The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-02 00:00:00

THE STOMBRrDGE OBSERVER.

le to tialitost-earali upon stimulants. I will not trouble
7011 set any long stoma, but these are facts so Important
that, ough you may have hefted them before, it will
not be out of place if I rept* them. Otte statement Is
this—that during the Voir yeast Vnlihn Isllo . alma
hi UIIIIOSS 51111 a half of drern, cr.itsd.l
*lent m
Punas 450 mallow, aid upon
cettagoods only fifty-one Million.. It is eislenlstied
that the proportion of thiS high eme oemisna ad by the vrerk-
lag class. iS stvo thl'ala the whole, and that out of the
average cantinas of the working classes, estimated at 335.
per week, or £BO per annuaa teent ale is expended for food,
about +al fur house telt, i 73 for tiring. lights, clothing,
healta, and yiscrositten, dad *ad Whilosto. Tea
a1"1 00040142 'Tian.oec wrier the head of stimulants, ha a
fsr the !argue proportion consists of what is called
ala 'Male drinks. The writer gees on to say that taxes on
I.lllitits arc :ant to nearly thirty•oine millions yearly, awl
itint to peacly ongluitf ott tar whale., tavilloopoth local
dbmiserial. 1 tent:aid.uo millions ei the latbee tab:afore is
Inthme-tax in fact, paid la hard cash to a treasury
Arough the medium of the shopkeeper, amounting to Ind th
the pound on every man, woman, anti child lathe kingdom.
It constanies nearly ass bull of the burden Cu the average on
the temperate uhf more than a half On thatticaine-tsx,
I Mention them feats in. AO Wilma 'tat 1110 Ariseett of put-
ting this to the Wrtiaawa d miy hear me, and who, lam
sme, will idlest on to whims them on such a p.thit in a
triniery and respectful spirit. I pat It to them whether
they will wale use of the ailvatita;lefi which they will pro-
bably now eldj,ty t..trtle degree, at all events, for the purpose
of Mere...art-a timir intelligence and Improving fhafr ffiffiffia
or wheaier they will use it for -tips p. ritriet it eecreesing
those advantages. It is net form to one's self an
idea of what will ea:Aar or later be the peisitien of the
working alWeVt— namely 14; moons of the vest improve-
month In machinery, Which econemive to, ji tars ',fent
the labour of men, and lrs stv tt.,.t improving orga-
nization and reptliathot tabour the time may gradually
come iu wiiton 'tar people, upon the whole, will urit be. over.
a'Orktnt, out be able to derive hobnail); that amount of
thtional leisure and aecomtillsh that Arlene of lth,sical
labour which Is pot en tor Irtt wholesome, and may
have at khit get* !lint r atsonable amount of title for the
good ts;:d Itealiny objects which we should all aim at—
rimnely, more intelligence in labour of all lands, and
a more intelligent and wholesome Pee of UM° Outside
the ordinary labour, and foe that purpose it appears to
me that she working can and the artisan should strive for
means to he.prove his mental capacity, and make use of
cyeri opieirtunitthat arises with that OM zteady In view.
How to bring such a state of things about is, of college, one
of the greatest peoblattis of our time, and it will require
great wheleffi, great self.denial, arid great patience upon the
ni the Governments and governed beret,. it eee ha eb-
tallied. We may hops that st al/ ettuit a beginning may be
effectually Maths. stet Oa tile eking generation may make
greater ed.:famed towards the end which I have sketched.
c in an Institution like this are not verymuchtrotibled
with the great problems which beret a Ooverninent like
ours, Or which Pi a eet. area'. degree went all persons in
authority to thls country, as, for ieeliance, the euthotitiew
of our few.s and counties, School Boards, fuel so on. It
is a great question. What Government out say how tar
it call carry Its power with respect to the m114%414°1.1 cf fee
mind and the intelligence of nub people' I,lvro LOMB to
think that it will be tleaeest,y to take nuiversally, before very
long, the bold -stay CI compelling every permit to have his
effildten educated, so far, of course, as the rudiments of edu-
cation go, sufficient to cave a boy or girl from savagery and
to by the foundation of future improvement. I believe that
the public authority isjustitied in making it Compulsory and
requiting it shall be agile. t dcvi. 9W9 hose Jen W 9 shill
break throagh eheaarrtets 01 habit and indifference which
we gee shoeni by many of our people on this subject of educa-
tion. When mice a start has been made the thing will become
very numh easier with people. They will he acceetomed to
see the laws of their country imisted 111100, and the young
will be educated. It *lithe felt to bee ehenee and dimaraf e for
any pareht to teelect the k.a,n^ ye to ell- w th6r, to grow o 7
in a state ti Ignorance, so that after Nairn° the rigour of the
law will cease to he felt, and that which at first will be beset
with difficulties will by degrees become easier and easier,
so that ill this country, as already in some foreign countries,
such as Switzerland and many parts of Germany, education
will become a weeerei thin!' end o matte! of Aortas. Beyond
this there are otter most difficult problemseyhich the otate
will have to solve, and which it is not for me Indwell upon
before an audience like this, but one thing I an sure of is
that the State and the men who are bent upon forward-
ing education will have to exhibit great patience and
ettength atm regard lot the feeltnae or mama. There are
such things as short cuts which are the longest way roun.l,
and I have no faith in that kind of government which may be
described as enlightened anti benevolent despotism, but the
best ef things, including the Culture of the mind of the
people. meet ma ae Peeled cllOn 09111) without due regard to
Ulna. Menem and especially to their religious feelings. I
feel convinced that, in healing with this question, the only
mode of securing its success in this country, divided as ills
In opinion of the highest matters, late take heed of these
feelings ; but no atoll difficulty will, noise in the matter of
prlmar'y eduehtion eati all inch difficulties could be kept
efeealy tett of the wee. In eencieston, the 'tlght hon. gentle-
=an ipoke approvnigiy 01 the good result gristle f rein free
lierariee, and agreed with Carlyle in the opinion that the
cheap and good literature of the present day was extremely
powerful in assisting to clativate the minds of the people,
our books being, intact, nor Universities and Colleges.

atet,lllll

through