Star. — London, England, 1820-06-29 00:00:00

. ) ',... . cams °ti asai's. for the purpose of promoting edu cation among the poor. After this, in the year 1704 Pope Benedict issued a Bull, strongl yrecommending instruction among the lower orders, and pointing out in the most scientific manner the necessity of such a system. The effect of this system of instruction in France was such, that the Lieutenant of Police in Paris declared, that since the establishment of the schools, theexpenie-of-dse Pekes in' the-Faubourg St. Antoine was less .by $O,OOO francs a year than before their 'establish t. The Honourable Gentle man next alluded 'to a brook, formerly published in 'this country by a. person Of the / name of Mandeville, in which he stated, that pOOr children were debauched by going to school,' and by, receiving education, be cause they them )ear, ed, bad principles. in . religion • and politics. The answer to this was, that the chit "' Idren should not be taught any of those things ob . ": jected to. Here Mr. Brougham alluded to a Circular lately sent by the Pope to the Irish Catholic Bishops, cautioning them to prevent Catholic chitdren from 'attending the schools of Bible Societies; but at the same time his Holiness was not unfriendly to educa 'tion, for he recommended that every possible care 'should be taken to have the children of poor Catho - 'lies properly eduCated. Mr. Brougham next adverted 'to the objection against the education of the poor on 'the ground that it would draw them away from their 'useful occupations. Certainly it was not his (Mr. Brougham's) intention to have these children in structed in the learned languages, or in science: still 'he did not think that any serious evil could arise even "from persons knowing something mere than reading, 'writing, and arithmetic. As an illustration of this remark, he should read a 'letter from a man named 'Gilbert Burns, a labouring peasant in Ayrshire, and the brother of 'the celebrated and delightful Scotch Poet of that name. The letter wavorrittenhy him in answer to certain questions respecting-the propriety of allowing peasants to he too learned. He said, that he considered no sort of farm labour to be iliconsist ent with the most refined and pleasurable state of the mind, except threshing, which was a great drudgery and disturbed the mind ; and he added, that the man who invented a threshing-machine ought to have a sta tue erected to his memory, to be placed in a niche next to that of him who was the first cultivator of the potatoe. —This was a toleraLle sentiment for a man who was a peasant and a thresher. So that thus there were 'means of education in England for 1-14th of the population. In calculations on this subject, it was 'wid to take the proportions of the population by ages, and the FrenCh tables had accordingly laid down, that all within the age of eight and 14 years formed 1-14th of die population. With all deference to the distinguished Gentleman who formed the tables, he would be allnwed to say, that his computation did 'riot produce the same result. The difference between them might have arisen from the circumstance, that - while the French calculators proceeded upon abstract principles, he had checked his computation by the : digest on the table, and by a reference to the returns ' the: Parsoni of 'the different parishes. From all - that he was enabled to collect unon this subject, he = was of opinion that the l'iench calculation was con tsiderably oithin the trunk, 'and that it would have 'been more correct; if instEad of 1-14th it had assign ed 1.16 th as the proportion which all within the ages yf eight and 14 formed to the whole population of a country. " Herice he would assume, that where there were not meal's of education for 1-1001 or 1-9th of the population, there . Must be a deficiency, and ac cordingly if he found that in England there were Only means of educating 1-14th of- the population, he should Conclude that there was a deficiency to the amount between 1-14th and 1-10th. It would be f( mid by a reference to the columns of the Digest, that 5,360 children were educated at what were called dame schools. Every on who knew any, thing of a dame school, knew that they were not places of education at all—that was to say, that nei ther wi king, nor reading, nor cyphering, were learn ed ti,eie. Bat nevertheless, such places were of th e utmost consequence, because they kept the children out of harm's way, and prepared them for applica tion afterwards to the various branches of education. llowever, he only made these observations in order to shew to the llouse why the children that wore placed in those scluiols should not be included within the number of those to whom education was actually afforded. Deducing, therefore, these schools from the means of education, the average would be found as capable of giving education only to 1-16th of the population of England. But it was worth while for the House to consider how long the country was in the enjoyment, even of this extent of means. A re ference to the columns of the Digest would shew, that since the year 1803, means had been furnished for the education of 150,000 children, on the Bell and Lancasterian plan. He did not mean to say that this was the number to which the children educated in these schools, established in 1803, should be li mited ; but it was obvious that, as malty of the Bell a•id Lancasterian establishments were superstructed upop old schools, • there must be a deduction f r o m the number of scholars belonging to the establish ment g at present, to the amount of what the old schools