Introduction
Architect of modern education in Ontario, Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882) is one of the most prominent and influential evangelicals in Canadian history. As Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada, Ryerson reformed and modernized an impoverished, unregulated, and discriminatory school system that inadequately functioned to educate the children of the burgeoning colony. At the heart of his educational vision was his evangelical faith; a faith formed early by his mother’s Methodism, experiences at camp meeting revivals, and personal conversion to Christ. Ryerson’s conviction that education was second only to religion as God’s highest purpose for human beings was strengthened by his years as Methodist minister and missionary to First Nation peoples. When given the opportunity to confront the suppressive Anglican establishment, he rose to the challenge and led the struggle to overturn the power imbalance. Inspired by the writings of John Wesley and motivated by his Methodist theology, Ryerson became a tireless political activist and administrator, effectively navigating through the turbulent political system and successfully managing to inaugurate a new era of publicly funded, universal education, based on Christian principles. He created an environment in which conversion to Christianity was facilitated through the promotion of Christian knowledge and a broad range of subjects useful for the formation of responsible citizens. Gaining full government approval in 1871, Ryerson’s School Act transformed the deplorable condition of the school system into a standardized and competent educational model unobstructed by rigid denominationalism. This paper will argue that Egerton Ryerson’s evangelical faith influenced his vision for the future of public education in Ontario and most of English-speaking Canada.
Early Years
Egerton Ryerson’s early years were defined by his Loyalist upbringing and his conversion to evangelical Christianity, two features that were to have a profound influence on his career. Joseph Ryerson, his American father, served as a Loyalist officer in the American Revolutionary War. The increasingly hostile atmosphere against the Loyalists following the war forced Joseph to flee north to New Brunswick, eventually relocating to Upper Canada. After settling in the Long Point Settlement of Vittoria, he became part of the loyalist establishment, pioneering new land and defending loyalists’ principles against threatening American republicanism. Egerton, the fifth of six sons born to Joseph and Mehetable Ryerson, was too young to participate in the War of 1812, but recalls a brother badly wounded in battle, a memory that fortified a deep and enduring affection to his native land and desire to protect and preserve the British Crown in Upper Canada. During Ryerson’s political career, his loyalist heritage and affections enabled him to straddle political lines between the Tories and the Reformers, a position he exploited to his own advantage in the implementation of his educational reforms.
Although Egerton’s father was a staunch Anglican, his mother was a devout Methodist who modelled a personal and vibrant faith to her sons, reinforced by the frequent visits of Methodist circuit riders and the wave of evangelical revivalism sweeping across the Niagara region. Following in the footsteps of his three older brothers, Egerton experienced a personal and dramatic conversion to Christ. Fused with Puritan-like sentiments, Ryerson vividly describes his spiritual regeneration in his memoirs, stating, “My consciousness of guilt and sinfulness was humbling, oppressive, and distressing; and my experience of relief, after lengthened fastings [sic], watching, and prayers, was clear, refreshing, and joyous. In the end I simply trusted in Christ.” Following his conversion experience, Egerton describes how his faith generated a radical transformation in his perspective, attitude, emotions, and focus, reporting, “I henceforth had new views, new feelings, new joys, and new strength. I truly delighted in the law of the Lord…from that time I became a diligent student.” It is ironic, given his future as the leader of education reform in the province, that he associated his regeneration with his enhanced ability for learning.
Despite his father’s intense opposition to Methodism, considering it contrary to the values of Anglicanism, Egerton continued to attend Methodist meetings and secretly study any theological literature he could acquire through his Methodist acquaintances. Seeking to mitigate his father’s hostility however, he relented from becoming a member of the Methodist church until he was eighteen, when a Methodist circuit rider finally persuaded him to officially join the church. Discovering his son’s intentions to formalize his affiliation with the Methodists, Egerton’s father promptly issued an ultimatum that Egerton either leave the Methodists or leave the house. Recognizing the decree was absolute, Egerton reports, “I had the aid of a Mother’s prayers…and a conscious Divine strength according to my need. The next day I left home.” Though he was later reconciled to his father, this episode highlights Egerton’s independent spirit and dedication to his Methodist faith regardless of the consequences, characteristics that would follow him throughout his career and inform his resolutions as education reformer.
Ministry Years
Over the next decade, Egerton Ryerson’s ministry as an itinerant preacher and missionary would develop his leadership skills, oratory competence, and educational convictions, and prepare him for his highly publicized confrontation with the Anglican establishment. During his classical studies at the Gore District Grammar School in Hamilton, Ryerson experienced a crisis moment where he reported receiving a divine call to serve as a Methodist minister. Though feeling inadequate for the post, he accepted the invitation and availed himself to the apprenticeship of the Methodist circuit preachers. Firm in his decision, he writes in his diary:
I have this day finished twenty-two years of my life. I have decided this day to travel in the Methodist Connexion and preach Jesus to the lost souls of men. Oh, the awful importance of this work! How utterly unfit I am for the undertaking!
