The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-07 00:00:00

MR. W. E. FORSTER, M.P., ON THE

EDUCATION QUESTION.

On 'Monday, the new Mechanics' Institute, at Brad-
ford, was opened by the Eight Hon. W. i Forster,
and in the course o his speedi the hon. gentleman Najd
that:—

When he first came to Bradford the friends of mechanics'
institutes all over the country were beginniag to find out
that it was impossible to early out the oinjects tiny were in-
tended to do, except in rare ealfefl, because the mechanics
had no elementary editenthill upon which to mattol
scientific knowledge, and consequently the institutes had to
be turned very much int,, elementary sehools and night
classes rather than for the teaching of science and the
higher literatnre they had hoped to give. But now they
wonldi be able to secure the elementary education of chil-
dren otherwise, mid consequently these institutions would
have that foundation which would enable them to fahll the
orignml object of their ioocooters. That put them io
Inert, ctly dithrebt position. But now it was said that firer
would Inc no need for such institutes, as they would have
boah better elementary and better secondary schools. Be
was glad to see that in Bradford they lout answered so
strongly itt favour of increased need of those institutes.
They wanted voluntary efforts to, watch the State, and take
care men in his posuion awl the Government generally, in
all things relating to these matters—affecting as they did
the social relation of the people -- should do thodr duty
and Oct excet d their duty. They also wanted vo-
luntary effort to throw light awl zeal into local action, which
could only be obtained by local effort, and tor which they
could not rely upon State direction. then, also, all the
efforts of the State, however great. required to lie supple-
mented ; and in fact it WAS necessary they should have all
classes taking an interest in the matter to see that those
efforts were made, and to site that everything that was done
was made the best possible use If, There was no rest for
them in fighting the enemy—ignorance ; and if they would
allow him he would point oad two or three principal oncn.
lions in which it seemed to him those o,f theta who cared
about the real education of the country, and wished to
diminish the ignorance, could bestir themsc lees to advan-
tage.

Ile was nid now talking so much about the passing, f laws
as the workin.; out of 11111 U. As they knew, they had
genenil ine,iire which lie trusted would cite provision for
lentent,ry docat ion throughout the country. They had
alAo
.pro,ided for 4.,111:111, t,ltleiiti,on through the old
,rammar soh. ds. lie was glad its •ti it reached Itrad-
f,r.l, and lie trii-1,,1 their lid •,•:11111i1;11. 11,01 VII 1141
Fe (1331,1 aul put into ~,11 a rin 1, r tii.. tutor,. that it
would pn,ve a benefit t I the tow li:.11
froni the niaminar school to a hi_her edin Abu. mid now
the I uil••rsitik s ti could i) were Lall 1.1 Tite
had attempted :it 1, :nt t u.eet the A.l
the ease. lie tioaig!.t he might make this dem:aid—that 3
fair trtal be giv nto the Act. no it Tit 1111
hc rt,.•tit.:lntiS 11.. t 11 t,. Act
vOtt!) work. d. At the ~ine tin,. lie tim,t, .1 he wou:.l I,•d
la unprepared to Intel Ulld Coll-idcl.lll,ll fail ly any aim, 1-
ineid It volzht lie su,_;ested. hut w hat lie wttr, if
Oddly to test their auciiti ri tor a vtry 'tort time was the
work they cculd do throughout the c-uht ry now that they
1.1 got flu, 1111, 111,ed. As ilay knew , the
110110. of the endowed felimo, were /,, roots
endownient thioughout the country. and 1.111t4 al.!
it wat.ted, and c.u:sidei Mg how that iuna.ove-
latent co 1,1 be met. Well, they 11.1 got ,heines put
before them, of which the local authoriti, a approved,
and they b,ni been devised with all the sillily they could
bring ti. !war niat ter. Secondary edii,tion was to
Ito somewhat k hanged for hitherto it had not met the real
wants of the country. The old el main ,ar .ehools is ere Ito ined
•-tii t,re'y upon advan, t;:at hltio ri,l i;ri v :1
flitch: Hite to the boys. They none found that they e• n nut
stlnl, tae.sinall amount of kn. nledge 11.11 gn. It It)
1•31 t 1,v.• :1 I, ow :•.dtr., of
111..1t1111 lapanagcs. Ile Is.l!,.‘ed tla time 0..1,1d conic ',O. in
no child Nould I.e Vali, .Sit in the ion e.h...11 he
IlaS sot-it to say li.• was nolo,' out from school. Mit
that they each It otti.l haNe ill ide a tin rough mastery of
the Fr licit and German languages. T.. it NM Rho.
nary tlny should know something of the rudiments of
(11011012 of Isis OWII
1;1 I .I.:• I. 303111 have well mu 11 strtmet Ilene,' by
'. • 101ation as tinier •4 the >ming men
L • . There was ie:r. ..;.0 large ad cant:..,
—that . death _ ;
with fn. t • w . 1,0 1.!
enabled haiti t .tiol t!, t
the (A. • NM it !• • Ll:t... •
110 10 teaclicts of I ! Will '• . :
aceount if the 1nc..., ~1 the 1... then,.
still More no because t*,:. Kea-it h,n, understood th
two tubjects of teaching very well, awl did Lot so WLIII
understand the new ones, and then lie inherited the
111 l of cupt uries in enabling that kind 11 k delesitte to be
given with that kt,,t of weight anti care which 133113 it good
learning. However. that was a 11011:J011:y %Ilk!! 1,31311.1
correct itself everyday, by the demand for scientific teaching.,
and for the teaching of uluilerti languages. Not that they
wouhl ever get rid of Latin or Greek. These would alwa2.s
remain the ornaments if education, which i.dislie.l scholais
felt coul,l not be. and Latin especially- dispensed viii!,.
But when nien said that it was impossible to have this kind
of education without a knowledge of I,tin or I;reek, kin
reply was, 11010 Ilitt the old Itontans anti Greeks make thelr
languages, winch had been the glory of the world ever
they liva.l, when they had 1111 110111 languages by which their
brains null he trained I