were capable of educating. Before 1803, there were Means of edicatiOn in England for no more than 455,000 children, or one-part of. the, po pulation. Looking to Scotland, and taking the average of twelve counties, he had. computed, that at present there were Means of education for one ninth of the whole populaiion of that kingdoth, being more than the French ACademicians thought to be suf&ienr, and as much as hi; (Mr. Brougham's) com potation, even contemplated to be necessary. The means of education in the Principality of Wales were much lower than in either of the kingdoms he had Mentioned, being capable of educating only 1-20th o f its population. Before 1803, there were means of education only for 1-20th. It would lie, perhaps not unacceptable to the House to have some infor mation on this most interesting subject with respect to foreign countries, and in doing so, it was only necessary for him to mention the names of the autho rities from whom he derived his information—Baron de Stael, Cutler; Laborde, Du Hamel, names dear' to science, in order to obtain at once the confidence of the House to his statement. The proportion of the number to whom education was extended in France, was 1-28th to the whole population. Low ,d however, as this projiortiots was, would be found, to have been an eitraoriGnary stride in the course of dive years. In 11319 1 Watts the last report was =deo there were . of the whole children more's,— embraced. At Ole for educating no 1-35th of the population, leaving in point of the means of edeemp. Middlesex itself—a county thliklbold a pre-mini - lent 'station over all the Christian in the scantiness of its means of education. The limited meads in France were not to be attributed to its Rulers, bet cause, to do them juitice, as soon as the deficienct was exposed before them, they zealously applied themselves to remedy it. And - here he begged td impress od the House the ahimst miraculous effects which the..exertions ofprivate individuals, under the sanction s and by the-Assistance of Government, may work in propagating the means of-education. In two' ' years, not less than 7120 schools were planted in France, or means of education for 2,(X)0,000 of the population--(Hear, laear).—lf France. went on in the same proportion in future, in ten years there would not be an uneducated perion in trat country. With respect to Switzerland, he had received his informa tion from the most respectable authorities, particu l larly from his honoured and valued friend M. DU mont, known to several Members in that House. In the Pays de Vaud, the best educated part of Swit zerland, not one individual in_ 60, even comprising the old men, was found without a knowledge a reading, writing, and cyphering. Holland had four thousand one hundred and fifty-four schools, or the means of educating 1-10th of its population.— Having stated this much without respect to the ave rage means of education, he should next take a re view of the number and particulars of the means of education in England. Taking then 600,000 as the number of persons whom the means of education embraces and adding thereto 50,000 as the number having the means of private tuition; and reckoning 100,000 as the number sent to Sunday schools, there would be in all 750,000 children, who had means of education. With respect to Sunday schools, he thought it right to observe, that, from ;licit nature, they were greatly deficient in the means of educating children ; above all, they were deficient in that most important particular, that of putting the children in that state of discipline, which, by being kept con stantly under the eye of the master, they would ex perience. Besides, before the House took the num ber which he had just stated for the Sunday schools as conclusive, it should be remembered, that many of the scholars who went to thestschools, might also belong to day schools, and might therefore be in cluded in the number which , was embraced in ano- . ther part of the calculation. However, assuming the total which he had just stated to be correct, there would still remain 2,000,000 of the. population, or every fifth person, unprovided with the mein: of education. It followed, then, that Switzerland was' `twelve times better educated than we, the good peo ple of England, were, and still. better educated than the people of France were This latter deficiency, he was happy to say, would be remedied in ten years. The last view which he should .take .of this subject was founded on the number of districts and divisions within them which had, and the number which had not schools. Out of 12,000.0 f these districts, there were 6,500 which had not a vestige of the means of education of any-description, or even within access to their inhabitants. Every parish in Scotland had a school. or schools, whether endowed or Otherwise. He would add a few gbservalions more as to the .particular state of education. The variety in which that great necessary of civilized life was enjoyed by the people of England, well demanded the consider ation of the House. The average of the means of education, as to the whole of England, extended only -I to One fourteenth of the population. For Middlesex alone, the average went only to one twenty-fourth. Excluding the dame and Sunday schools, the average of all England was reduced to one twenty-first part' of the population. Excluding the sameestablishments for Middlesex, the average would be reduced to one forty•siith of its population. Again, excluding the county of Middlesex altogether from the calculation (for with its singular disproportion of