eir associates were different, and they grew more and
more mistrustful of each other. Accusations of treachery began to fly.
By the autumn of 1842 Howe had ceased to disguise his 'conviction that
the administration, as at present constituted, cannot go on a great while
longer.' The final break-up came over the question of education. It is
sad that this should have been so, for Howe well knew that education
should bring peace and not a sword. We may make education a
battle-ground,' he said, 'where the laurels we reap may be wet with the
tears of our country.' At this time primary education was optional,
given in private schools, aided in some cases by provincial grants. Both
Howe and Johnston would fain have substituted a compulsory system,
supported by local assessments, but both feared the repugnance of the
country voters to direct taxation, and it was not till 1864 that Dr
(afterwards Sir) Charles Tupper took this fearless and notable step
forward. In the mean time both Howe and Johnston supported the increase
of grants to education, the establishment of circulating libraries, and
the appointment of a superintendent of education.

{76}

But if schools were too few, universities were too many, and it was here
that the quarrel began. King's College at Windsor was avowedly Anglican.
An attempt had been made in 1838 to revive Dalhousie as undenominational,
but the bigotry of Sir Colin Campbell and of a rump board of governors
under Presbyterian influence refused to appoint as professor the Rev. Dr
Crawley, on the almost openly avowed ground that he was a Baptist. The
aggrieved denomination then hived off, and started at Wolfville their own
university, known as Acadia. The Roman Catholics had for some time had
in operation St Mary's College at Halifax. All these received grants
from the government, and were endeavouring to do university work in a
very imperfectly educated community of three hundred thousand people.

Theoretically this system was absurd. But each of the little colleges
had its band of devoted adherents, held fast to it by the strongest of
all ties, that of religion. Most of all was this the case with Acadia,
founded in hot and justifiable anger, and eager to justify its existence.
Had Howe been a wary politician, he would have thought twice before
stirring up such a wasp's nest, more especially as the {77} Baptists had
hitherto been his faithful supporters. But Howe was both more and less
th