Excerpt from Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada, Vol. 25: From the Passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791, to the Close of the Reverend Doctor Ryerson's Administration of the Education Department in 1876; 1871-1874, Forming an Appendix to the Annual of the Minister of Education The most noteworthy Educational event which occurred in 1873, as recorded in this Volume, was the adoption by Members of the Provincial Council of Public Instruction of a strongly worded Petition to the House of Assembly against what they regarded as the arbitrary conduct towards them by the Government of the Day. Rather than attempt to give a summary of the objections of Members of the Council to the action of the Government in this matter, I give it in their own words from the Petition, as follows: - That, in consequence of certain statements and imputations against this Council and the Education Department, the Honourable Edward Blake, then President of the Executive Council, brought in a Bill last Session of the Legislature, which was passed into an Act, declaring that, "The Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council shall have power to cause enquiry to be made into the working of any Rules, Regulations, Instructions, or Recommendations, which have been, or may be, made, or issued, by the Council of Public Instruction, or by the Chief Superintendent of Education; and to abrogate, suspend, or modify, any such Rules, Regulations, Instructions, or Recommendations." That, as contemplated by this Act, the Government instituted a most severe and exhaustive inquisition into the acts of this Council since 1867, requiring explanations, statutory authority and also reasons for every proceeding, and act of this Council in regard to the following subjects: (1) The Preparation, Publications, Sanctioning and Providing of Text Books for the Public and High Schools. (2) The Examination of, and Certificates of Qualification to. Public School Teachers. (3) The Management and Teaching of the Normal and Model Schools. (4) The Programmes, Course of Study, and General Regulations for the Organization, Government, Discipline and Inspection of the Public and High Schools. (5) The Official Regulations, providing for Adequate Accommodations in the Public Schools. (6) Special Regulations for the admission of Pupils to the High Schools. (7) Various Miscellaneous matters. That the Council promptly and fully answered every Enquiry and Demand of the Government, and assured its ready Obedience to every Order and Instruction which the Government had issued, or might issue, explaining and giving Statutory Authority for each Regulation, or Recommendation, which it had made since 1867; and this Council believes that the Chief Superintendent of Education, an ex-officio Member of this Council, gave, in like manner, the Authority and Reasons which were required of him for his Acts and Instructions. That when your Honourable House had passed an Act to make thorough Enquiries into the then impugned Regulations and Acts of this Council; and when that Enquiry has been made in a manner of thoroughness and severity very unusual, if not unprecedented, this Council submits that it is justly due to its character and past labours, that its Answers in explanation of its own Acts, and in reply to the Charges preferred against it, should be laid before Your Honourable House and printed for the information of Members and of the Public. That the Members of this Council are prepared at any moment to retire from the position and work which they have so long sustained; but they deem it due to themselves, as it is the right of the humblest Subject of the Queen, to be heard in their own Defence before having their labours of more than twenty-five years legislatively stamped, as they have been, with the character of "Inefficiency."