Hugh Chisholm

“ In 1859 he went to the Education Office as vice-president of the Council in Lord Palmerston’s ministry; there he pursued a vigorous policy, insisting on the necessity of payment by results, and bringing in the revised code (1862) , which embodied this principle and made an examination in “the three R’s” the test for grants of public money. He felt then, and still more after the Reform Act of 1866, that “we must educate our masters,” [1] and he rather scandalized his old university friends by the stress he laid on physical science as opposed to classical studies. ”

“ Considerable opposition was aroused by the new régime at the Education Office, and in 1864 Lowe was driven to resign by an adverse vote in Parliament with reference to the way in which inspectors’ reports were “edited.” The result was unjust to Lowe, but a good deal of feeling had been aroused against Lingen’s administration of the Education Office (see Lingen, Baron) , and this was the outcome. Lord Palmerston’s death in October 1865 was followed by the formation of the Russell-Gladstone ministry and the introduction of the Reform Bill of 1866. ”

“ In 1835 he won a fellowship at Magdalen, but vacated it on marrying, in 1836, Miss Georgina Orred (d. 1884) . He was for a few years a successful “coach” at Oxford, but in 1838 was bitterly disappointed at not being elected to the professorship of Greek at Glasgow. ”