The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-19 00:00:00

OPENING OF NEW SCHOOLS AT BLACK-
HEATH.

On Tuesday, the Earl and Countess of Dudley
opened the new schools which have been erected
in connection with St. Paul's Church, at Black-
heath, Rowley Regis. The schools are situate near
to the church. They are built after the modern
Gothic style of architecture, and have been erected
by Messrs. Round and Bagnall, builders, of Old-
bury, from the design and plans of Mr. Isaac C.
Newey, architect, of Easy Row, Birmingham. The
schools comprise a large room, the dimensions of
which are 60 feet by 24 feet; an infant room, 40
Lest by 20; two class rooms, 20 feet by 16; and
there are three separate entrances. The schools
are for the accommodation of 385 children on the
average. The cost of the erection is -81,110; for
the site, .870 ; for the arrangement a the site,
£150; making altogether £1,600. The institution
is the only one, excepting that at Causeway Green,
that will be under Government inspection in that
district. The building has a neat and pretty ap-
pearance, and forms a valuable addition, educa-
tionally and architecturally, to the not very
ornamental ordinary buildings of the place. The
day was regarded as quite a "red letter" day by
the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who turned
out in strong force to welcome the visitors who
were to perform the ceremony of opening the
schools. -The thoroughfare leading to the schools
and church were suitable decorated with flags
(supplied by Messrs. Legg, of Bromgrove-street,
Birmingham) and evergreens, as also was the
interior of the large school, upon the walls of
which there were appropriate mottoes, including
an inscription of "'Welcome to the Earl and
Countess of Dudley."
The proceedings of the day were commenced by
a service in the church, which was conducted by
the Vicar (the Rev. F. Keatch). The Earl and
Countess of Dudley and Lord and Lady Lyttelton
wore present, and occupied seats near to the
choristers. The sermon, a practical and impres-
sive one, was preached by the Rev. Canon Wilkin-
son, of Birmingham. The text was taken from
the 21st chapter of the Gospel according to St.
John, the 15th and following verses. Canon
Wilkinson, in the course of his remarks, alluded
to the fact that the occasion of opening their
splendid schools was the anniversary of the laying
of the foundation stone of the church. He trusted
the schools would prove a source of real blessing
—that they would be the foundation of lasting
good to the young amongst them, and that many
of the young might be trained and nurtured in
the Lord. He warmly asked them to contribute
towards the erection of the schools, as there was a
considerable sum yet to be paid toward.s the cost.
A collection was made at the close, and the sum
of 439 13s was realised in:aid of the building fund.
The church was crowded in every part, and many
were unable to obtain admission.

The service over, the congregation at once pro-
ceeded to the schools, where the ceremony of
opening was at once begun. The Earl and
Countess of Dudley and Lord and Lady Lyttelton
were conducted to the platform at one end of the
room, and they were supported by a fashionable
assembly of ladies and gentlemen. Amongst those
present were the Venerable Archdeacon Hone (of
Hales Owen), the Rev. Canon Wilkinson (Bir-
mingham), the Rev. F. Keatch (Blackheath), the
Rev. C. H. Oldfield (Quinton), Rev. H. Sherrard
(Stourbridge), Rev. J. Slade (Netherton), Rev.
W. Laing (Langley), Revds. W. H. Lewis and A.
D. C, Ryder (Hales Owen), Rev. W. T. Taylor
(Oldbury), Rev. J. C. Lumen (Blackheath,, Ac.
The meeting was opened with prayer by the Vener-
able Archdeacon Hone.

