In the essay he condemned the existing school system for excluding "the national factor". He also wrote that "The school system which neglects it, commits, even from the purely pedagogic point of view, a primary blunder. It neglects one of the most powerful of educational resources". He argued that "In a true education system religion, patriotism, literature, art and science would be brought in such a way into the lives of boys and girls as to affect their character and conduct". He wrote that "The main object in education is to help the child to be his own true self." and that the aim was "to foster the elements of character native to the soul, to help bring these to their full perfection, rather than to implement exotic excellences" He argued for reform that was no more than "a plea for freedom within the law". Teachers should be free to decide what pupils needed to learn without the burden of state examination system. In a future independent Ireland the school system would be bilingual. He opposed the state with the state emphasis on standardised curriculums and exams. Schools were largely church run, though he only referred in passing to
Clongowes Wood College and a passing reference to the church maintaining "a portion of the machinery". ==References==