Well, there was one Imint In regard to secondary education,
on whieh he would say one a,rrd. 'there was no doubt that
so far as elementary rwhools were 000ceutnvnt,olle great rlitll.
rutty aith which they had to eontend was the very short
time which children went to school. hut he thought the same
difficulty extended in the oppoidte way, and applied to the
hiallest education. It used to Inc the rule that a young nem
Could take his degree at the I niverSity and enter on active life
or be aork Mg at a profession by the lilac he was of age-21.
It was lei,/ Very often nearer 23 before he could take Iris
degree, and he wanted to ask those connected with the
Universities to take this statenrmit for what It would
he worth when he said that Inc fully believed If they meant
the Universities to keep their pr.sition—not merely as a
school for the training of rub...10,i, hut as the highest school;
is Ilich wore sending out young nom to fight the battle if
into they omit Ire prepared to begin that battle when they
began their manhomi, that was when they became 21. A
large proportion of people could not afford to keep their
children liiliger thall that age, and they would ids° nnil that
whatever might Isr. the C,lvantar,s of a l'iliVersity education
there was lii advantage whleh the teaching of the work id
life nave, and the young man who kit the riiivertities tit
nearly :23 would not he so well fitted for business with even
the mere learning %hid] the Universities could give him, as
Li. young man who hail gone into the business irf life at 21,
iC aboat that time, Iref.ire his tastes had palled, ...I bp,
having tho prnetical teaching of the work of life and the
Pomona which failure in that work tanght him.
There was another question in which there was moth work
tnt elo. The Endowed School I )iannismionerm had held, he
thought rightly, that where free education was to be given
it should Inc given to boys and girls selected IT merit, and
not given by favour or patronage : led, as the general
principle, they hail inlet with much opposition, lie
felt very strongly on this ror,stiibn, ruralise ire Isdieved that
on the suntrort which lie trusted would Inc given
by the country generally to the Goverment and Commis-
sioners in carrying imt those principles depended the
success of their effort whieh Inc had on deeply at heart,
mid it Wins (1118—(111t( they Moeda really l•pell 11 career to
the clever lei), and youths of all titrolighialt the
e.niutry. Loud appl inse 'line Lista oi of Ex..i,r, when they
were talking the nether over in the cononission, wive
them his experienee—aml Inc leis liml had a gri,tter
rienee than the Igmliop that three ill every Linsi weal be
the iiiegioinoi of those wino loy their natural faculty allll hg
(I:Cir (RAC -for both Olin it lie taken into account—wet...,
titled for a higher eiliteatisti than tied whiu In they other
wise would have had; and were, 111 fact, horn with the
power to use the (ools, if they gave them the
knowledge 113 (i. 111. W (.1 USC that power, lie was sur-
prised when lie heard these numbina were an small, but
lo: dil ra d. imow that Inc I.IIS surprimor 111JW, Wlltql Inc site
t:::. of ,o .l.rl life, ni.,l saw them as they w, run
illustratoit sroorid him. Became it was not only that
the is.) 11 011,11( (0 1111Ve SI eeial faculties, hut they
ought to 1111,C 11 it 1,01.0 fir teaming, and the desire
to make use of tie Se faculties in the ihirection of
sehohtstie teaching. There was many is em-or lay with
energy awl power, who would rise in liwiliess nod Make mm
fortune, ts ho was not the boy they would him k tint to send
Irons Illolllll,llar SCIIOI/I (11 It University by an exhibition, and
win, otherwise would not hat e been alde to go there. But
what they rilri ileum ni aas this—and lie should led be satis-
fied until they had It that the country should Imre the
opportunity of olitainieg the survhes of all those y.mtlis who
mini this special quality of gaining the ailvatittige of a higher
Scholastic education than that to isintomn they wire born.
but he nail they never emit.' get that from these free
esititritions. This free teaching being given to those ebillll,ll
Slllll were alio ',amble friends of the IllallWlrs of a school,
they could only go, it by some selectiMlS ot 1114 rit.