means of edu cation to its population, it very considerably broke the general proportion f England), it would leave means of education for one-eighteenth part of the whole population ; so that the means of education in Middlesex, compared with that of all England, was as a forty-sixth part to an eighteenth part—a fright ful consideration ! Lancashire had the means gene- rally-of educating one twenty-fourth of its popula tion; and, omitting the Sunday and dame schools, it had the means of educating one twenty-eighth part. The Northern Counties, .he was happy to say, stood higher in the means of education than any other part of England. The average means of education which Cumberland, Durham, Westmoreland, and Northum berland enjoyed, extended, as in-Scotland, to one tenth of the population. Westmoreland, he was hap to to state, stood highest in the proportion, being equal] nearly to the Pays de Vaud in its means of educa tion. The similarity of the two countries' in this re spect might be accounted for by the circumstances of their being mountainous, and therefore of a na ture which did not admit the growth of some of the greatest obstacles to education. The county of Cumberland had means for one-tenth; that of Dur ham, between one-ninth and one-tenth ; and Nor thumberland one-tenth. He begged leave to dis claim. any disrespect to the counties which he should next name. Iu the six Midland Counties, where the occupations were nearly the Same, such as lace making ' straw-splitting, &c. and which proved a great source of corruption, a large deduction must be made for dame schools. Omitting them, the ave rage means of education would -be for one twenty fourth part. In the three Eastern Counties, the pro portion was one twenty-first part. In. Someiset and Wiltshire, one twenty-fourth. He had adopted the notion, that where the means of education formed it higher proportion to the population, there the p portion of _poor to the population was always less. There were, however, several circumstances which ought to enter into the consideration of this theory, such as vicinity to the coast, being a manufacturing. po. pulation, &c. But, snaking ample allowance for the effects of all these circumstances, he believed it would be found that the state of the different come., ties.would fully bear out !the theory. In the foul. Northern COundesohe proportion of the pour to the population was ow-nineteenth—the proportion of ,all England being one-eleventh. With respect to education, the pioportion - of crimes was as one in 4200. In the six Midland Counties, where there were means of education only for one twenty-fourth Of the popu lation, .and the proportion of poor one-tenth, that of criminality was one to 2,100. 'ln the three Eastern Counties, where the means of-education 'extended to si twenty-first part, and the poor amounted to one eighth, the proportion of criminality was• one to '1,600.. In Somerset and Wilts, education being fbe a twenty-eighth, and the poor one-ninth, the propor tion of criminality was as one to 1,64. In this. -statement, therefore, he thought he had a right to my, at the least, that there was no argument against his theory. Returning to the Northern Counties, there could hardly be any deduction made for dame or feu schools. In Westmoreland there was but little difference between its present means of educa tion and what it enjoyed twenty years ago. Educa tion, no doubt, was a great blessing, and capable of miraculous effects .. But no one ought to expect that it could be possible to collect a parcel of pea sants together, and by means of education enlighten and reform them all of a' sudden. It could not be done, such a state of things must be the work of time. Education must be Fong in use before such an order of things could be produced. If then, where it had been long planted, the effects of its influence were so palpable as to make a people remarkable for the generality df their morals and industry, he had a right to speak of such a circumstance as a proof in support of the theory, that morality and industry could attend education, wherever it was propagated (Near).—There was another point of view wider which he would consider this -subject. Generally speaking, the number of schools where payment was received was the same as the number of the endowed schools. In particular parts of England, however, there was a great variety. In the four Northern Counties, the number of paying scholars was 37,000. In Westmoreland forty-eight scholars only belonged to endowed schools, while 2,800 attended schools where they paid. In the six Midland' Counties the reverse of this state of things preyaiied-18,000 scholars paid, while 26,000 attended the endowed schools.. In the three Eastern Counties,; 24,000 scho lars paid, and 30,000 attended endowed tchools. In Scotland, however, all the, scholars paid. The poor people of that part of the United Kingdom refused to accept education as a charity. They were too proud for such a bounty, and were too much ad dicted to the Wholesome habit of looking to them selves for the sources whence they were to derive - the means of improvement. The Scotchman would. say, " I pride myself on the consciousness of being in a situation to refuse education, coming in the shape of charity. I will rather stint myself in my sustenance, and. give my child the means of acquiring a power to read and writer' The people of England might well envy such a coturpunity; and he did not hesi- . tate .to say; that h e wished to insinuate , that there was no better method :of undoing the effects of the Poor Laws, than by bringing about that condition of the popular mind, which England . once had, and which Scotland now had—but which Scotland would net now have, if the Poor Laws were establi s hed there—rWear:hear).