The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-07-08 00:00:00

THE EDUCATION BILL.

On Saturday a deputation, representing the "labour
organizAtions," held a long conference with .I,,trd S,indon
with regard to the Government Euucation Bill —Lord
S tndon saki he had on beirilf of the Lord President to
express deep regret that his Grace had been suddenly called
away after he had made the necessary arrangements to meet
the. deputation.—The proceedings are thus reported in The
Times

Mr. Broadhurst, the Secretary of the Labour Repre-
sentation League, then presentod the reboiutions,
which, he ssii, had been passed unbnimously by a
large and influential conference of representatives
of societies, mid all present were desirous of seeing
strorger measure taken than were taken in the Bill to
enforce attendance at school. The resolutions pre-
sented were :
",That, cerialering the fact, admllted by the statements
and statistics put forth by the sericulture' interest during
the pat four years, that they had not only sufficient, but
superabundant adult labour for every requireanent they
needed, this Conference views with regret and alarm the
wholesale absence from school allowed to the juvenile popu-
lation in agricultural districts by the Government 811,
amounting, under some circumstances, to the total with-
drawal of children from school, thus defeating the
purposes of the Elementary Education Act of 1870.
That this Conference has no confidence whatever
in the education of the agricultural and extra-urban
population being remitted to any elective body
whose qual,fleation is based on property alone, and, there-
fore, earnestly and emphatically objects to the powers pro-
posed to be given by the Government Bill now before the
House of Commons, which will allow Boards of Guardians
and Towns C uncil to deal with the matter at their pleasure.
That the power given to the Education Department by the
13th Clause of the Government Bill, to eff >rd increased
pecuniary support to public elementary schools, is likely to
afford undue encouragement to sectarian education, sad,
furthermore, is highly objectionable, as tending to throw
too great power over public education into the hands of the
Government."

Mr. Campin said that there were three points in the
Bill to which particular exception was taken. One of
these was that excuses were allowed to parents who
did not send their children to school, and the allow-
ance of these excuses would be a drawback to the Act
of 1870, in permitting parents to be excused from the
law already established. The second point was with
reference to the " authority " which was to carry out
the education of the zural population under this mesa-
sure. The local authorities were qualified by property
alone, and the working men did not regard these
bodies as so well qualified to deal with the edecation
of the people es School Boards elected for the purpose.
The deputation regarded the 13th Clause as being
likely to give undue support to sectarian schools.
Mr. George Potter said the working men believed
there was too much absenteeism, as was instanced by
the fact that 2260,000 children only were at school on
the day of inspection, instead of 4,500,000. In London
6t4,000 children ought to be at school, but there were
only 280,000. With reeard to the "local authority,"
it was to be remembered that the agricultural labourers
and the country artisans had ma votes when living in a
county, and thus they would be resp asible to an
" authority " for their children's education over whom
they had no electoral power. In point of fact, the
summoning of a parent might be at the instance of a
10-al authority of which the rector might be a member,
and, as the Justice of the Peace, he would have to im-
pose the sentence.
Mr. Broadhurst called attention to the clauses which
gave the farmers power to employ the children at bay
harvest, in hop.picking, and the like.
Lord Sandon reminded the speaker that the child
would have to earn the labour pass first.
Mr. Davies spoke about the excuse which was to be
permitted if no public elementary echo >1 was within
two miles of Where a child lived.

