The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-16 00:00:00

THE LORD CHANCELLOR ON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.

On the lot of July last year the Pi ince of Wale.
accompanied Joy the Princess, laid the foundation
stone of the new buildings in Whiell Was to Is carried
on the work of Ow ancient grammar 24e110,1 of lttalitit
and on Monday the school was pens.! on it new site
by the I A;ril 4lancellor, in the presence of a 111111WroollS
gathering if subscribers and others interested in the
Welfare id this old b

Tile ceremony was of the simplest kind. Soon after
nisu the Lord Chancellor arrived, with Lady I lather-
ley, and was received by the Mayor and Cortsiratbm
in their robes, with the trustees of the school, the bead
ma-der, the Rev. I )r. Stokoe, late heal master of Rich-
mond Selmol, Tiorkshire, and the assistant masters. Ills
lordship, havingbeen conducted through thelwildiu,- re-
turned with the -ch oil authorities to the eloistens, 'is lore
seats had l'een arrangisl forthe visitors. II iTethe Ma
in whose two years. if office the seh's dhas been begun and
made ready for sehool work, gave a brief awl interesting
history of the foundation, whirls is nearly b or centuries
oil ; the additions made to its originally small endow-
ment by successive benefactors from Henry VII. down-
wants, including Arehbishiir Laud. Sir Thomas White,
and Illagrave ; the reputation achieved by the school
under Dr. Valpy and the famous seholars whom he
sent forth, as Baron Ballets and Mr. Justice Talfouni ;
awl its sulx.equent decay, until, when official inquiry
woo made, it turned out that the SC/1001 c.u1,l boast of
only two pupil, of whom one had run away and the
other could not be produced. In Dr. Stokoe they now
had a head master enjoying the full confidence of the
trustees, and it was their hope that he might raise the
ethel ti a future equalling that enjoyed by it in its
moot palmy days.
The Lord Chancellor nail that -