—tie never in his' life read a more interesting and affecting document, than the Report drawn -np •by the Clergy of Scotland, upon the state of education there. In this document might be seen the national character of .the Scotch—their. zeal for the education of their children - and their independence, exemplified in a thousand different ways. In some districts, the parenui. put their chil dren to work during a part' of 'the year, in order that they might be enabled, by their earnings, to go to school during another part. The parents of Scot land, unlike those of some parts of the country, that he could name, did-not look to the labour of their children as a source to support-their own vicious idleness ; nor did they seek from their children's loss of time, and sometimes loss of virtue, at a time of life when, as the Roman poet 'said, ".Like wetted clay they could be fashio,ped to any shape," the* means of putting together a stock purse, whereby they could be enabled to indulge themselves in the gratification of their depraved habits. The Scotch made their children work in order that, they might be enabled by their earnings, to acquire the blessings of an education. There was among them no senti ment, no philosophic visions, no idle speculations ; and though it was much the practice to talk of them as a metaphysical people, still he believed there was no race in the world that had a greater contempt for what did not immediately tend to their oven advan tage-4A lairgh).—But his praise of -Scotland was this, that the people-there always knew what was their real advantage—(lfeer,hear).—For instance, they thought idleness a great disadvantage, because they learned from the Book to which happily they were so attached, that sloth Iva& the parent of vice. Now the people of Scotland would pot-stiffer their children-to be idle, and made them work in iummer, 'when they might be able to gather 20s. and with it '.pay for going to school in the winter. In the large parishes, fifteeu miles by sixteen perhaps, where there was but one clergyman and one schoolmaster, the poor people had devised means -of wresting, as it were. the means of education out of the stinginess of the Legislature. They contrived to have 'the schoolmaster week abaft tn;eath place, giving him such food as they could afford, and thlts : M. was sent, round thewhole• circuit of the parish; It Was curi ous to see how similar circumstances produced simi lar effects in different parts 'of the world. The Re port of the French Commission stated precisely a si milar contrivance US have been used, in a geitain wild district of the' Pyrennees, adding, "th a tit wail happy for hint whowas a schoolmaster in the rugged Pyrentwes; for he was sure never to die of hunger." Such was the hungering and thirsting of the Scotch after educationZ that the Clergy had said." For the loveof Gen, foe the love of that religion which ii preached to the Scotch, and whiCh cannot be preached to thenr if you do not give theT Hon. andeam,--clo Learned notlep your purse strings tight." n- 'Gentleman next, proceededt•statithis plan, and be believed, that whatevesimere ite;nteritsrhe bad suf ficiently sham his respect for the House by reserving it for a year sad a half, &Wag which time he re- . . paits'of it over and over again—by - the repeated revisions of his Hon. introducing 'anything which was by the digest before the Houir. The of &dr brinchei. the first related to of schools; the second rslated to &e _...enranct removal -of *the Maiter ; the third ...ad to die admission of the scholars and their tuition there; and 11% fourth related to the improve.. ment .of old education endowments. He proposed tocosi - fidedie power of potting in motion the autho rity for erecting these schools to the hands of four classes of persons. The first class of thew consisted of the Grand Jury, whO . might, it the Easter Quar. ter Sessions, either by finding s4.biil, .or by present mint declare the ChapelrY, or Parish, as deficient in theNneans of education. The second class consisted of the resident incumbent of the Parish ; the third, o .two Justices of Peace, acting for the division the deficiency existed ; and fourthly, of five resicki: .householders. All these classes should have the. .power of making a complaint at the Quarter Sessions for Easter, to be triable at the ensuing Sessions. la all these complaints, it must be stated whether or not there be any school in the adjoining parish or dis trict, or whether there be only one or two schools, but that the power of complaint shall not be exer cised in any case where there-have been three school's, as that number must be deemed fully sufficient for the purposes of educating the inha bitants who have the right to make use of them.