ENDOWED SCHOOLS ACTS. The restrictions placed upon the endowed schools of England, both those of royal and private foundation, in regard to terms of admission, course of study, etc., were found inconvenient and injurious to the schools, and the power of parliament was invoked to make certain needful changes; and during the present reign several statutes have been enacted for this purpose. The act 3 and 4 Viet. c. 77 empowered courts of equity to make decrees or orders extending the systems of instructions and the right of admission to any school, and to establish schemes for the application of its resources, haling due regard to the intentions of the founder. The act 23 Vict. c. 11 required the trustees and governors of endowed schools to make such order as, without interfering with the religious teaching of the other scholars or author izing any new religious teaching, should admit children of other denominations than that to which the foundation belongs, except where the foundation expressly requires the children to be instructed according to the formularies of such denomination. The
most important public schools—Eton, Harrow, Westminster, etc.—were exempted from the operations of these acts. Another act annexed certain conditions to the appoint ment of officers in endowed schools. The act of 1869 is most important of all. It authorizes the appointment of commissioners, " with power in such manner as may ren der any educational endowment (with certain specified exceptions) most conducive to the education of boys and girls, and either of them, to alter and add to any existing, and to make new trusts, directions, and provisions which affect such endowment and the education promoted thereby," A subsequent act continues mid-when& the act of 1869, and one still later transfers the power of the endowed schools commissioners to the charity commissioners.