After formal recognition by the Canada Conference, the governing body of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Upper Canada, Ryerson became the minister of the Yonge Street Circuit, covering a geographic triangle between Pickering, Weston, and the south shore of Lake Simcoe. Following John Wesley’s road-tested pattern for saddle-bag preachers, Ryerson’s Sundays consisted of riding horseback for thirty miles, preaching three times, and teaching two classes. In addition to his itinerancy, Ryerson also served as a missionary, holding camp meetings with the Mississauga and Mohawk peoples and even living and working with the Ojibway First Nation of the Credit River settlement. Despite common prejudices about the supposed inferiority of the native population, Ryerson expressed a genuine affection for them and strived to gain fluency in their respective languages. Through generous donations received from the churches on his circuit, Ryerson also constructed a school for the natives and taught them agriculture and economics. After successfully completing his ministerial probation, he was ordained in 1827 and spent the following two years assigned to the Cobourg and Ancaster circuits.
During these rigorous years as a preacher and missionary, one event would thrust Ryerson into the public eye, offering him a historic opportunity to address the religious and educational discrimination of the colony’s deep-rooted Anglican establishment and prepare the ground for his subsequent educational reforms. John Strachan, the leading Church of England cleric in Upper Canada, held the prestigious position as executive of the Family Compact, a collective of wealthy, Anglican elites, who controlled the government and exercised a monopoly over the business, financial, and educational affairs of Upper Canada. Aimed at preserving the social stratification of the colony’s class structure and attacking the swelling Methodist movement, Strachan delivered a sermon condemning the Methodists, describing them as “ignorant American enthusiasts, unsound in religion and disloyal in politics.” Unrestrained, he ridiculed the Methodist clergy, calling them “ignorant persons who had forsaken their proper callings to preach what they neither understood nor cared to learn.” To suppress the strengthening influence of the Methodists and fortify the Anglican hold on power, Strachan demanded that the government grant exclusive Anglican access to the Clergy Reserves and prevent Methodist clergy from solemnizing marriages or holding any titles to church buildings, parsonages, and cemeteries. Strachan’s biased and derogatory statements ignited feelings of indignation among the Methodists and calls went out for an immediate response.
Already having gained a significant reputation among his colleagues, Ryerson was invited to craft a reply to Strachan’s malicious homily, now widely circulating in print throughout the colony. Countering Strachan’s accusations, Ryerson succinctly laid out his claims, citing the inherent dangers of siding with the Established Church, the erudite nature of the Methodist clergy, and Methodist devotion and loyalty to the British Crown. Ryerson’s rebuttal, appearing in William Lyon Mackenzie’s newspaper, produced a sensation within his denomination. The Methodist Quarterly Review remarked that “No other previous publication had ever defended the Methodists of Canada, and nobody had presumed to question the arrogant claims of the Established Church.” Ryerson’s pointed response kindled a debate within government circles and, within four years, legislation was passed permitting other Non-conformist denominations to own land and allow their clergy to marry and baptize. Though further reforms were longer in coming, Ryerson’s achievements for the Methodist cause inspired him to broaden his attack on the Anglican establishment by addressing their discriminatory policies on education, an endeavour that would define his primary mission in life.
Superintendent of Education
After serving as the founding editor of Methodist newspaper The Christian Guardian and the first principle of Victoria College, Ryerson was offered an appointment by Governor General Charles Metcalfe to serve as the Superintendent of Education for Canada West. At the time, Metcalfe was attempting to build a broad support base among both political parties and cross denominations in an effort to avoid appearing too partial towards the Anglican establishment. Appointing Ryerson to a position within his administration would appeal to the Methodist constituency and other moderates throughout the province. Pleased with the new political climate and interested in the opportunity to give leadership to the development of a national education system, Ryerson accepted the position and immediately began focussing his attention on the deplorable conditions of the provincial school system.
At the heart of Ryerson’s vision for educational reform was his evangelical faith, informed by his admiration for John Wesley and his loyalty to Methodist theology. John Wesley, who died only twelve years prior to Ryerson’s birth, was a major influence on Ryerson’s educational philosophies. Having visited Wesley’s home in England and preached in his chapel at City Road, London, Ryerson connected with Wesley at a deeper level than most of his Methodist colleagues, admiring his passion for learning, rigorous scholarship, and support and promotion of educational institutions. To promote the value of education based on the tenets of the Christian faith, Ryerson frequently referred to Wesley’s teachings in his editorials, letters, and political speeches. Following Ryerson’s death, The Methodist Quarterly Review lauded Ryerson by describing him as one of the “sons of John Wesley,” aligning him with Wesley’s intellectual aptitude and advocacy of educational ideals.