Lord Sandon replied that there were some denomi-
national schools—Roman Catholic and others—where
the conscience clause was not observed, and in such
cases there must be a reasonable excuse permitted.
Sir John Bennett said he had had experience of the
education of the working classes, and with regard to
the agricultural class, he could say that in some parts
of the country the depths of ignorance were so great
that one had a difficulty in realizing the fact. There
was an objection to guardians of a country district
haying the power over education. Many of them
were altogether hostile to education, as they said, it
"makes men gamy." (A. laugh.)
Lord Sandon expressed himself as greatly encouraged
in his educational work at finding so large an as-
semblage of working men sacrificing time and con-
venience, for this, he said, showed the great interest the
subject had for them. He Wee glad to hear their
opinions. Whether he agreed with them or not was
another matter, but he gathered from what had been
said that the deputation gave the government credit
for an earnest desire to acconaplish the great end
of educating the people. (Hear, hear.) That was
a great work, and as the Government had put its
hand to the plough they would not turn bask. Tee
Government held different opinions from the deputa-
tion on points, and with regard to the compulsion the
Government thought that if things were pressed too
roughly at once the hands of the elcclr, in regard to
education, might be put back for some time to come.
Tee question had been constantly before Parliament,
and ou the voting with regard to the estabie.hment of
universal School Boards the number of votes in its
favour was only 164, so that it appeared that the
country had determined not to have universal School
Boards forced upon it. Then as to universal by laws
for compulsion, it was only the other day that Mr.
Mundella proposed it, and the majority against it was
145. That showed the opinion of the country. (" No,
no.") With regard to the point that there should be
School Board scheols within the reach of all who de-
sired it, he must ask them to consider when 4e the
money was to come. The voluntary schools
had been built at an expenditure of between
£10,000,000 and £13,010,000, of which the State
had supplied about 2 000,000 or £3,000.000, the re-
mainder being supplied from voluntary sources. He
would ask, how were the Government to get hold of
these schools, if they wanted to, without a confiecation
of rights of property? Or were the Government to re-
build at the side of these schools from the Imperial
funds? The Government could not take these schools
which were already built, nor build others by the side
of them. Besides, as the Conscience Clause was
observed in the schools which already stood—and the
Department closely watched that this should be
observed—any one could have purely secular teaching
by withdrawing the child. Parliament, which, heathi
ventured to assert, represented the country, hai, by
distinct votes, put these questions aside. With regard
to the object of the Bill, all were agreed that it was
desirable to secure that all the children should have a
thoroughly sound instruction. (Hear, hear.) The
speakers had urged that that could only be obtained by
direct compulsion, for the enforcement of which by -laws
should be paved, so that every child should go to
school during the hours the school was open. But
that would necessitate attendance officers fur every
locality to see that the by-laws were carried out. It
was presumed by the deputation, too, that parents
would not get their children educated unless they were
compelled to do so- but his opinion, on the contrary,
was that the presumption should be that parents had
an increasing zeal for the instruction of their children.
The improved habits of the artisan and operative
clauses induced him to take an opposite view to that
enunciated; and the Bill was Winded on the pre-
sumption that the workpeople would get their children
instructed if there were removed from those parents
the great temetation of getting large wages from the
work of their children, and the Government removed
that in the Bill by providing that the children thrall,'
not be put to work until ten years of age. The
Government relieved the prudent and thoughtful, and
well-conditioned parent from the burdens of such
direct by-laws, but recognizeeg that there was a large
class of negligent parents who would not look after
their children's education, made such provision in the
Bill that that class would be brought under the law,
and the local authority of the place would then come
forward and see that the child was not neglected and
wronged in the matter of education, as he would be if
left to such parent entirely. The question was raised
as to the authorities doing their duty, and grave
deubts on that head were expressed; but two points
had been overlooked. In the country and in small
towns it was not at all easy to get persons to occupy
themselves with the business of education. It was
said that the Boards of Guardians and the magistrates
were very ho-tile to education, but to that, as ageneral
proposition he must strongly demur. As to the duties
of the Board of Guardians under the Bill, they would
have notning to do with maintaining schools, but
would simply have to act as police in that respect.
He quite agreed that that body was not at all buited
to manage the education of the people. They would not
he required to manage education. As far as the squires
and the clergy were concerned, he could not go with
the remarks as to their hostility to education, or why
should they have subscribed £10,000,000 for education
of their own free will? People did notsubscribe money
for that to which they felt hostility.
A member of the deputation said it was subscribed
In opposition to Dissent, and another member said the
Church had crushed out Dissent.
Lord Sandon said he knew many Dissenters and
added that they were not people who would be
"crushed out." With regard to the local authorities
not discharging the duties, all he could say was that
means hai been taken in the Bill to ensure this, for if
the local authority did not discharge the duty, powers
were taken to appoint inspectors, and to pay them out
of the rates of that locality, and this power would
ensure the duty being discharged, for the localities
would not allow this to occur through their neglect.
With regard to the agricultural population, and the
remarks as to their ignorance by Sir John Bennett, it
was to be seen that the country children passed higher
than town children, and their attendance was better.
He did not mean to say that the education in the
country was all that could be desired—the children did
not read " Milton " and "Strakspeare," perhaps.
Sir J. Bennett.—ln Switzerland they do.
Lord Sandon said he had found an agricultural lad
reading " Virgil " on the Cotswold Hills, and he would
put that lad against the Swiss. His Lordship quoted
a report from an Inspector showing that the education
in the country districts WAS advancing, and saki that
the idea that the children in the country districts were
growing up uneducated must not be taken without
qualification. He flattered himself that the deputa.
tion would leave the room, after this explanation,
with the view that the Government measure WAS
not so inefficient as they had suggested. He had con-
fidence that with necessary amendments, it would do a
great deal of good work—not on a rough and ready plan,
hut in a more solid and lasting manner, and would besides,
do the work without any danger of a reaction against
education, which, he would honestly say, he dreaded.
Compulsion by School Boards, in the opinion of many,
had been pressed to its limits, and magistrates could
not always go on fining. Those who had to deal with
the matter were at teeir wits' ends with regard to a
large class, and this large class it was hoped to touch
by the responsibility now thrown upon the parent.

•
The deputation subsequently held a meeting, in
which, while acknowledging the urbane manner in
which Lord Sandon had met them, they held to their
resolutions.

Smourrr AND THE BEGGAR.—A beggar asking alms
of Dr. Bmoilett, he gave nun, through absence, or mis-
take for a less valuable piece, a guinea. The poor fel-
low, on perceiving it, hobbled after him, and told him,
of it; upon which 6mollett returned it to him with
another guinea, as a reward for his honesty, exPlaini-
ing at the same time, "My God! what a lodging
honesty has taken up with!"