The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1878-06-25 00:00:00

VISITATION OF THE ARCHDEACON OF

DORSET.

The Ven. Archdeacon Sanctuary held a visitation of
the clergy and churchwardens at Holy Trinity Church,
on Tuesday. The Holy Comnuntion having been
administered,

The AItOHDI4CON proceeded to deliver his charge.
He commenced by referring to the working of the
Public Elementary Education Act, with regard to
which his (the Archdeacon's) t minion hal frequently
been asked, especially so far as recanted the good, or
otherwise, of framing bye-laws. He thought this
• matter requiting serious csnsideration, and he had
therefore taken the pains to ascertain what had been
done in this county with respect to the bye-lawa He
was informed that such lawe had been made in Dorset
In 18 cues ; there were 15 Seiko' B.ardainthecounty,
and six of these had made bye-laws : beside., unions
and boroughs had adopted them. Having described
the principles on which these bye-laws were framed,
the Yen. Archdeacon went on to repeat evidence
showing that such law. were necessary. The clerk of
tete School Board said without byelaw, the Act of
1976 wee virtually • dead letter, and another clerk
bore similar testimony, and pointed out how beet to
bring a knowledge of the penalties of neglec: i this
matter before the notice of the parents. If these,
continued the Archdeacon, were samples of the views
beginning to be adopted it was pl tin great changes
would take place in the a iministration of the Act. It
wet a general thing for --chord Attendance Conarni tees
to be appointed, but these committees frequently did
not exert theanolves a• they ought. No d eibt the
mind of many of their perishes WY not yet in a state to
take such a step lath, direction of bye-laws, and he
could not consider it would be well to try and force
them; but he hoped local authorities would exercise
their power in obtaining officers of influence, who
would see that the requirement. were curled out; and
these attendance °Moors should be brought into close
connection with the local committees appointed in the
parishes. Then • census of the children should be
made, also monthly returns of the attendance at
school, and he thought it desitable that the clergy
should as much as possible encourage requisitions in
favour of bye-laws. A. to the schools themselves, in
Dorset there had been, .ince the introduction of the
Education Act, vety little change from the order of
things beyond the higher and more expensive educa-
tion. There were how 15 school board, in the county,
and a number of reasons had led to their being
established. We •it not for that baneful clause in
the Act which they ell knew so well they would find
the board schools in Dorset differed but little from
the voluntary schools, and in only one or two
instances, so far as he was aware, had any
change been male in the religious instruction; the
teaching in the boards schools was pretty much what
it would otherwise have been, and there seemed to he
very little desire on the part of any one to change the
state of things. True, he had heard of one case in
which a member of a school board objected to the
Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandment, being
placed on the wall of the school, his objection being
that they were "taken•out of that rubbishing
catechism," but this, of course, was overruled. He
(the Archdeacon) would deprecate the introduction
of • school board into any parish unless absolutely
necessary, but it was their duty, a school board
once established, to stimulate the religious action of
the board to the utmost of their power. It should
always be remembered that the voluntary schools
had made an enormous outlay of money; therefore, if
only on the low gnamtl of financial consideration, the
managers of such scho ds ought to be liberally
supported in their endeavours to maintain the
efficiency of their schools. In speaking of the expenses
attached to hoard schools the Archtleaeon referred by
way id illustration to Lytcbett tiatravers, Fifehead
Magdalen, and Chickerell, there being in the teat-
named place • witool rate of 2s. 2,1. in the latund.
The great increase in voluntary contributions during
the year ending in August last a. a muck of the value
of the voluntary Neste u could hardly. be over-
estimated by Churchmen, especially these who were
inclined to despond .tn account of difficultie, in the
way. As a Church they were entaustat with such
vast amount of school work that great and varied
responsibility regal upon them, and the utmost
endeavours ought to he 1144101 to bring their schools up
to the standards required by the existing laws, and
give the young under their care that sound religions
Instruction which was the only foundation of true
knowledge and understanding. Dorchester presented I
3 fine example of what could be done under the
present e lucational Arran:en:pints. All the sch.ols in '
the several parishes were under one arrangement com-
mittee, entirely independent of and in harmony with
the local authority of the borough. The attendance
was good, the cost of education per chili was small,
and the teaching was very satisfactory, whilst the
religious instruction and training were !sound. lien,
he might notice that the attendance hal considerably
increased since the introducti .n of liy-laws. The
.krchtlea, at then spoke in favour of the National
for the relief 4,f voluntary church schwd.,
called apecial attention to the (lurch of England
Relief Fowl for the di sone of Salisbury, formed for
the purpose of placing schools on a more efficient tot-
ing, allowing temporary loans, kte, the society being
altogether thoroughly deserving the support of
churchmen. The Yen. Archtlesotn then repeated the
views of Mr. Tregarthen, IL M. Inspector 41 Schools,
on the subject of penny banks, and observed that he
should like to see a penny bank connected with each
school as a necesaary part of its myanisation. He
then briefly referred to the Ti:he Rent Charge, Queen
Anne's Bounty, and LW Dilapidation' Act. He
objected to the Fire Insurance Bill as creating
monopoly, and because it waa based on the necessities
of the Dilapidation@ Act. With regard to the law of
burial, he had no reason to change his opinion, since
he delivered his lart charge, and he thought Mews.
Monde and Forsyth's Bill would provide • partial
solution of the difficulty.