Ryerson’s commitment to Methodist theology, especially his high view of Scripture and millennial eschatology, played a central role in defining his blueprint for a national education system. Ryerson’s educational philosophy, based on a Wesleyan view of moral science, consisted of two primary assumptions: he assumed that all people needed Christianity as the means to true happiness and consequently, he assumed that any system of public instruction should be grounded on Christian values. This entailed teaching a basic form of Christianity to all students, informed not by ecclesiastical doctrines, but by the plain use of Scripture. Refusing to yield to any particular ecclesiastical distinctive, Ryerson believed that school teachers were to inculcate simple biblical principles, creating an environment in which conversion to Christianity would be normative and social harmony, self-discipline, and loyalty to the properly constituted authorities would be commonplace. Responding to critics who believed that he was placing too much emphasis on the need for Biblical instruction in the classroom, Ryerson counters, “I think there is too little Christianity in our schools, instead of too much; and that the united efforts of all Christian men should be to introduce more, instead of excluding what little there is.” In the era prior to the debilitating impact of Darwinism and higher criticism upon the general acceptance of the Bible, Ryerson contended that the Christian faith and particularly the Bible belongs at the heart of any thriving educational system and considered its usage in the schools a sacred and divine right.
Additionally, Ryerson’s millennial eschatology also informed his educational philosophies. Derived from his nineteenth century Wesleyan Methodist theology, Ryerson maintained that a Christian society, working together through a variety of religious and secular organizations, could usher in the anticipated millennial reign of Christ. At the Second Advent, Christ would bring the development of moral advancement to its culmination and inaugurate a perfected civilization in conformity with the kingdom of God. Traces of Ryerson’s eschatological trajectory are frequently seen in his editorials in The Christian Guardian. To illustrate his understanding of the capacity for evangelical faith to advance civilization toward perfection, he states in one article that Christianity is the only religion that can provide “man” with "wisdom to instruct him, mercy to pardon, grace to sanctify, power to strengthen him, -enlightening his understanding, awakening his conscience, subduing his will, renewing his heart, regulating his passions, expanding his prospects and hopes to a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Implementing universal, state-funded, Christian education played a central role in this process and, though education was incapable of regenerating society on its own, Ryerson believed it was an essential component in creating an environment where people could be converted in preparation for the fulfilment of eschatological hope.
Educational Reforms
Following a study tour of the educational models in Europe and the United States, Ryerson submitted a series of reports to the government of Upper Canada, laying out his vision to revolutionize education in the province. To achieve his goals, he began by centralizing the control of the school system under the guidance of a General Board of Education, which would be responsible for the management of local school boards, assessing teachers, standardizing curriculum, and developing libraries. Recognizing the academic advances occurring in society, Ryerson desired that a wide variety of subjects be taught in addition to the Bible, including composition, geography, drawing, history, music, natural science, physiology, agriculture, and politics. He established teacher training institutions and progressively set higher standards for the certification of elementary school teachers. One of his most daunting tasks was reorganizing how education was funded. Suggesting that all people should contribute property taxes to fund education regardless of whether they had children in the system caused many objections, some criticizing the proposal as a form of communism, others fearing that such a strategy would create an upsurge in criminal behaviour. Ryerson’s annual town hall meetings throughout Upper Canada garnered favourable support, but the issue remained a point of contention for years. Ryerson’s persistence paid off however, and by his retirement, 4000 of Ontario’s 4,400 school boards were entirely funded by local taxes. Though he had to make some concessions, the greatest being his acknowledgment of the public’s legal right for the maintenance of a separate Catholic school board, Ryerson achieved his goal of inaugurating a publicly funded, universal education system free from denominational control, yet established on Biblical values. His comprehensive educational reforms in Ontario became a model for education in the newly formed territories of British Columbia and the Northwest, and eventually became a template for the majority of the Canadian provinces.
Conclusion
Influenced by his evangelical faith, Egerton Ryerson transformed Ontario’s impoverished, unregulated, and discriminatory education system into a modern, universal, publicly funded model based on Christian principles. Converted to Christ as an adolescent, Ryerson later entered the Methodist ministry and served as an itinerant preacher and missionary. Given the opportunity to respond to Strachan’s deprecating homily, Ryerson established himself as a capable pugilist in the battle for religious rights in the colony. Having entered the public sphere, he began addressing the deplorable conditions of the school system, convinced it must be accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status or religious affiliation. Through his tenure as Superintendent of Education, Ryerson implemented his comprehensive vision for educational reform. Inspired by the life and teachings of John Wesley and informed by his Methodist theology, including his high view of Scripture and millennial eschatology, Ryerson established a national education system that would develop honest, self-controlled, responsible, and productive citizens who are both self-sufficient and dependent on God. With his evangelical faith central to his vision for educational reform, Ryerson became the architect of modern education in Ontario and most of English-speaking Canada.
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