The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-09 00:00:00

Mr. Roland Barnsley (Nonconformist) presided, and,
in opening the proceedings. he said he was proud to
unite with other Liberals, and with the friends of the

candidates before them, in the great work of striving
to maintain the present policy of the School Board.
(A.pplause.)
Mr. Baisano, who was received with great enthusiasm,
said it was somewhat discouraging to find, since he
entered upon the contest, that everything he strove to
do on the Board for the welfare of their children had

been turned and twisted, and made the source of false
accusation against him, Those things, which were
done for the best, the opponents said were done from
intersted motives, and for his personal aggrandisement.
(" Shame.") It was rather hard, after giving up one's
time and one's money, that he should have to come
before them to answer such aspersions, and to justify his
conduct upon the Board, when he could boldly assert
that he had not committed a single act of which he

was ashamed. (Cheers.) He proposed first of all to
ask them to consider the policy and some of the acts of
the late Board, because he wished them to judge from
. .

that what the majority did when they had the power,
what they would do in the future; and he also wanted
them, side by side with that, to judge what the minority
would do if placed in a majority on the new Board. It
was said by their opponents that this was a Tory and
Liberal, or a church and chapel question. Now, he
denied this; and he defied anyone to point to one act of
the majority on the late Board which was either
political or sectarian. (Applause.) He could prove to
them by the motions passed, and the directions given
for the conduct of the schools, that their sincere

endeavour was to provide the best possible education
for their children, and that that education whilst
_

religious should be thoroughly unsectarian. The
sectarianism (if any) was on the part of those who so
falsely accused them. And as to there being any ques-
tion of polities, he would ask, could they, if they
wished, teach politics in the schools? The ideas wore
absurd. A School Boatd was not formed to teach

politics, but to educate their children in that which
would make them good men and women in after life.

