“Adolphus Egerton Ryerson (1803–1882) was a Canadian Methodist minister, educator, politician, and public education advocate in early Ontario.” (Wiki,ER) Ryerson helped found several institutions, which later evolved into ones known today: the Royal Ontario Museum; Victoria College as part of the University of Toronto; the Ontario College of Art & Design; the Ontario Agricultural College and the University of Guelph. Ryerson University is named after him. (Wiki, ER)
His major innovations included libraries in every school, an educational journal and professional development conventions for teachers, a central textbook press using Canadian authors, and securing land grants for universities. (Wiki, UCR)
These achievements have been commemorated in several forms, including the statue located at Ryerson University in downtown Toronto. However, over the past several years, Egerton Ryerson has been the subject of criticism for his role in creating the residential school system, among other things. He is not alone, as many of our historical figures, here in Canada and around the world, are under increased scrutiny. While reflection can be constructive, the question is for what purpose: is it to develop a complete and fuller narrative? Is it to discredit or restore the reputation of these people or to justify their actions? Or, more cynically, is it that we live in a perfectionist society where no misdeed is too small to be used to undermine a contribution? It is my view that answering any of these question fails to address the underlying injustices being represented.
The very presence of a statue signals the acclaim a community assigns to an individual. Through the statue, their contribution is weaved into the larger fabric of our community narrative, that is passed down across generations becoming part of our heritage. Each achievement represented by each statue contributes to our moral foundation because, in part, in Western Society we believe that achievement is good. It is only natural that what we include in our narrative reflects the best of who and what we are. It is therefore also natural that we exclude those things that are not good examples, that we want to forget or hide. These are the things that are at best mistakes, but often they are much worse, so much so, they might completely discredit the celebrity.
The problem faced by many statues of historical figures is their contribution to the community narrative usually glorifies the deeds and perpetuates a myth, rather than reflecting our true humanity, which is often a complicated mix of achievements, failures, and poor judgement. In doing so, we ignore and marginalize all those who suffered the consquences. So, while Egerton Ryerson’s statue promotes his achievement in the creation of an education system, and these in turn provide to us a positive influence, it also excludes the details of a structure that segregated white from coloured and indigenous students, rich from poor, able from deaf, dumb and blind. The statue fails to disclose the underlying assumption of the time, that those destined for leadership positions in the country — white, males of European descent — would be served by a privileged stream; others would be assigned to streams relevant for their anticipated role, such as the trades and farming. It failed to disclose a system geared to align all people to a common culture and in doing do erase the one they were born with, and may be worse, make those people ashamed of their heritage. If none of these nineteenth century norms continued to exist to this day in Ontario, we could look at the statue, with pride, knowing how we as a society had overcome injustices.
But, what we have, next to the statue, is a plaque that reads:
“This plaque serves as a reminder of Ryerson University’s commitment to moving forward in the spirit of truth and reconciliation. Egerton Ryerson is widely known for his contributions to Ontario’s public educational system. As Chief Superintendent of Education, Ryerson’s recommendations were instrumental in the design and implementation of the Indian Residential School System. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported that children in the schools were subjected to unthinkable abuse and neglect, to medical experimentation, punishment for the practice of cultures or languages and death. The aim of the Residential School System was cultural genocide.”
While it is a positive first step to provide a plaque that points out these omissions from the public record, it is insufficient if no other action is taken. If we do not root out and remove the injustices that remain embedded in our culture, our way of seeing, in the various systems and institutions, then our goals have yet to be fully realized. Unlike a statue that casts in bronze ancient cultural norms, our systems, institutions and our way of seeing are malleable and can redress.
Accomplishments:
Ryerson became Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada in 1844 (wiki, ER). Under his “administration, a series of Education Acts formally legislated and developed ‘a scheme of mass schooling at the elementary level that had the following characteristics: state control; social comprehensiveness; non-denominationalism; a standardized curriculum; trained teachers; compulsory attendance; public support from property taxation; and absence of fees’” (Christou, 32), specifically, Ryerson created:
- A report on a System of Public Elementary Instruction for Upper Canada (1846), which was his initial proposal for how and why Upper Canada should build a system of free ‘common’ schools.