— .The next section under this head embraced the, pro -Gess of preferring the complaint, &c. It defined the salary of the schoolmaster at a sum not less than £2O, and not more than RM. Though some might deem this ton small, it would be found enough when it was considered that the policy of the mwsure was to give the master an interest- in earning some en. couragemene . fiom the parents. . The t h ird - section related - to die - execution of die order of Quarter Ses siOns. The salary of ; the Master, it was intended, should be paid by the district whets he s resided; but the expense of erecting the 'Mouse, &c. was to be defrayeZbythe Iteceiiiroc.diecoonty Land Tax, which was to:be s replacecritit .oLthe Consoli dated Fund, to any a mount not excmling):2oo for each particular building.... The_sCho. were not to and be large, but small epiemoctrous. . : The master might be capable of pursuing any_other lucrative employment, soil as would pot, injure his attention to his scholars. The fitst''seCtin; ,ofthe nest head related-to the qualificatiOnt . g the Master. This per son should have a .certifi - cmtelf. s good conduct and capability from the c le rg y m k and three .household ers of the parish wherehe mil* for twelvemonths before—that-he should be between the ages of Y 4, and 40 years—be a' member •of .the -Established Church; and have taken. the Sacrament in testimony of the same within a month, at least, before the period of his entering dtuatiteu - Again, the plan proposed would make - it V .. C . sllVefent fbr the parish clerk to be a mastercantire beheyed that the union of the- two offices woulithave the effect. of producing e abetter Cast:armed than those wino now filled the-patt of - parish clerk. in our churches. The election was t 9 take place by stAiijority of the house haiders isvinit.iled, the parish officer (who should, in all cases, have a casting voce) weakling. He was of _opinion; that the **stem ought to be under die im mediate sanction of'4hcaehurch of Eriglafid. He said 'this, because diere was a time when was not dis posed to go quite so l'i - ---(lteariliear).—He bad_at that time dreaded giving any cause:of *Same to the Disienters, - -who might. perhaps think that his propo sition,wourX:go to...plant •'a second parson among them in the person of z schoolmaster. But when he considered the important advantages which the system must derive from the zealous superintendence of a pious English Clergyman, and also the dura bility which it would acquire by being so intimately connected, ash, now proposed it should be, with the Established Church, he was fully prepared to retract all his former opinions which did not then lead hini to make such an avowal . There w e r e only two other considerationi connected -with this- part of the . . 1:27:n, anckthose he should advert to With 1 -" the House. The first referred to religious edbcation--a•mnst essential poirit—(Hear, hear)., - In ibe.appointment of the schoolmaster, it was pro , vided that the Parson might reject the candidate after examination, shoulthe not find him qualified, and then. issue an order for a new election. _ In fact, the Parson was allowed a Neto in this.particulir.. It was righetbat he shosild_ baie such a veto, as Win the best enabled to judge, -whether the: applicant- was oe was not wines gd s irr likratartt' - Upon the ques don with respect to visitation, the. Hon. Member oh served, that the visitors were to include four Clare% men of different dignities in the Church, ec t of Minim couldxemove the schoolmaster, but that.** appeal might lie against the decision of theundllo visitor, which, 'however, was not to. be of apubrre but of a private nature . Th e visitor might-direct the superannuation of_ the schoolmaster, on apension not exceeding two-thirds of his salary. The return; in all cases, were to be made nudes the 441 d of the late King. He next reale to.cansider the-question with regard to the admission of the scholar:, and this he knew involved some very serious .conslderations, as the•prejudices of.the sects were concerned ... *Accord jog to Mis system, however, the most scrup Ol ons seater could not object to send his child tethe srbool. he must be only one cif the most squ eam i s h Dissenters, whom that systemwould .stag ier.W Parson was to fix therateof admission for each child, and he proposed-that it should be not less .than two-pence, or Mare than three-penee per week. ; This at the year's end would produce a sum, which would render it worth- the master's' while to attend to his duty; it would,._according to his calculation, produce an increase to his salary of £5O ailear that it would be for him to • 'consider, whether he should prefer being an industrious . schoolmaster at £7O a-year, or an idle schoolinaster at Ego a-year.— He'stipulated the small's= OE:Ant-pence a iveeYe because he wished to excludc the principle of paw. perism altogether. He would have as black line drawn across the floor, nor would be have any taunts used, that there_wtre children in the school who - were paupers, and-as _such paid nothing for their education . H e wishe d that his system should raise,- not depress the human mind-qt . /car, heart). He knew welt the great anxiety that exiiied for .the education of the poor, and some considered that the schools proposed to be established, would be a greater advantage W the natio'', than if the national debt was • of edviitios 1,020,00Gr0 1411tb: criaies, *theory would be found as applicable still : 'Vis ed all the pi le lotion, beingjso less than 200 090 Reboil - before hill . * return of then nWser'ef.. cow- submitting it to ore• an the means;of education in 18'1 .initinents for the laal lan years, and Writ op.' Friends—by riot At Ole latter period, there were schools minted that the avdoge for the general population Sus Warranted by ing no More thai 866,01111 Children; or rWAS one in 1400. In .the four Northern Counties, plan Consisted of be population, leaving France quite as bad, however, proving the justness of the theory, where the fo'inidadon of the means of edeeetsen,;es the county of ..there were the greatest ptupOrtide of the menus of appcfiutsueurand i ~~ . • 1 qu be du imi R g fill ins' wa the son La it, 1 of Pla tab is Vial Ope Poe and On and 8134 may tha the •