The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-05-22 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

one or two remarks upon • subject upon which I feel
strongly. There is a school growing up—if more pro-
minently represented be one man than other it is by
the present Chancellor of the Exchequer—whose tore
of thought is to calm in knowledge by itss practical
worth ; aud I know it is sometimes said to a boy or
a young man a ho distinguishes himself in mathematics,
in Greek, or in Latin, what will be the use of mathe-
matics, or of Greek, or of Latin to you in after life?
I thought that some such remark as this might be
made to some of my young friends whom I am glad to
see have so distinguished themselves this evening in
what some people regard as impractical subjects. Now
I think it is most important steadily to keep in view the
practical use of knowledge; but what I should venture
to say would be this, that after all the highest and the
greateetaimuf educationistotrain themiud. Youcannot
say that this boy ought to be taught certain things, and
another boy nught to be taught the same things. But
the greatest mistake that is made in education—it has
been made by the universities—is to make every boy
and every young man go through the stereotyped
system based on the assumption that what is good for
some must be goad for aIL (Applause.) Now this is
particularly the fault with regard to the education of
girls. No one values more highly than Ido the great,
the priceless advantage of music—l would give up a
great deal of what I know if I could only play music—
but some people have not the capacity to learn
music. But whether a girl has the capacity of be-
coming a musician or not, either to afford pleasure
to herself or to other people, or to avoid giving them
pain, every young lady is forced to spend hours a
day in learning music, because it is considered an ac-
complishment becoming a young lady. The saws has
been the case with men who have had a learned educa-
tion in the universities. Whenever a young man beetled
the slightest capacity for Greek or Latin Greek and
Latin have been said to be part of a gendeman's edu-
cation, and every one has been made to spend a certain
portion of time upon Greek and Latin. Now it seems
to me that the great end snd aim of the teacher
should be—l speak with submission in the presence
of many who have had far more experience of teaching
than I have—that the great end and aim should be to
discover the mental character and the intellectual
capacity of the boy and the girl, and then to devote
his chief attention to teachinz that boy or girl those
branches of knowledge which will develop the reason-
ing powers of the mind, and give a coinpletenews and
harmony to the mental faculties. (Applause.) Do

-Loony
not ever commit the fatal mistake estimating
knowledge by simply what is said to be its practical
use. I remember the speech which was made by Mr.
Lowe at Edinburgh. It was one of the most dangerous
and mischievous speeches I ever read in my life. Mr.
Lowe is an accomplished man; he is a learned
man ; and when he spoke to an audience of work-
ing men who had not enjoyed the same blessings of
mental cultivation that he had, he ought to have raised
them up to the desire of obtaining mental cultivation
and obtaining more knowledge; but instead of doing
this he tried to sneer at knowledge and throw con-
tempt upon it. He said, 'What is the use of mathe-
matics?" or he said, " How very few there are who
use mathematics in after life." He said, "What is
the use of Greek anti Latin? How very few people in
after life will be required to translate Greek or Latin,
or read Greek and Latin prose." That is perfectly
true ; but then, he ought to have mentioned this
further fact—that to some minds I believe there is
no branch of knowledge that acts one quarter so elfec.
tively in training the mental faculty as mathematics,
and Greek and Latin. (Applause.) Then, again,
although they have no practical use—perhaps you can-
not turn them to pounds, shillings, and pence—they
have this practical advantage, that they give you an
amount of pleasure and happiness in after life that no
amount of wealth can possibly secure. How can you
place a pecuniary estimate upon that knowledge,
which is derived from mathematics, which will enable
you to contemplate some of the hidden mysteries
and marvels 01 the heavenly bodies? How can you
place a pecuniary price upon having your mind culti.
vatted to such an extent as to enable you to comprehend
the exquisite beauty of those laws by which the mo.
tion of every star and of every planet is governed?
How can you set a monetary value upon that know-
ledge of a language which will bring you into contact
with the life of tone of the most remarkable civiliza-
tions that ever existed in the woo hi, anti bring you into
intellectual harmony and unison with the thoughts
and words of some of the greatest writers, poets, and
orators who ever thought or spoke? No; all know-
ledge has a practical value, depend upon it my youtog
friends. You may think, when you are young, that it
you learn mathematics, or Greek, or Latin, or some
other branch of knowledge, and if you are beought up
to some trade, you will not be able to use that par-
ticular knowledge. That may be so; yo .1 may not be
able to apply it directly. But whatever may be your
future walk in life, youcannot occupy—l will defy any
men or woman to occupy—a position in which a well-
trained mind and a development of the reasoning powers
are not of the utmost possible advantage to them. (Ap-
plause.) Again, I would say when you are going through
thedrudgery of learning the rudimentsof some branchof
knowledge, you may think you shall never be ade-
quately repaid ft your trouble ; but however great a
titan's wealth may be in after life, however deeply he
may have drunk of all worldly enjoyments, if he is an
honest man he will tell you that the greatest pleasure
which he has ever enjoyed is the pleasure which he has
derived from intellectual cultivation. Therefore, do
not be misled by this cry, that learning ought to be
sought after for its practical value. No ; you who,
have distinguished ymoselves now in various abstract
sciences, such as mathemstics, Greek, Latin, and
other things, go on if you find those branches of study
suited to you. They will make you, if you cultivate
them, more fitted to fulfil yrour duty in life. They
will bring you an amount of pleasure which it is im-
possible now adequately to estimate; and you will find,
year after year as s ou live, that one of the greatest
truths to keep steadily in slew is this—that knowledge
ought to be loved for knowledge's sake. (Applause.)

ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE
AT GATESHEAD.
On Saturday great excitement was occasioned at
Gateshead, near Newcastle, by the rejeirt if an at-
tempted murder and Nuicide. Margaret Tweedy, wife
of James Tweedy, a dairyman, living in Gateshead,
was confined about six weeks ago. About three weeks
ago she tell into a low and delionding state of mind,
and a yemng woman was engaged to atti nil upon her.
The unfortunate woman had formed a design to kill
her e‘dest child, a little girl about four years old. and
about noon Mrs. Tweedy, who was in bed, told the
young woman to go up stairs and tell a neighbour,
Mrs. White, to come and see her. She unthinkingly
left the room to do 80. When she returned she saw
her mistress coming sway from a drawer which she
had taken something from. The eldest girl was near
the door, and the mother, springing at her, seized her by
the hair, threw her down, and commenced to saw away at
her throat with a large carving-knife. Fortunately the
child turned round and fell upon its face, so that the
wounds inflicted were only in the muscular portion of
the neck.
The young woman, Fenwick, with great courage, at
once closed with the insane woman, and pulled her
away from the child. A struggle for the possession of
the knife ensued, and Mrs. 'tweedy turned upon the
young woman with it, and cut her severely on the
hands and wrists. Fenwiek then ran out and alarmed
the neighbours, several of whom rushed into the house
and succeeded in taking the carving-knife from Mrs.
Tweedy. While the young woman was out, Mrs.
tweedy had attempted to cut her own throat, but was
prevented accomplishing her purpose through the
timely arrival of the neighbours. She is herself badly
injured, and the little girl is seriously so.

on Saturday night these two set off for the
locality where the poachers were expected to be
met with, and, at four o'clock on Sunday morning,
they surprised two men in a field in East Raveadale.
The poachers took to their heels, followed by the
watchers; the gardener kept up pretty closely with the
fugitives, and could have overtaken them at any
moment, but the keeper was outrun, and Goldy
thought it prudent not to attack the poachers single-
handed. After a chase of two miles into the parish
of Wold Newton, and when the whole party were
out of the view of Marshall, the poachers turned
upon Goldy, and a conflict took place, which
was beard by the keeper, who also beard "a ,
bang," and the exclamation, "Oh, Marshall, come on."
Goldy then ran back, the pos,chersatill following up the
attack. By this time the -keeper came in view, and he
saw one of the men rush at Goldy, place his gun against
his head, and discharge his weapon. Poor Goldy fell
dead, and the poachers escaped from the scene. The
body was removed to the premises of Mr. Wright,
farmer, of Wold Newton, having a gunshot wound in
the chest as well as through the head. The county
constabulary, assisted by the farmers and others in
the neighbourhood, were quickly in search of the
murderers, and two young men, brothers, were arrested
on suspicion.
An inquest has been held, when the Jury, by the
advice of the Coroner, returned an open verdict of
"Wilful Murder against sone person or persons un-
known," thus leaving the matter in the hands of the
magistrates.

At the County Police-office, Grimsby, on Tuesday,
Robert Traves, aged forty-five, was charged with the
wilful murder of Gohiy. After the information had been
read over, and the prisoner cautioned against making any
statement, he said, "It wasn't me; it wasn't Inc that did
it" He was then remanded for a week. The justices
subsequently adjourned tothe Town-hall, where Charles
Tray., aged twenty.eight, wm confined in custody.
He was made to put on the 310thes (except the coat,
which cannot be found) which he was supplwed to have
worn on the morning of the murder, and then brought
before the justices, in the presence of Marshall, the
gamekeeper. Being formally charged with the wilful
murder of Enoch Goldy, he replied, "I know nothing
at all about it." He also was remanded for a week.
Tte prisoners are brothers, of Ashby-cum-Fenby, and
were employed on the farm of Mr. Bingham, Raven-
dale. The gun has not been found.