_
Be had gone into the adores with rermni to the educational
position of Bradford, and he was glad tr find that although
they had a deficiency in elementary education, which was not
a deficiency equal to what was found in a great many towns,
Wang the prcsent population, there u-ere somewhere about
9... CA 1.44 a the elementary schools. Well, taking the Bishop
of Exeter's ettinvite of the number who were specially fitted
for the higher tee‘Lii!e, that would give 27 boys to whom
it wombl be an unkind...et as well as an unkindness
to the State not to give them tiar opportunity of exer-
cising the talents God had given them. Consequently
L' thought the grammar schools should be so mem;ged
that ,27 boys In those exhibitions should always he pre-
sent In Moo. That would imply that the public elementary
seined. in Ismorosd would pete for five exhibitions in
every year. Ile thoniti.l. that this was only a matter that
requtred to be stated in Brant d to be speedily met. (Ap-
plause., Ile could 410 a little filmset!, end he knew that
many others would IN' glad to jOill hint Ile should be glad
if they scull arrange the details in the management of the
new lir:11111M1, )I^llool, to become responsible for two boys in
the elementary classes yt the Grammar School yearly. (Ap-
plause,) lie would prefer, in order that the experiment
should br, fairly and fully tried, that one should Ile admitted
to the turd, branch of the school, and the other to the senior
branch, and that it should apply to the public elementary
schools throughout the town.

••
Sune fault, bad been found with the code It had been his
business to introduce lately, that It seemed to rest entirely
upon those tkreo necessary rudiments of reading, writing,

