustees, manage
the schools themselves. It is probable that the working of this plan may
exercise a beneficial influence on the minds of the people, in training
them to thought for their offspring, as regards their best interests. No
compulsion whatever is exercised by the Legislature over the proceedings
of the local municipalities; it merely offers a pecuniary grant, on the
condition of local exertion. The children of every class of the population
have equal access to these schools, and there is no compulsion upon the
religious faith of any. Religious minorities in school municipalities have
the alternative of separate schools, and attach considerable importance to
this provision. Although what we should term religious instruction is not
a part of the common school system, it is gratifying to know that both the
Bible and Testament are read in a very large majority of these schools,
and that the number where they are used is annually on the increase. They
are in Upper Canada 3127 common schools, about 1800 of which are free, or
partially free. The total amount available for school purposes in 1853
amounted to 199,674l., and magnificent sum, considering the youth and
comparatively thin population of the country. The total number of pupils
in the same year was 194,136. But though this number appears large, the
painful fact must also be stated, that there were 79,000 children
destitute of the blessings of education of any kind. The whole number of
teachers at the same period was 3539, of whom 885 were Methodists, 850
were Presbyterians, 629 were Episcopalians, 351 were Roman Catholics, and
194 belonged to the Baptist persuasion. The inspection of schools, which
is severe and systematic, is conducted by local superintendents appointed
by the different municipalities. There is a Board of Public Instruction in
each county for the examination and licensing of teachers; the standard of
their qualifications is fixed by provincial authority. At the head of the
whole are a Council of Public Instruction and a Chief Commissioner of
Schools, both appointed by the Crown. There are several colleges, very
much on the system of the Scotch Universities, including Trinity College
at Toronto, in connection with the Church of England, and Knox's College,
a Presbyterian theological seminary. There are also medical colleges, both
in Upper and Lower Canada, and a chair of agriculture has been established
in University College, Toronto. From these statements it will be seen
that, from the ample provision made, a good education can be obtained at a
very small cost. There are in Lower Canada upwards of 1100 schools.
Every town, and I believe I may with truth write every village, has its
daily and weekly papers, advocating all shades of political opinion. The
press in Canada is the medium through which the people receive, first by
telegraphic despatch, and later in full, every item of English
intelligence brought by the bi-weekly mails. Taking the newspapers as a
whole, they are far more gentlemanly in their tone than those of the
neighbouring republic, and perhaps are not more abusive and personal than
some of our English provincial papers. There is, however, very great
room for improvement, and no doubt, as the national palate becomes
improved by education, the morsels presented to it will be more choice.
Quebec, Montreal, and Toronto have each of them several daily papers, but,
as far as I am aware, no paper openly professes republican or
annexationist views, and some of the journals advocate in the strongest
manner an attachment to British institutions.
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