"PUBLIC SCHOOLS."

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3816, 8 October 1883, Page 4

"PUBLIC SCHOOLS."

The Timaru Herald says:—A correspondent asks us what constitutes a public school in England and how »™ny such schools there are. Strict y public schools of England are the, a cent foundations of Winchester. Lton, H.u w, AVestminster, Charter House Shrewsbmy, St. Paul's, and Merchant Tailors. For centuries these eight were the only schools in England where students were educated and maintained on the foundation, that is tosay at tho charge of the endowment, m tho higher branches of education. -These schools were preparatory colleges for the Universities, and the endowed grammar schools of tho kingdom were intended to be preparatory to them. The fame of these foundations attracted great numbers oi students whoso parents were quite willing to pay both for their maintenance and tor their education, and eventually they became almost the exclusive resort of the sons of the aristocracy. Of late years they have become much more popular in_ their character, and many similar institutions, nota jly Rugby, Marlborough, Wellington King s ColTego, Cheltenham, London, and others, havo sprung up and come into vigorous competition with them. It is not easy m these days to say what is or is not a public .school. ' Fifty years ago there were only 1,200 boys in all England being educated at public schools. Now, there are more than 20,000. The eight grand old schools which we have mentioned, however, stall retain their prestige as the original " public schools."