Foster Watson

“ From 1871 onwards Payne especially devoted himself to the higher education of women, the development of educational method, and the improvement of the status of the teacher by increasing his technical and professional qualifications. He energetically supported the Women's Education Union (from which sprang the Girls' Public Day School Company) , and was chairman of the central committee of the union from its first organisation in 1871 until 1875. ”

“ After five years spent in travel with private pupils on the Continent, in London, and in Ireland, he was from 1855 till 1905 secretary and visitor of schools to the education committee of the Church of Scotland at Edinburgh. The committee, until the Act of 1872, controlled the parish schools of Scotland and administered till 1907 the Church of Scotland training colleges for teachers in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. During his fifty years' secretaryship Laurie directed all his great influence towards improving the schools by raising the education and status of the teachers. ”

“ He insisted that the students preparing in training colleges to become teachers should receive their general education in the classes of the universities, in association with the students preparing for other professions, and should obtain only their strictly professional training in the training college. Not till 1873 was the cause won; then Scottish training college committees were granted permission by the board of education to send their best students to university classes. ”

“ In 1872, after much discussion and in face of reactionary opposition, the College of Preceptors established the first professorship in education in England, and elected Payne to the post. He took great pains with the lectures, and during 1873 and 1874 140 students of both sexes attended the courses. In 1874 Payne urged the founding of a training college, with model and practising schools. ”

“ Becoming attracted to the study of educational theory and practice, he was chosen in 1854 inspector of schools, and was appointed by the government from time to time to make special educational investigations. In 1863 he resigned as a protest against the revised code of Robert Lowe (Lord Sherbrooke) [q. v.] . He was subsequently special commissioner to the African settlements, assistant commissioner under the royal commission of inquiry into primary education (Ireland) , 1870, and director of public instruction in Ceylon. ”

“ In the cathedral at Wakefield Lupton placed a stained glass window, by Kempe, in memory of his parents. Educated first at Queen Elizabeth grammar school, Wakefield, and then at Giggleswick school, where he became captain, he was admitted on 3 July 1854 to a sizarship at St. John's College, Cambridge. In 1858 he graduated B.A., being bracketed fifth in the first class in the classical tripos. ”

“ After assisting the headmaster of Wakefield grammar school Lupton was appointed, in 1859, second classical master in the City of London school, then in Milk Street, Cheapside. Among his pupils there were Henry Palin Gurney [q. v. Suppl. II] and James Smith Reid, now professor of ancient history at Cambridge. ”

“ Andrews University, and the other in the University of Edinburgh. John Miller Dow Meiklejohn was made professor at St. Andrews. Laurie was appointed to the Edinburgh chair, and occupied it till 1903. The number of his students rose from twelve in his first year to 120 in his last. During his tenure of the professorship no man in Great Britain did more to set pedagogy upon a scientific and philosophical basis, and to secure for teachers a position similar to that of members of other professions. ”

“ As a member of the professorial body he was one of the leaders of the reforming party by whose efforts the Universities (Scotland) Act, 1889, was passed and the universities remodelled by subsequent ordinances. ”

“ Ordained deacon in 1859 and priest in 1860, he served as curate at St. Paul's church, Avenue Road, N.W., and afterwards to W. Sparrow Simpson, rector of St. Matthew's church, Friday Street, E.C. Proceeding M.A. in 1861, he succeeded to the fellowship at St. ”