Looking at the Mum laid by the Prince of Wales, and a
this well-designed, well-exeented, awl elegant building, it
might be supposed that the great work so happily Mango-
nited was now completed. But they were really now at the
la:aim:log of the work ; the material (Mole was there ; they
had now to call forth the living soul. He had at all times
taken a lively interest in edueation, but attributed hi, ap-
pearance there to their desire to have AlllOl/g thrum on this
01,11Sh111 lake of the members of a Government Which, what-
ever its shortcomings, had certainly not been remiss in the
work of education, as was shown by what it hail done for
the Lniversities, the public schmds, tt-e Cll,lllWed schools,
and the schools of the whole nation daring the last root the
privies Sessionsof Parliament. The history of this school
wax an interesting one. Beery V I 1., its founder, was a
lowland, of singular sagacity and learning. who took a deep
interest in all things relating to science and navigation, and
WWI, by retailling the services of Sebastian Cabols had nearly
gained for this country the honour of the first discovery of
Ainetha. It Was to henry V 11. else that we were in a great
degree indebted for the Raleigh:, and the Drakes of a
guests:ding reign. The early history of the sehool
was not c.ouplete without mention of Inagreve, and his re-
marimble treatise on ustronomical instruments awl loathe-
nuitical science ; and it was gratifying to remember that,
min mg his collateral descendants, Was one of the donors to
the new sehool, now present. Reading could not boast of
the rich endowments bodoweel in Eton, which basked in the
smlliies Of Royalty. Init it WAS Polllethillg to have simile ill
mush of the underlain at their dims 'sal. fir. Valpy, In the
distinguished scholars be sent forth, had Oren the school a
high reputation. Ile (the Lord bawdier hail the h stud-
nest or knowing both Baron Bollem than WllOlll there
was no riper seholar, and Mr. Just ice Tal fon rd, WllO 11110 Well
that a polished taste, the pursuit of poetry, as well as a
mastery of classical literature, is e mpat Dile with talents
for 1,11x1i1:0,1,1. which enabled hint Ii distiogeish himself aa
the representative of Readths in Parliament, and also to
distinguish himself in what lie might presume to (All the
still higher sphere of the jodisial bench, outer distin-
guished scholars were sent forth by In. Valpy, inen well
educated, industrious, entity:mumble, who math. themselves
useful as magistrates anti Fut an esernent example to all lip
whom thee were known. It was the merit of a 'public whoid
that it COlll.l 110111 t to sueh examples, awl therefore the Mayor
hail rightly claimed the antiquity of this foundation as a con-
siderable advantage. In fact, It was association with the
past %Odell made a public school. The present Bishop of
Salisbury had observed that if pith looked shut fir the den.
nition of 0 palls school you had some diflicalty in fastening
upon the peculiar characteristics which made it such, and, I e
added. iti his judgment it was continuity—existenee in tie
past and probability existence in the future—which ellieny
Went to make a public school." Such an institution sm-
duccd a sort of corirorate feeling ; allied with the 1,1-1, it
looked forward to the future ; and the sets:tars of each gene-
ration were apt to sly -" Let tin ant disgrace the found:,
lb ,11 tql wideli we bele!, We Oahu parentage with the
ripe scholars, 0i: statesmen. awl the great men who pri erlit,i
us here and we most keep up the character of the school."
such A feeling made boys anxious to transmit the trasi.
tions of the school to these who followed them : awl no a
public sentiment was created distinet from any existing in a
private school, which could look forward to only a lohd
:titration. ill the case of Readingje hoped the boys who
were 110 W to be received there would also be stimulated by
the example of their predecessors, and would In their turn
5.4 RA exmnple of conduct and industry to those who came
after them. The Mayor had inentloned that Henry VII.
turned to account for the purposen of this school an obsolete
foundation ; and, more lately, Sir J. Kendrick's charity, for
lending sums of money to persons who list proved unfms
Innate in business, had been diverted in the sante way.
Mich a form of charity was 114comeived, and had been found
to be 50111 other parts of the kingdom. It was of great in,
podium° that, when a eharltYWulofelllelolOeticte, there should
be no attempt to carry it 011 furtherhi the direetion In which
It hail failed. Men, -however wise in their day, had not the
power of seeing what was best four or live centuries after they
lived ;and si long as you adhered substantially to their Jaen-
tionsand devotedthe fundsto some useful purpose in the towns
in which they are interested, no one could complain of a
well-considered diversion. Kendrick desired to benefit
Reoiag, and Reading was now' benentted far more by means
of this school than it could have tern through his original
devise. As to particular schemes of education, like the
Pestalozzian, the Bell, and other systems, he (the Lord Chan-
cellor) had no faith in them. lint he had the greatest faith
in a good master and, haring selected a good man, the
. best thing that could be done 5100 to leave him alone. The
moment you began to meddle with Min mischief would come
of it. The result wax the same In a larger sphere. Govern-
ments had sometimes attempted to interfere with a
; Wellington or a Nels,n, but had found it butter to leave
him slobs. Stskoe had bed a large share ia
resuscitating a school at Richmond. anti he hear-1 hole an
excellent authority, Sir Ronndell Palmer, that In.
Stokoe was a ripe scholar, to whom belonged the
credit if reviving the reputation of that foundation. 'laving
advised the trustees not to meddle with the head master, to
whom they had given their confidence, he should not act the

