Parish Schools have existed in the Church since the Cth century. Of course we refer to schools for sec- ular instruction. Catechetical schools existed much earlier. See Cateciiktics. In the 7th century we find enactments regarding parochial or parish schools. (See Council of Constantinople, A.D. 680, and of Trulla, A.D. 692.) In later times many of these schools were abandoned, and the instruction of the young intrusted to the monastic establishments. After the Keformation parochial schools became quite common in Germany, but with the modern provisions for instruction by the state the parochial scliools have been abandoned, ex- cept by the Romanists and the Jews. The latter call them Congregational Schools.
In England there is no such thing as a parish school — that is, a school existing for the benefit of the parish- ioners, endowed by the state, or supported by taxes on the parishioners. Every school beyond charity schools is more or less voluntary in its character, and endowed, if at all, by private benefactors. In Scotland, however, it is essential that in every parish there shall be a par- ish school, for a statute of 1696 made it compulsory on the heritors— i. e. the chief proprietors — to provide a school-house, and to fix a salary for the teacher. If the heritors neglected to supply a school-house, the presby- tery was empowered to order one at the expense of the heritors.
In Scotland, as early as the reign of David I, there were grammar schools in the principal towns, and in many of the monasteries. There were also '-lecture schools," as they were called, in which the young were taught to read the vernacular language. These semi- naries were placed under the superintendence of the clergy, who held a monopoly of the learning of these remote times. We find, for examjile, in the cartulary of Kelso that all the churches and schools in Roxburgh were bestowed by David I on the monastery of Kelso, and the schools of Perth and Stirling were confirmed to the monks of Dunfermline by Richard, bishoii of St. Andrews, from 1163 to 1173. The first etfort of the Scottish Parliament to promote the education of the people was made in the year 1494, when it was enacted, under a jienalty of twenty pounds Scots, that all bar- ons and substantial freeholders "shoidd put their eldest sons and heirs to the schools, fram they be six or nine years of age, and to remain at the grammar schools un- til they be competently founded and have perfect Latin ;
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ami thereafter to remain three years at the schools of arts and jure (law), so that they have knowledge and understanding of tlie laws, through the wliilk justice may remain universally through all the realm." No ]irovision, however, was made for the education of the common people until the period of the IJeformation. In the First Book of Discipline, ch. vii, the importance of schools is strongly inculcated, in order that the youth may have knowledge and learning to profit and comfort the Church, It is declared to be a matter of necessity that "every parish should have one schoolmaster ap- pointed— such a one, at least, as might be able to teach grammar and the Latin tongue, if the town were of any reputation. If it were a country parish, where the peo- ple convened to the doctrine only once in tiie week, tlicn must either the minister or the reader there ap- l)ointed take care over the children antl youth of the parish, to instruct them in the first rudiments, and es- pecially in the Cateciusm, as we have it now translated in the Book of Common Order, called the ' Order of Ge- neva.' " It was further provided that " no father, of whatsoever rank, should use his children at his own fancv, especially in youth, but that all were to be com- pelled to bring up their children in learning and virtue. The rich and powerful were to be exhorted, and, by the censure of the Church, compelled to dedicate their sons to the profit of the Church and commonwealth; and this was to be done at their own expense. The chil- dren of the poor were to be supported at the charge of the Church if they showed a genius for letters." It was also appointed that when the ortiinary curricultmi had been [tassed through, " the children should either pro- ceed to further knowledge, or else they must be set to some handle craft, or to some other profitable exercise: providing alwaies that first they have the knowledge of God's law and commandments, the use and ofKce of the same, the chiefe articles of the beleefe, the right forme to pray unto God, the number, use, an.l effect of the sacraments, the true knowledge of Christ Jesus, of his offices and natures, and such other points, without the knowledge whereof neither any man deserves to be called a Chiistian, neither ought any man to be admit- ted to the participation of the Loni's table." At this period, however, there was no law wliich compelled the heritors or parishioners to establish schools or to pro- vide salaries for the teachers. The Church courts of the ministers, in their several parishes, exerted them- selves strenuously to supply this defect. Measures were taken by many of the kirk-sessions to provide ed- ucation for the poor out of the parochial funds, and in cases of youths of promising ability and remarkable dil- igence, it was not uncommon to give an additional sum to prepare them for tlie university. It was declared that '-gif ony puir refills to come to school, help of sic thing as thay neid and requyr shall be refused to them. And as for sic as ar able to sustein ther bairncs at the school, and do ther dewtie to the teacher for them, thay shall be commandit to put them to the school, that thay may be brought up in the fear of (Jod and virtue; quhilk if thay refuise to do, thay shall be called before the sessioun and admonished of their dewtie." A num- ber of the ministers established and endowed schools at their own expense. Their zealous efforts to promote the education of the people were attendetl with great success. It appears from a report of the visitation of a number of the parishes in the synod of Fife in 1611 and lOU) that at that early period, of the parishes visited, "those which had were more than double in number to those which had not schools." In lOlG the i)rivy coun- cil empowered the bishojis, in conjiuiction with the heritors, to establish a school in every jiarish in their respective dioceses, and to assess the land for that pur- pose, for the advancement of true religion, and the train- ing of children "in civility, godliness, knowledge, and learning." Tiiis act, however, was not vigorously car- ried out, and in lG-26 an effort was made by Charles I to remedy the defect. The act of the privy council in