The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-22 00:00:00

THE PRIMATE ON EDUCATION.

_ The Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on Mon-
Say at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Diocesan
Education Society, at Canterbury, referred to the
subject of religious and secular education. His grace
remarked that the friends of education, who are
sometimes dispirited at the amount of crime and
hi:morality still existing in the country, notwith-
standing all the exertions that have been made during
the last forty years in the cause of education, ate
apt to forget at the same time the vast extension
of the population. He quoted Lord Aberdare
as an authority for saying that, comparing the
increase of the population with the decrease of
Crime, we have every reason to be thankfuL It might
seem, perhaps, a strange thing to say at this time of
day, but, nevertheless, he believed it was perfectly true,
that the whole subject of the beat mode of education
Was still very little understood, that all the efforts which
have been made for the last forty years, more or less,
have been a series of experiments. He was not pre.
Pared to say that the system of School Boards had not
done a great deal of good in the country. He thought
that, among other ways in which it had done an im-
mense deal of good may be reckoned thus, that it had
quickened the energies of the whole nation in the
cause of education—of denominational education—
the result being the giving a very good education to
those who previously either had none or only a very in-
ferior one. He was not one of those who expected
that there would be a repeal of the legislation of
five years ago, but he was one of those who did
expect that in the course of time many of the
faults of the present system would become so pro-
minent that important changes would be made.
Meantime, the duty of Churchmen and the friends
of religious education seemed to him to be very clear
—namely, to hold fast by that which they believed to
be in their hands, working well to make the most
of that system of which they heartily approved,
and to hope that time would correct the faalte of the
other system which could not meet so much with their
approval., He did not know that the Dissenters were
quite satisfied with the results of that system which
they had helped to introduce. He believed that if a
large meeting of Dissenters were called they would he
found confessing that the system had failed. He
believed that mune of them were wavering as to

whether a mistake tad not-beeirmade, and whether
we had not better return somewhat to that beau ideal
of their religious instruction—to the British and
Foreign Schools, where the Bible Is the basis though
they do not profas to enter minutely into the
distirctfon between creed and creed. The question as
to how best to secure to the children of the labouring
man an education which shall include instruction in
highest matters would have to be solved, and, having
a general belief in the common sense of the world and
Its progress towards the solution of difficult questions,
he bad very little doubt that a great deal of the
fallacy of which we now hear about the advantages of
a mere secular education would disappear.