(Cheers.) Did thy- imagine, if it were true s repre-
sented, that all those gentlemen well known as Liberals
and Nonconformists would have nominated them or
would seek to bring them into office? Would they rot
rather have nominated those who claimed to be Liberals
and unsectarian ? Would they have run in the teeth of
their opinions, if they did not know that the men they
were supporting would carry out these opinions? He
indignantly denied, then, that politics or sectarianism
had anything to do with the election. (Hear.) Who,
for instance, are the gentlemen who had nominated their
five ? Why, they were all Liberals with the exception
of three, and among them was Mr. Charles Swindell,
and was he a Tory? Then there was Mr. Timothy
Parker, Mr. Barnsley, Mr. Benjamin Round, and others.
Would they then be led away by false issues, and would
they in the face of such facts believe the statements
put forth ? (Cries of " No.") [heir opponents at one
time praised what they did, and at another condemned
it. The other night he heard several speakers get up
and praise the majoiity because they built such schools,
and now he saw bills had been issued condemning them
because they built any schools at all. (Laughter.)
Mr. Bassano proceeded at some length to give reasons
for the action of the Board in building rather than
renting schools, and he showed that by taking the
latter course there would have been great loss in the
shape of grants. This, he said, also meant badly taught
children. If they could not be taught well they lost the
grant. They would then have had a lot of money put
on to the rates, and a loss of education never to be
made up. (Hear, hear) Again, if they had rented schools
the Government would have insisted upon new offices
being put outside, and upon premises which would not
belong to th -xis, and of which they would have no
security as to the permanency of occupation. They
would see the inconvenience that would arise from being
an alien premises. (Hear, hear.) At Dudley they
began by renting schools, but they found their children
could not be taught and they could not earn the grants,
and they had been obliged to build, and were doing
so in every district He would now take note of an
accusation brought against him personally. It was
asked, if he wanted to keep down expenses, why had
there been £BBl 7s more spent for the building of Old
Hi I Board SchcoA:than for th ise at Cradley Heath ? and
the answer given w is th.t he had spent so much in order
that it might embellish the adjoining church. Now, if
he had been guilty of such a dirty trick they might
well cry shame of him ; but it was utterly false.
(Rear, hear.) There were plans from Mr. Meredith aad
Mr. Holmes. The one from the latter he considered
would be carried out at too great a cost, but it was
selected by Mr. North and Mr. Whitley, and pressed
upon them for the Old Hill School; and yet it was now
asserted that he had that money spent for the embellish-
ment of the church. The very things their opponents
did themselves they now endeavoured to charge upon
them. (" Shame.") He understood that it was also
said of him that if he should be in the majority of the
next Board he would, if possible, keep all their children
at school until they were fifteen years old. (Laughter.)
They might well think twice before electing him, if he
really thought of doing such a thing; but he in fact,
strove te fix the standard at which they should cease to
compel children to go to school at the " 4th," whilst
Mr. Whitley was the man who proposed that it should
be the sth standard. .(Hear, hear.) The children of
that parish, he considered, could not be worked lup to
the sth standard all at once. In another three years
they might possibly reach that standard, by tee time
they were ten years old; but he felt that, it was hard
for the poor that their children shodld be kept at
school till the age of twelve (Cheers) As to religious
instruction, he might say that given in the Board
schools was according to a scheme which he prepared,
and for which he was responsible. Having read the
regulations for giving the instruction, Mr. Bassano
fully asploinarl tha aohama in nroorotinn, ond aoirl it tvuo
voted for by the whole of the members present at the
time it was submitted, excepting Mr. Hadley. It was
stated that he had brought in an improper hymn book,
but why did they vote for it? (Heat, hear, and cheer-
ing) He would repeat that they all agreed to the book
and the forms of prayer except Mr. Hadley, who gave
as his reason that the ratepayers should not be called
upon to pay for any religious instruction whatever.
(Disapprobation.) Mr. Hadley now said he was in favour
of Bib:e reading, but which did they believe—his vote
when on the Board, or his assertion when ho wished to
get on ? (" The vote.") With respect to the hymn
book, he might tell them he did not choose one by a
churchman, but by a Baptist, and ween he proposed its
adoption, Mr. North secoedecl it. (Hear, hear) He
hoped, from what he had advanced, that they would
nraw some plain lessons. He wished them to under-
stand that he should go on in the same path (if elected),
giving religious instruction, the best of education, and
carefully guarding against any denominational bias. He
would leave them to draw a comparison between their
" five " and the " five " on the other side, and ask them
to remember that they must have men of business, who
knew something of the working of schools, and men of
wide experience. (Laud applause.)
Mr. J.P. Hunt then addressed themeeting. He said he
was not a member of the old School Board, but having
closely watched their action he was perfectly satisfied
they had done their work well, and he was so far pleased
with it, that if they allowed hfm, he should go to help
-them to continue it. (Cheers.) Now, he wished them
to undeistand if they altered the position of the Board,
and gave their opponents a majority, Mr. Bassano would
be no longer the chairman. They were fighting for one
man; but this carried with it not only the chairmanship,
but e great deal of the spirit in which the Board had
been conducted, and in which the schools had been car-
ried on. If they wished them managed as at present,
they must elect the five candidates offering themselves
that night. A principle was at stake which needed
serious consideration. The two leading questions were
—Would they have the Bible taught by the masters
of the Board. schools, and not as the Birmingham
League would.have them to do? A.nd would they have the:
voluntary schools which -had done so ranch for that
parish shut.up: by tlae.aection of the Board.? ("Jrfea- of
~ . ,
Mn.- Hugh. R. Jter was .he next apeakee, and he Said
he sheuld beadily support. the policy of the late 'Beard
.He ;.wagld: remind them that they • ctiiild Vot give'
sectarian bias t 6 the religious teaching if they desired,
for the Act itself prevented such a course, and how could
it be a question of Liberal' malt 'Tory wildn ott'of den of.
their nominators, se,eep, were. Liberafs'. "Ctd 'the differeat
'committees. they would See Libdls, 'dissenters, wade
Tories and Churchmen freely rthrigled, -thus 'plainly':
• showing that it, was not at all a question of sectarianism
or politics. The teal issue; howevei, vvis'thia, whether'
.they would have voluntary schools in that Fitrishisesist.-
ting and going along, side With 'their' Bbatd sch'ools-
whether they would threw. nparly the Wholeof the
burden of the education of the children' upon 'their
rates or not? As to religious education, he would
refer to the system adopted in Birmingham. They had
there anopted a voluntary system, and for 17,000 chi.:
dren there were 140 teachers. Now they wanted at
least 1,000 teachers if the children were to have proper
religious instruction. The result was that out of those
17,000 there were only 5,000 readying religious ecluca-
tion at all. There were consequently 12,000 in the
Board schools receiving no religious teaching. In Lou.
don a different system was adopted, end it was the same
as that proposed to be adopted in Rowley—simply the
reading of the Bible, with explanations such as any child
could understand, and opening with prayer and hymn
singing. There were 126,000 children taught in the
London schools, arid out of that number there were ooly
only withdrawn by the parents, and that not on account
of religious teaching, but other circumstances. They
had to choose whether they would close vo!untary
schools, and have the rates greatly increased. If they
reduced the fees but a little the rates must necessarily
be augmented, and if the rates were increased clearly
the rants must be increased. (Hear, hear.)
Mr.. Lander then moved the following resolution
"That this meeting, having heard a stttement of the-
views of Messrs. Bassano, Hunt, Hingley, Bradley,- and
Ker, cordially approves of the same, and pledges itself
to vote for those gentlemen on Tuesday next, and to
promote, by all lawful means, their triumphant return
to the Rowley Regis School Board."
. ,
Mr. G. A. Haden Best (who was greeted with loud
applause) seconded the mo'iln. He said be wanted to
say a word or two about Mr. George Green. He did
not care a straw himself about Mr. George Green, as
perhaps everybody knew; but he did say that of all
men Mr. Green was the very worst' to be-put at the
head of educational affairs in that parish.' He would
tell them why. He was a plain man, and he wished to
call a cabbage a cabbage. Loud lau,hte ..) Mr. Green
belonged to that set of people who Made Christ out
nothing more than a blasphemous impostor—(sensation) ;
he enly.believed• in the Bible so far as it.. .satisfied his
own reason; and he was a fervent .adn.trer,, if nut a
member; of that infidel. Birmingham I.A4agt o,:wirose
standpoint was no religion wltatever, in Begird Bohn's.
That, will the most important electicin they' Mad ever had
in the parish before: 'Kiley had 'fought the. Green' fthnilY
as 'they' isnew,and of t.e.n thenl-:galiii4:ll,42tVren,d" :
thy should suoooed /Witt in .best(ng:thP
of elnthe salectioneeraug ~distUrbancesi
place in that place for .:EaaPY. years,> Ittalr'!
George Green had been it ale head.befOre-the'eAtfdtil
he was rterally at the toil -when closed. ,i4oxe;;
lopghter.) Hatt hemottsihown his utter disregardat4ei!
'poor by • codling fotwarki: _year after yesOn vvhatliss a,
useless attempt to get on the Local Board, ana thus
putting the parish to expense for no purpose whatever?
Mr. George Green ha now become a rich man, and the