The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-14 00:00:00

Socal anb jitrictPius.

THE SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE EDUCA
TIONAL ASSOCIATION.

PROPOSED NEW SCHEME FOR ADULT
EDUCATION.

An influential meeting, convened by circular,
was held at the Mechanical Institute, in this
tem u,oii Friday evening the oth instant, to
consider the best saathoi of establishing and
conducting evening classes in connection with
the various inssitutions of the town and neigh.
bourhood, a sum of money having been voted
out of the profits of the Wolverhampton Exhi-
bition to assist in supporting such classes.
Amongst those present were the Heyde. H.
Sherrard, A. G. Girdlestone, J. S. Bolder°, .1.
Richards, and D. Maginnis ; Capt. .T. Walker,
and Messrs. R. L. Freer, J.P., J. Shepherd, E.
B. Marten, Thorne, A. Freer, C. Evers, .1.
Taylor, O. Perry, &c.
Mr. F. Talbot, Secretary of the South Staf-
fordshire Education ARsociation, attended to
explain the proposed new scheme.
The Rev. D. Maginuis was voted to the chair.
_

Mr. F. Talbot said the subject upon which he
was about to address them was the opening of
evening classes for young men. The association
which he had the honour to represent had been
labouring for some years for the furtherance of
better education for young men, by trying to lay
hold of the various Mechanics Institutes. But
it was discovered a few years ago that those in-
stitutes for the most part consisted generally of
people in business with staid habits and advanced
in years, and they found out that very often
they objected to the introduction of means for
the instruction of young people. After many
efforts it had
.been fund almost useless to look
for success in that dhection. The association
then ade Sum,: efforts to lay hold of the Young
Men's Associations which were connected with
the various churches and chapels in the district.
Ihe members of those associations held meet-
lugs, at which discussions, readings, St.c., took
place, the subjects most, if not all, being religi-
ous or social. It was proposed by the South
Staffordshire Association to unite in some dis-
tricts those Young Mon's Associations for the
pose of establishing evening Classes, on a good
firm basis. Anybody who had been present at
the meetings of the Young Men's Associations
must know that there was apparently a very
great want of knowledge of English history. If
the officers and others connected with the Young
Men's Associations would take up the matter of
establishing evening classes, the South Stafford-
shire Association would do what they could to
assist them. Attempts were made at Walsali
some few years ago, by the various associations
in the town, for the purpose of obtaining some
first-clams lecturers, but after about three years
it partially failed, for they now found that aloes
of .£25 had been incurred. The interest in the
matter, however, had not become diminished, for
a movement was now on foot towards meeting
that deficiency. The South Staffordshire Asso-
ciation have some money in hand, which, it was
thought, would be sufficient to try the-establish-
ment of evening classes. In Birmingham the
people hail the Midland Institute, which had
done a great deal of good by means of evening
classes. Perhaps the best classes of the kind
he knew were in connection with the King's
College, London, where subjects were taught by
most eminent men, and the results were highl:,
successful. Similar classes were exceedingly
successful in connection with Glasgow Univer-
sity. He 01r. Talbot) did not know that there
was a single class in the neighbourhood where
young men could obtain a solid foundation for
the study of Latin, Greek, or any brancti of
mathematics or literature. fie had made inqui-
ries, and found nothing of the kind in Wolver-
hampton or Walsall. That was a most unsatis-
factory state of things. The South Stafford-
shire Association would meet on the 23rd of the
present month to discuss a scheme whereby cer-
tain towns—amongst them Wolverhampton.
Walsall, Dudley, and Stourbridge—could be
assisted in establishing evening classes. The
draft of the sell( me had been prepared by Lord
ittelton, the president, by which it was pro-
posed to assist lilt, I:Manatee/0 of the various
assoeistieus in establishing classes. There
ould not be any need for the formation if
classes for elementary subjects, because the Go-
v, rdinent took up that portiou of education so
largely. Neither would science classes be re.
quired as the Goverement offer so many advan-
tages for the study of the sciences. The South
Staffordshire Association proposed to establish
()lasses for languages, such as Latin, French,
German, and Greek, and for several branches of
mathematics. A lso for literature, for the Go-
vernment classes ignored altogether history.
'lle kind of cha-ses proposed to be established
were therefore three, hi something like four or
live centres, the four towns he had mentioned
each to form a centre. It was thought that in
each centre the minimum number of persons
attending the classes should be twelve or Mee!,
according to circumstances, but as many more
as could be obtained. The persons who attended
the classes would pay fees in advance for the
course of isimonß, an not weekly like the night
schools, hut for the entire session. The chews
should be held at least eight or nine months in
the year. At King's College, Loudon, they
were held only six months, from October to the
following May. The young men thus enjoy the
vacation during the summer months. The
South Staffordshire Association should have
guaranteed to them a suitable room, with good
venthalion, proper attention as to lighting, and
warinin_;. Scc. Those who attended the classes
would have higher ohjec!s of Attainment presen-
ted iwfore them, such as the matriculation of the
London University. If young men who were
stekl)ing for the law or the Church passed the
matriculation examination it would be a great
help to them. The subjects required for matri-
culation in the London University are Latin or
Greek, French or German, mathematics, history,
chemistry, and natural philosophy. The Society
of Arts scheme was an admirable one, and was
framed by the late Mr. Harry Chester, assisted
by Dr. Booth. The examinations in connection
with the Society of Arts were formerly 30 in
subjects, but they have lately been reduced down
to 19. It was proposed that the young men at-
tending the classes, if established, should have
the advantages of scholarships being offered.
l-le thought that there would be no difficulty in
getting several of the gentlemen in the district
of each centre to subscribe towards the founda-
tion of such sell-do-ships% in reference to the
teachers, he said that would be the main point;
very inie.ll could depend upon having a tho-
roughly competent teacher. He must be a man
fall of knowledge, and apt to teach with some
little patience. With respect to the remunera-
tion, it was thought that each young man should
pay a fee of half-a-guinea for the course of les-
sons he received. The whole of the fees to be
pill to the teachers. The South Staffordshire
Association had about £4OO, which they pro-
posed to distribute in about three or four years,
and to give to each centre of classes from XV;
to £3O per year. It was considered the scheme
would work very much better if classes were
formed in towns where Grammar Schools were
eddblish Lecause there would he a larger
number of young men desirous of av'ailing
themselves of each classes; and the four towns