The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-05-17 00:00:00

statesmen, or the Prom, or the platform, or the lentrusgssm
can do to promote the political advancement of the pabple EARL RUSSELL ON EDUCATION.
will be in vain as long as the term • people • imunprJaes an
Immense multitude who never have k 5 between them and
starvation. A. for the financial power of the °pantry, great
as it is, iii. derived from the ravings of the higher and
middle classes, the propertied and trading people of the
country, and not, as it shouli be, from the manes. Every-
thing teems to show that the case Is very different In France.
there the wealthier proprietor, and the higher bourgeo4ie be-
came ext,avagant under the late Empire but the now, of the
People always laid b) something. in the country districts
such savings sly made by men very low Indeed in the social
Isle—labourers, and nothing more—eild th-se ere at hard
and earnest in following up their own interests as if they
were the possessors of thousands. . . . .
The object of the Society which Lord Derby advocates late
encourage thrift. lie observes Vint national character is
difficult to change, and probably Englishmen will be Careless
and free-living to the end of the chapter. But the spectacle
of multitudes choosing to live from hand to mouth year after
)ear, with the proep cot of the Workhouse in their old age, is
enough to rouse philanthropy eve, against the inevitable.
The Society will endeavour to bri. g home to the doors of the
people not only. conviction of the necessity of thrift, but
ale i facilities fir practising it As it hat been found that
men will not of themselves go to the Savings Bank, the Bank
will henceforth come to them in the shape of one of the
ociety's Officers The principle lea,ure of the scheme is
that Penny Banks should be eatablished in all manufac
Oriel; and elementary schools, and should depgalt their
re lelps with the Putt Office, as provided by law. Lord Derby
explains that the null enter should be appointed by the men,
UM, if recognised, as to probably would be, by the Post
Office, he should also act its the agent for Assurances, and
Deferred Annuities under Volt Department. Some people
may think that the mere presence of a collector and his
weekly edicltation coold hardly chalge the nature of an
eetab.islimeut of work-people. Bat the facts mentioned by
Used Derby as to the c Mentions made by Friendly and other
Societies seem to indicate that the practical Influence of a
regular call for money is considerable, and the experiment is
at least worth trying.

The Right Hon. Earl Russell presided on Monday
at the annual meeting of the British and Foreign
School Society, at the Training College, Borough-road,
London. His lordship expressed his pleasure that
though the society was established as long ago as 1808
it bad not abjured any of the principles which it
adopted at the outset, nor had the British nation been
slow to adopt the principles then eetabli-hed. He was
old enough to remember the time when perhaps the
majority of educated people in this country thought
that it was not desirable to educate what were called
"the liner classes' at all. After a time that cry was
beaten down, and it was agreed that something should
be done for education, but unhappily, instead of adopt-
ing the principles of the Britiah and Foreign School
Society, which comprehended all Protestant', it was
tbonght wise to narrow the subj,cts of education
sod to narrow the eractice cf worship, and it
w.ts decreed that all those who attended the
school, of the National Society should learn
the Church Catechism, and, moreov,-r, that they
should attend the worship of the Established Church
on Sundays. That, of course, was restricting and
limiting the objects of education. The noble Earl
denied that the use of the Bible in the way in which
it was used in these schools IMS "the worship of a
book." He believed that the teaching of the Bible was
as much religious instructim as could he fairly intro-
duced in'o elementary schools, and without religious
teaching to that extent there could be no good schools.
He spoke in terms of approval of the advance which
had of late been made in the subjects taught, such as
physiology, geography, chemistry, mathematics, &c.
He was also happy to learn that in the Training
Colleges the principles of cookery were taught. In
conclusion, he expressed his great gratification that the
work of education was making great progress through-
out the world.

()a the subject of "Thrift," the Rev. Henry &bud,
Vicar of Uttoxeter, writes to The Times :

" We have here, In • parish of 4,331, a ' Provident District
Visiting Society,' worked by some 17 ladle., who every
Monday morning at their own houses gather the penoe of the
cottager which can be spared. A percentage of ld. in the
shilling Is given from November until the end of March, and
the deposits are never returned to them In money, but by an
order for any kind of goods upon some tradesman. The
pence so saved from improvidence always amount to nearly
£2OO per annum, and In some years they exceed that amount.
Now, if this sum can be snatched from the JaWs of intem-
perance by such an organization in such a limited area, what
ermild be the effect of • collector among workpeople being
universally adopted "

MR. BRIGHT ON REPUBLICANISM.
A conference of Republican delegates, representing
about twenty-five towns, has been opened at Birming-
ham. Letters were received from various gentle.
men apologising for nomattendance. Mr. John Bright,
M, I', wrote as follows :

" liallater, N.ll, May 9, 1873
"Dear fur,-1 thank ynu for the invitation to your pro-
posal conference, although I cannot be present at it. You
ask for a word of encouragement, which I cur hardly give.
To poase‘s the hest system of civil government is a thing
worth striving for, but It may be a wise policy to endeavour
to perfect the civil government we have rather than to look
for great changes which necessarily involve enormous Shi-
ft is easier so uproot a monarchy than to give • healthy
growth to that which is put in its place . and I ...Pact the
price we should have no pay for the change would be greater
than the change would be worth.
Our forefathers suffered from nearly .century of unsettled
government In consequence of the overthrow of the monar-
chy, brought about by the folly and crimes of the monarch.
France has endured many calamities and much hunnhation
for nearly one hundred years past, springing from the de-
struction of her ancient government and the apparent im-
possibility of founding a stable government to succeed it.
Spain Is now in the same difficulty, and we watch the experi-
ment with interest and anxiety.
For forty years last In this country we have seen • coarse
of improvement in our laws and administration equal, per-
haps superior, to anything which has been witnessed In any
othvr nation. This [oyes me hope and faith that we can
re.ablith • civil government so good as to attract to Its sup-
port the respect and love of nil the intelligent among our
people, and this without bringing upon us the troubles
"hi M I believe are inseparable from the uprooting of an
ancient monarchy.
I have no sympathy with the object which gives its name
to your club. I prefer to try to do good in the way of poli-
tical reform by what I regard as • wiser and less hazardous,
if • less ambitious method; and from what we have seen in
the past I think we may gather hope and faith for the
future —I am, yours truly,
" Mr, C. Cattail. "Jolt:1 BRIGHT.°