- A letter on Residential Schools (1847), which recommended practices in separate schools for ‘Indians’;
- An Act for the Better Establishment of Maintenance of Common Schools in Upper Canada (1850), which regulated segregated schools for ‘coloured people’;
- A Draft of Bill, Relating to Vagrant and Neglected Children in Cities and Towns (1862), which suggested church-run schools for ‘vagrant and neglected children’;
- A Report of an Inquiry in Regard to the Instruction and Care for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind (1868), which drafted recommendations for institutional schools for ‘the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind.’ (Knight)
But not to deminish Ryerson’s contribution, the conception of mass schooling he had in mind was not of his own creation (Christou, 33), much of it came from his study of educational systems elsewhere in the western world. (wiki, ER)
Motivation:
The motivation for a public education is drawn from the desire to realize a ‘better world’ (Christou, 31) which Knight defines as a ‘civilized nation’ (Knight, 7) that was “intimately wrapped up in the goals of imperial and colonial projects.” Underlying these goals boiled many concerns of the time, including the need to form an identity for an emerging “nation”, distinguishing itself from strong American and republican influences, and to align the public sentiment to stave off rebellion and insurrection. Education was seen as “the manner by which a government could effect social control and force the molding of a national people and thus the nation itself” (Knight,10)
“As published in the late 1830s, an extract from the Niagara Reporter shows a column that expresses intolerance for social upheaval and advocates for a type of education that aims to quell radicalism of all kinds. As it appeared: ‘Every new school that is established on a proper basis is a new pillar of support to the fabric of the social order and constitutional law. Every lesson of morality and religion which is imbibed by a people weakens the chances of rebellion and insurrectionary violence.’” (Christou,30)
Context:
The foundations of public schooling in Upper Canada, and most education systems in North America, were grounded in a liberal worldview, which among other things, promoted a notion of ‘universality.’ Yet while it may have implied access for all, it did not necessarily mean to the same. Education was streamed towards outcomes, the role that a child was expected to play in their future life. Their role was strongly oriented by their class, race, and sex. The children of white, European, people, who were expected to become community leaders, were aligned with the common schools; indigenous children who where expected to be farmers, where aligned with the residential schools; coloured people, who were expected to be in the trades, where aligned with the segregated schools, etc. (Knight,8, 19)
Controversy:
Yet even in the context of the time, while many supported the segregation of schools, there was opposition:
“These efforts to segregate black students were blatantly against the laws in force prior to 1850. The School Act of 1843 clearly states: “it shall not be lawful for such Trustees, or for the Chief, or other, Superintendent of Common Schools, or for any Teacher to exclude from any Common School or from the benefit of education therein, the children of any class or description of persons resident within the School district to which such common school may belong … However, Ryerson continued to tolerate illegal discrimination in the schools, claiming there was nothing he could do to stop it” (McLaren, 9)
References:
Christou, Theodore. 2013. Educational History in Canada. Last Accessed August 8, 2020 https://www.academia.edu/7717151/Educational_History_in_Canada?email_work_card=view-paper
Gismondi, Chris J . 2016. “Preserving the Past, Colonialism and Affect: Responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the Archives of Ontario, Government of Ontario Art Collection”. Last Accesses August 8 2020. https://www.academia.edu/39866378/Preserving_the_Past_Colonialism_and_Affect_Responding_to_the_Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_at_the_Archives_of_Ontario_Government_of_Ontario_Art_Collection
Knight, Hunter. 2016. The Making of the ‘Problem Child’: Egerton Ryerson and the Liberal Project of Ontario Public Education.
McLaren, Kristin. 2004. ” We had no desire to be set apart ” : Forced Segregation of Black Students in Canada West Public Schools and Myths of British Egalitarianism. Access Date August 7, 2020 https://www.academia.edu/34636436/_We_had_no_desire_to_be_set_apart_Forced_Segregation_of_Black_Students_in_Canada_West_Public_Schools_and_Myths_of_British_Egalitarianism
Wikipedia, Egerton Ryerson. Accessed August 5, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egerton_Ryerson
Wikipedia, Upper Canada Rebellion. Access August 9 ,2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Canada_Rebellion
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