and ciphering ; batiks only reply tatliat was that he thought
those who objected were not aware of the ignorance hi the :
country with which he had to deal lie was hopeful that
before very long, lii the comparatively short thus that the
child of a 1111101111litt tsi,ui WaS able to attend school, some-
thing more than the rudiments would be taught, and that
the facts of geography, the fa,ts if the history of 4tar OWII
country. :nut smile of the hxts of nattier, flit (.RllOllllOll id
a indent itic b aching., sot-ill b iss,l.ort,-.l to 11e:11. iSst they
mast not go on too fast lii this matter ; they must slit
attempt to teach these higher branches of education before
the vhddiren had attained that knowledge of the were
chmients of reading. writing and arithmetic, without
which it would be perfectly use has to attempt to teach them
more.
After referrieg to the special difficulties attending legisla-
thm on the sulqect of compals4my attendance at school, Mr.
F44rster said they were constantly hearing if a smcial claim
for educational effort, and that el-tint was based upon the
legislative measures which bad lieu lately passed giving
power to almost all dasses of the community—giving power
to every head of a faintly in town. it was said how danger.
tilts Nolll4l Ito the us., of that pober 11111eSt those atm
had it were taught and educated. Well, tie-re was much
troth hi that lie Was Ono of thom who never would listen
to the,, y which was frequently heard. not ti give that
power till they had given that teaeliing ; 61141 that Sir
two reasons. First, he doubted very much a bother they
should get the teaching if they elbl not at once give the
lassie: and, SeColidly, because that teaching at schools was,
after all, not all the teaching in life: there was much teach-
ing in the daily life of every Englishman which tilted toni
for tine exercise of the rights of citizenship, quite in&
pendent of the knowledge he obtained at school. lie also
felt that no greater or 11144 re imwerful !stimulus e, add be gibes
to the cause of education than the fact that the power
vi mild be is the hands ef the voters when the voters existed,
and he Is is glad to 111141 that it v. aa so. They lonst not
sappoSe, ilowsVer, that cdueation Mime would be sufficient
Pi remove all fear if ma kind. Many Inca were looking
with anxiety, with greater anxiety than he felt, upon the
prospect of polities for the next feW years. It WaS feared
that in Englund they might follow the example of
their neighbours on the Continent, that something like
the convulsions which were so lamented there might
: happen in this country. lie hail not that fear. They
had avoided these emivulsions hitherto, and he believed
they had that virtue asnuttig theta which, spite of all
: their great faults, would. with Cod's blessing, enable
, them to avoid them in the future. (Applause. No &atilt,
LS was always the case when power calike to a new
. some claims were started whit-ti a err inconsistent with the
truth, inconsistent with justice to either class, inconsistent
with the interests lif th ltC Who advocate them. lint he hiot
Confidence in that 1-4011111.411 fienSe of the Erigidi people which
, would enable them to resist those idatins where they should
he resisted (hear, hear), and still monis to take away reason-
We forms if them by making provisions which ought to be
made. Education gave streugth to the individual, strength to
resist Otlicll4, and thereby remove a great Comae of crime
and misery, because it made it less easy to oppress and
injure the individual who had the power of knowledge. It
dalre Ahlo to some extent better taste. and rerlllll,l a Mali
from gross tmoptation. But it did Tod give—it never would
give in itself—power 5., resist temptation Irmo within. Man
did not obtain self control, did 1.4 °Main looser to exercise
self-denial by school learning, or any kind of mint:Mimi, and
therefore they should not suppose that all wan dime by good
schmds even when they got them. They were as well aware
if that untie was. Although there was a difference as to the
extent to which religion and edlicalion 14114411141 he united, he
believe4l there yeas not au Individual present who did tout
agree with him, that the principle upon which they must
rest in their hope for the futur, .4 the country, and for these
vestions being solved alt bout danger to the inhabitants of
this emintry, 'Cam not tuitication, but upon the belief that
high priuciple and Christian feeling would continue to be
characteristie of Englishmen. . .

There was another aspect in which they might bode
upon Institutes such as this. They hail great faults in
England, and when he went abroad he found every lay
how he had to compare his reentry disadvantageously
with niany countries. hut, without making contraltia ns, he
thought that in England they had 4ire 111 Id It Oils
this—that it was a settled 10 ineiple every town,
ee,•ty locality, that tho must leak out to loov th,y
help their fellow MC. tApplanze.y Ile felt, there would be
no class war in England while each class was trying to help
another. Thete would be no real danger to IFroperty, nor
that danger to society which Ott attack upon property began
with, because, after all, there was an :Mon pt to perform the
duties of property. There was a feeling that there were
duties incumbent upon property, and that its rights could
only bie preserved as rights if the duties which these rights
enable them to exer,,se were performed.