he part of Roman
Catholicism, as to religious teaching in the schools. One County
Inspector writes, that the Roman Catholic priest, in a separate school
which the Inspector visited, said, "Your schools are atheistic. You
don't acknowledge God." The same charge has been often repeated by the
same authority against the public schools. While I have provided and
contended for full provision by which the Roman Catholics could teach
their own children in their own books of religious instruction, I did
desire that there might be a somewhat corresponding unity of testimony
and teaching in religious principles and duties of common agreement
among Protestants, being first most strongly impressed with its
feasibility by the remarks of the late excellent Rev. A. Gale, who, when
principal of Knox's Academy, on closing a public examination of the
pupils, said that he was persuaded, from his own experience, that all
needful religious teaching could be given to pupils at schools without
infringing upon any denominational peculiarity. I had long meditated,
and at length sought to realize this grand idea in our public schools.
One discordant note has interrupted the harmony. The responsibility of
the failure, if it is to be a failure, is not with me. I hope the
Protestant Christians of Canada will yet realize it, and that my country
will yet enjoy the untold advantages of it, though I may die without the
sight.

FOOTNOTES:

[135] Mr. Cameron's avowals on the subject are frank and manly. On the
occasion of his nomination for the County of Lambton, in October, 1857,
he thus referred to the School System, and to its founder:--

On the whole, the system had worked well, the common schools of Canada
were admirable, and had attracted the commendation of the first
statesmen in the United States, and even in Great Britain they proposed
to imitate Canada. He was opposed to Dr. Ryerson's appointment
politically, but he would say, as he had said abroad, that Canada and
her children's children owed to him a debt of gratitude, as he had
raised a noble structure, and opened up the way for the elevation of the
people.

CHAPTER LII.

1850-1853.

The Clergy Reserve Question Transferred to Canada.

The re-opening of the clergy reserve question by Bishop Strachan, with a
view to obtain relief in the temporary distress mentioned in Chapter
xlviii., proved to be a fatal step, so far as his hopes for securing
"better terms" were concerned. I