The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-09 00:00:00

CONVICTION UNDER THE SCHOOL
ACT.

At one of the London police courts, a w irking man
was charged on a summons with neglecting to rend his
son, aged eleven and a-half years, to school. Mr. Sydney
(ledge, solicitor to the London School Board, who
attended to prosecute, said the defendant was sum-
moned on the 20th of September, when he sent his
wife, and the came WAR adjourned. He afterwards
attended and said he would send the boy to school, and
the case WAR again adjourned for three weeks. At the
re-hearing he asserted that the boy was over thirteen
yews of age, and not amenable to the Act. Thereupon
the summons fell to the ground, but the regis-
ter of the birth showed that the boy was eleven and-a-
balf years old. Defendant said the boy was now at
school. The Magistrate said it was a very bad case.
'lto defendant had evidently done all he could to evade
the law, even to the extent of belling a deliberate
falsehood about the boy's a_e. He should fine him 55.,
or seven days. Ho was liable to be again eurnmoned
if he neglected his duty. He went .to the House of
Correction in default of payment. The Magistrate
said he hoped this Act would soon be repealed, and
some provision made for examining defendants upon
oath. At present he could not hear the defendant or
his wife, and could not ask them questions. Mr. Gedge
hoped so too, especially SR such power was given under
the Factory and other Acts.

A SCHOOL BOARD AND PENNY SCHOOLS.
At the meeting of the Liverpool School Board, on
Monday, the discussion was resumed upon the resolu-
tion that a temporary school, constructed either of
wood or iron, should be provided, to accommodate
from 600 to 700 children, and the foe for admission to
which should be Id. for children of all ages.
Mr. Still, the Vice-Chairman of the Board, strongly
advocated the necessity of such a school, which, he
said, was designed, not for the children of the pauper
or criminal classes, but for those of the honest poor,
who were unable to pay the higher fee, but whose
sense of self-reliance and independence it was moot im-
portant to keep up, and this could only be properly
done by the fee being a low one, and within their
means of payment. In December last year there was
a deficiency of accommodation for more than 22,000
children in the town, and since that time there had not
been laid even the foundation of a single additional
school to meet that deficiency.
Other members also spoke in favour of the resolu-
tion, which was ultimately adopted by a large majority.

THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE.
At Birmingham, on Tuesday, the fourth annual
meeting of the National Education League took place,
under the presidency of Mr. George Dixon, M. F., who,
in the course of his opening address, dwelt principally
upon the good results of the Prussian plan of com-
pulsory education, and forcibly contrasted them with
the voluntary and denominational system, where
poverty was a barrier to every effort after educational
improvement. One of the resolutions carriid was to
the effect that Mr. Dixon be requested to move in the
House of Commons that any amendment of the Act
of 1870, to be acceptable, must provide for the general
election of School Boards, compulsory attendance, and
the unconditional repeal of the 25th clause.