-
example of Interfering with him, but there Were one or two
points to which he would refer. However good a scholar
a man might be, and however great his powers of Imparting
information, he nii,:ht got be a had wester. It Wa.3 his lot
to haw kslown such a man, oleo admirably caleulated to
hriog a bey on, but having this great fault —that ha never
believed what a boy said. He felt sure that a different plan
woold be tried here—the plan which Dr. Arnold adopted,
of always believing a bey. At Rugby the boys used to
say-- It Is a shame to tell Arnold a lie because lie always
believes you :" and that was no doubt the best method
of training up la,y a to be hononrable and truthful. A
lino of edne:illon hal been chalked out by the governors
here ui meet whit they deemed, the wants of the district.
There vi. a loner ached, In ohnli would be well
guanole.l in French, Latin, and, air -se till iii the hit,iaiuie
aml langnage of their own countly and wiom thiiy were
ripe enionzh to migrate, there v. mild boa system nt•• I
ration :- tea paths would be taken, one by youths In- !
tended for professions or the Universities, who would take !
to Greek and lath, verse comp:will. ; while those in the
modern school would be taught German and natitral
aelence. Such a plan Scented to open It career to all,
for everybody must have known boys who never could '
make anything of languages, yet who had s great turn for
natural science, lie could not, hoWeVer, joia these per-
sons, emineut as they were, who deprecate' altogether in- !
struction in Greek and Latin, especially is, Greek and lath
coninosition. The mistake woo to gimp.° that suoh corn-
sition Wino given for the Fake if enabling toys Pi leant
how to make Greek and laths verses : and on this aananp-
thm people asked, " What purpose in life cart ouch en acquire-
ment serve?' Put you would lever know a language tho-
roughly, whether it was on ancient •r a modern language,
until you could write it and compose in it, because then you
mud think in it. That was the advantage of it reek and Latin
composition mitt in beaming French the same rule applied.
Another advantage wee gained by such composition; a boy
learnt to read with facility the great works of antiquity—
such poetry as that of tinnier, .E.whylus, Enripides, awl
Smile sdes ouch orations as those of Demosthenes Mot Cicero ;
such phi/os, Thy as that id Aristotle and Plato. It wautli-iw-
fire bile and skipernetai to pay that by slob you Were
learning nothing save the dry elements if Creek mid Latin.
Natural science was of great utility In a ter life but the ob-
ject was at first P. give a Isiy that general Mists if educatbin
which would be applieable to his narrow sphere of Imo
feuional instruction when the time came and the wider the
basis the deeper and mine solid would be Iris professioual
education, which, If he were 1,4 to it too early. might show
a tendency to natiroWllo6ll. this opinion, he did not
like to hear the glicAtion asked, " What a ill he the Use of
this or that piece of harming?" No piece id knowledge wail
The ipielition, of course, was what wag Most likely
to be Woortemi ; bat It a broad lambi were laid, boys
be instructed Intlell snore amply and natisfike-
torily than by any other method. Turniug ranee more to the
e.•hool, lie found that it was not very highly endowed,
tying now only two scholarships and in the future its
endowments would be small, when compared with shuffle
iiistitutions. But it should Ire remembered that lately tie-re
had been opened a career of competition which supplied in i
a great degree the place of scholarships and fellswahips.
The Army wins now open to free cumpetiC , ilk the Army
there might be found what was equivalent to scholarship. I
for boys who toil that turn. Again, endowments far exceed- ,
ing anything at the disposal of our public schools or univer- !
sities were now open in the appointments to the civil ser-
vice of India the value' of one of w hick could probithly
not be estilinkteki at lesti than .4.10.i55... It was a groat
thing for this or any school to have such advaiitage as these
thrown open to it. A word or two as to the selood
lic saw that the buys on toll working days were only to be
employed in scload for 51 hours. Now at Winchester, wie-re
he was educated the boys were 14 hours in scrim I, besides
hich they were expected to learn as notch Greek and Latin
verse as they could, with a view to repeat It before the
Vaeatloll. There was a Wkininizon, 'kilt there were
maco iii which boys 'ranted 0,000 or o,oso lines by heart. It
was true the Winchester boys got up at half-mot live in the
summer and half-past six o'clock in winter. But the system
Was (Mini, a good one. Dr. Anna sent his boys to Winches-
ter chiefly became he approved the system of " standing up:"
and the boys were none the worse for their hard work. Mr.
Lowe, Mr. (lardwell, and himself, all pretty hard workers, were
Winchester beiy3. sir Roundel! Palmer, another hard worker,
was educated there; and when Lord Eversley was Speaker
of the Rousso/ commons, he, the Lord Chancellor ;1.. int 'run-
worth), am! Om Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Howley) were
' all Winchester boys, no few er than thirty of them being then in
' the Weise of i'iminions meter the mild sway of Lord Eversley.
, The Readhig boys would certainly not kill themselves with
5! hours of school work, and they would enjoy every advan-
tage that could be provided in the way of recreation. The
Corporation of Reading hail taken an active interest in the
well-lreing of the whim' they Not been liberally seconded by
the Nullity ; and he could not better concinde than by using
the words if the Prince of Wales last year : -." I sincerely
trust that the good svork for which we are now ass..--
may, under God's blessing, prosper antl accomplish its pur-
pose. It will at least prove to is succeeding generation that
we, on rile part, have striven with all our hearts awl all our
means to ripen the good seed ROtell liy our fathers upwards
of WO years ago."
,Cheers.:

The building having been formally declared open by
the Lord Chancellor, the Mayor on behalf of the
school trustees, handed to the head master the keys of
the whrsd buildings, and in doing so made appropriate
reference to the trust reposed in Dr. Stokoc, by the
goveniors. The head master, in an effective reply,
good loononrelly defended the sy.tem of school lo.um
adopted in the Reading scheme, remarking that they
were the same as those of nowt other public selnsds.
The Bishop of Oxford then offered a prayer and pro.
flounced the benediction.

Nearly 200 vimitors :iveepteil the Mayor's lasipital
invitation to lunch with him hi the spacious hall of the
sele s