The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-04 00:00:00

PRESENT STATE OF THE SCHOOL

BOARD QUESTION.

We may congratulate our readers not only on
the fact that the adjourned meeting of Monday
last was so well attended, and in that sense so
representative of the ratepayers, but also on the
further circumstance that its behaviour, tin& r
the judicious presidency- of Captain Waller, was
on the whole so orderly and decorons. Since
the talk is of education, let us not forget that
the habit of public discussion, in this country,
contributes not a little to the education of
ranks ; mid even if questions of this sort coull
be decided without it, it would be highly unde-
sirable they should be.
We are somewhat at a loss how to interpret
the decision pronounced by the large majority
on this occasion. Does it betoken a state of
local opinion positively adverse to the future
formation of a School Board? This would cor-
respond certainly with the arguments adduced
by some of the speakers, particularly Mr. New-
cam and Mr. Prescott. And certainly we must
not underrate the force of this feeling. On the
other hand, we might suppose the meeting to
have been simply endorsing such views as these
stated by Mr. Scott; and in that case, the reso-
lution would merely mesa a postponement, with.
out in the least prejudicing the revival of the
question, under different conditions, either at
the expiration of the stated period of one year,
or siwpiy in consequence of declarations issued
by the Department.
(if course it may be said that it is impolitic
in any one who seriously sympathises with the
desire for a School Board, to do anything to
retard its formation. But that is not self-evi-
dent. That a thing should be rightly, rather
than quickly done, is indeed a general rule of
conduct. Only superficial persons eau imagine
that the virtue and efficiency ot any act, public
or ;private, can be entirely disjoined from the
manner, and the conditions of its accomplish-
ment. And in the present care a new question
has been raised, which it is pretty clear the sup-
porters of the original motion have not only not
contemplated, but which even now they are
averse from contemplating ; this—namely,
whether the first election for a School Board
(which we might hope would also be the last for
illllllber of years) should or should not take
pl,:ce ter the whole if Olilswinford parish, as
the school district? ft is true, as Mr. Maginnis
remarked, that a resolution affirming the expe.
diency of this would not have been " legal ;"
that is, the meeting could not have claimed this
as the result Of its resolution. But what the
riv e lag mitthl not legally claim, what it could
not legally do more than ask for, might yet be
granted with perfect legality by the Education
D_ partaneut, in either of these two CaRCSI

r. .
(1.) If a similar resolution is forwarded to it
from the rest of o:dswinford parish ; or
12.) If it declares deft-iency of accommodation
as to the remainder of the parish, or any part f
It. Either of these contingencies is perfectly
possible, we might sty pmhable. And it is, we
bar, perfectly possible toot deficient school sc.
eornmodation should hs dee:silt' even as reg:lrds
ta tow:. I:-.:ournrid,m itself. This will de-
pen I, we 6aiyo ie. very roach upon woether the
resources of what is called tho " Bagged
School" will be regarded as so assured to it as
ti ioaks it :111 elewenta..y school within the Act.
We very mach doubt whether ti y ire in that
/seam assured. Surely it is char, from all this,
Ina it is only wise and reasonable to wait until
we know whether the Deportioviit will or will
not declare a deficiency, both as regards Stour.
bridge, and the outlying villages. We shall then
know with much greater certainty, what will be
the precise work for a School Board, and what
will be the area of its operations; upon which
latter point depends, of course, the limit of the:
constituency of ratepoyers whicu will have to
elect it. Its future relations, also, to the Na-
tional and other local schools, might probably

be then foreshadowed, to a degree which would
avert anxieties if not collisions. Nor must it
be forgotten that voluntary effort should have its
chance and its time of grace, to supply any offi-
cially declared deficiency. Upon the whole we
think that the normal operation of the Act
should not be slurred over, merely on the
ground that the speedier process would he more
complimentary to the Birmingham League.
Ni doubt it will be said that the call of hit-
manity and philanthropy is always urgent; that
the duty of helping others, especially neglected
children, never should be postponed. Well, if
the moral salvation, if the future career even of
one individual child could be deemed to depend
on this question, we should have nothing more
to say. Al any rate, considerations of mere
expediency would then be out of place. It
should be nothing, for instance, to spend a thou-
sand pounds in order to effect the moral rescue
of a child. But we apprehend that sound rea-
son scarcely justifies this emotional philan-
thropy. For our open schools are already busily
engaged in separating the wheat from the tares ;
they will even remit the school fees to parents
who cannot afford them. Nor does mere attend-
ance at school work a moral change of that order
of importance ; nor is it only the children who
are not at school who are exposed to such conta-
gion of evil influence as their characters admit,
or untoward circumstances are too apt to entail.
Still, we fully admit that the State ought to see
to it that every child is brought within the walls
of a school; and that in this and every neigh-
bourhood the sooner this is done the better. It is
chiefly because we consider that immediate action
might not be the most ultimately efficacious in
extending this principle, in our neighbourhood,
over the widest area, that we are disposed to
acquiesce in the course taken on Monday last.
Many of us will cherish the hope that the ques-
tion will, at an early opportunity be re-opeued.
An objection might be taken to including such
places as the Lye and Wolleseote in the school
district, on the ground that their very need for
it would increase the rate. This is an objection
which from the higher point of view, defeats
itself. But it is tit ratepayers should also be
made aware that no reluctance on their part
could prevent Stourbridge from being made a
‘• contributing district," as regards such places,
under the Act.