The Earl of Dudley then said it gave him great
pleasure to respond to the invitation of Archdeacon
Hone to attend that day to open those schools.
Curiously enough, without the fact being pre-
meditated. the day happened to be that of the
anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone
of the church, on the occasion of which, five years
ago, he visited the place; and there seemed to be
something more than mere chance that had dic-
tated. to him the choice of that day which brought
him there again to see somewhat of the completion
of the work in hand. He could not venture to
say full completion of the work, because there was
still much to be done, and done as it must be, too,
at a considerable expense, if undertaken at all.
T here would be much sacrifice needed before they
could complete the church and a residence in con-
nection with it. Be that as it might, however, he
thought it was much better that the church should
be left in the state it was now for a time, than
that the school, which was a natural adjunct to it,
should not have been erected; though he hoped
that before long that which was so serious a draw.
back to the church might be remedied. At the
same time they had to consider that the schools
would do &great amount of practical good in train-
ing up children, who would become the future con-
gregation of the church, and that that work was
far more important—(applause). There wits a
great responsibility resting upon all of them as
Church people. All those who read that at the
present moment there was a greater desire for
education, there was a greater pressure brought
to bear upon the people at large to carry out
education than there had ever been before, and as
Church people they should not do much good un-
less there was a due sense of individual responsi-
bility amongst them—(applause). The Govern-
ment had been a long time in awakening to this
sense of the necessity of educating the people of
the country at large, and had only done now, and
that in a somewhat off-hand manner, what should
have been done nearly a century ago. Having
had, as we had in this country, a time of unbroken
peace, and been saved from the miseries of civil
war, when every other country almost during this
century had been ravaged by disruption; and
there was no reason whatever why, if they had
had an enlightened Government, they should not
have had such legislation before. But it was only
just recently that they had awakened to the sense
of the necessity of giving the people that instruc-
tion which should make them trespect themselves
and the society they lived in. From the moment,
however, they began to introduce education, with
so many different views held upon the question,
they threw down that brand of discord, which
they now felt all around them, and the effects of
which were too visible amongst them. He thought
the best way of dealing with a question of that
sort was to let all those who had views of their
own carry them out, subscribe for them, and deal
with them as beet they could, holding only over
them that much of restraint which a just and
righteous law throughout any kingdom that looked
to the well-being of the people at large, or any
portion of it ought to exorcise. But beyond that
there should be no interference at all. After all,
they knew that in a district like that it was only
a portion of the people that could be educated
to the necessity of teaching their children. Un-
fortunately, there would be to the end of the
chapter those who would be unwilling to be
taught, and those incapable of learning. But
that was no reason why the efforts to educate
them should be relaxed. Ile was happy to see,
from the Archdeacon opening the meeting with
prayer, that there was no doubt as to the kind of
teaching it was intended to give in those schools;
It was intended that they should be schools where
religion ;should be taught and insisted upon—
(applause). He meant by that no opposition to
those who held other ideas. Let them take only
those who were willing tocometo them ;those who
cared only for the initiatory processes of learning
might go elsewhere to find that which ought to be
the basis of all knowledge. But it was not in-
tended, if he gathered the facts rightly, that the
order of things should be inverted as far as those
schools were concerned, that the basis should be
put at the top, and the top at the bottom; that
there should not be an inversion of the whole
system by which they hoped, at least, to make
children grow up into men and women respecting
themselves and those around them. It was believed
that in a school like that, attached to the Church,
the basis of all instruction should be religion, for,
without that, all their worldly knowledge would
be of comparatively little value—(applause). He
should have been very sorry if it had been other-
wise, for it would be a mockery to give education
without religion in schools like those that were
connected with the Church. On the part of Lady
Dudley and himself, he could say it was with the
greatest possible pleasure that they were amongst
them that day to witness the effort that had been
made to make up for that great arrear of darkness
that must have reigned there for a long time in
the midst of so many thousands. Those thousands
had grown year by year, and it was now to meet
their wants that a church had been built and
schools erected. Ile trusted the work of that day
would not be thrown away. He trusted they
should not hear of the schoolmaster refusing to
work with his ecclesiastical superiors, and he
would much rather that the clergy should have
the religious teaching of the young. He there-
fore trusted the schoolmaster would give prefer-
ence to the clergy, and that they should work
amicably to.gether—(applauee).
Lord Lyttekton said ha congratulated them
upon the program they had made in the provision
of appliances for their spiritual and moral welware
in that parish. It was universally agreed that
the first thing to do was to providealinag agency,
and then let the outward means be supplied after-
wards. They knew that had been the case there;
there had been a long time faithful ministers