The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-08 00:00:00

Xotal anb istrict getus.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND ASSOCIATION.

A meeting was held on Monday evening last,
in St. John's School-room, in order to promote
the formation of classes in connection with the
above. The Rev. J. S Bolder° presided, and
there was a fair attendance.

_
The Chairman, in opening the proceedings,
congratulated the members of the association
upon the success which had attended the exami-
nation during the past year in connection with
the Society of Arts. He found by the list of
prizes of the society, many town, more populous
than their own, the examinations had not been
attended with so mach success. One of their
members, Mr. Joseph Robinson, had distin-
guished himself very much at the recent exami-
nations. He hoped that the prizes which had
been won, and which he was going to distribute,
would be a stimulus to all the members of the
association, and that a larger number would com-
pete at the next examination. The association
was one that deservol their support as it was
doing much to extend education. A variety of
classes upon educational questions were to he
held in connection with it, and the teachers, who
were well up in the subjects they undertoolt,
worked very hard during the last winter, the re-
sults of which were seen by the certificates which
had been awarded.

Mr. F. Talbot, secretary to the South Staf-
fordshire Union of Institutes, was then intro-
duced to the meeting, and gave a brief history
of the progress of the Society of Arts since its
formation in 1851. Its scheme for the extension
of valuable information was an admirable one.
It had done much to improve the condition of
the winking classes, by giving prizes and certifi-
cates for proficiency in various subjects. The
South Staffordshire Educational Union, however
had exercised an influence throughout the dis-
trict, and had been the means of improving the
education of the working classes to a greater
extent. It offered prizes for subjects which were
excluded from the programme of the Society of
Arts. Ile was afraid that the Government
scheme, which offered better advantages than
the Society of Arts would soon take precedence,
because the teachers of the latter were all hon-
orary teachers, whilst those under the Govern-
ment scheme were not only paid, but by a scho-
lar passing a certain examination a grant of a
certain sum of money was secured to the master
of the school. Under these circumstances it
could not be expected that they could compete
with the latter scheme. He advised them, how-
ever, to still prosecute their efforts, cud sugges-
ted that to their list of classes already formed,
a history class should be added, which, he
thought, would prove to be of great service.
The Rev. 11. Sherrard next remarked that he
was pleased that the examination of the mem-
bers of the association had been so successful.
He himself had always endeavoured to give the
pupils of the Latin.ciass the best instruction,
and he had no doubt that the teachers of the
other classes had done the same.

Mr. E. Marten proposed, and the Rev. T.
Williams seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr. F.
Talbot for his attendance, who replied, and cer-
tificates were then distributed to the following
persons:--
Latin, first class, Zaehariah Robinson; second
class, Joseph Robinson; arithmetic, first class,
Joseph Robinson; book•keeping, third class,
Frederick Newcotube and Edwin Astvii ; short.
hand class, Simeon Jordan ; Bible class, Mr.
Dickson and Mr. Bird were equal in attendance.
The French class examination was ttt present in-
complete.