First published in 1896, Henry Holman's book provides a history of the rise of public elementary education in England. Holman shows how this movement was driven by a desire to provide education to the working classes and offers insights into the challenges faced by educators in this period. This is an essential work for anyone interested in the history of education in England. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.