The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-07 00:00:00

and thisvommissionieenil sil vermikely to be the
means of i;rocuri n fhb inforination they desiderate.
Hahing thus*" qualified thhieselveS'to enter the
fief(' agai nst,' England, fs t t at all likely that they
will feel disposed to mai+ ,anyloluntary conces-
sions in.. favnnr of their Einglish rivals ? Why
t4ll 'sllPutcl,the Engiish.gorion their ktapes before
Fienclithen,,When the probabilities are in favour
of their receiving " more kicks than ha'pence ?"
A Dock Warrants Advance—and Discount
Company isiryttmrse- of formation; with` "capital
of £29Q,00.0 in 15 shares: -The intention is to
grant lOaris ori dock and wharf warrants _at, the_
current discount rates and a " small commission:"
to save traders frOm a resort to "usurious money
lenders:7 The proinoters point ',out that in a
business of this description, regulated accordiqg
to the.nature and market value of the goods, "
los§,cafi accrue." ThehiiforY7sl-Liiiiibarritieet,
however, during the last fifteen years, would
•show 'that there is .some: diffidultp.in atta'ssating
perfect safety in such transactions. . -L
. The Town Council Yesterday sanctioned a pro-
position of the greatest importance, for the sale
of the corporate property Birkenhead. With
reference to the bill now before Parliament in
reference to the tolls on the river, it was exPlitined
that the charges made were intended only to
empower the ferry' proprietors' to make a com-
position with the Dock BOard,—which is deemed
a most reasonable arrangement. It was unani-
mously agreed to grant sum not exceeding
,c;poo,
,towards the, expenses .of opening the
Free Public Library, if such sun) shall be auoilabk
out of the' surplus ineiinie of the present year—the
latter provision being necessary to enable the
Council legally to vote any sum for' such a-Impose,
—and the omission` of which in the motion for the
grant, was the sole cause. of its, rejection -at a
former meeting. A' memorial, signed by .5,190
persons, praying 'that' the rotincil would see fit
to rescind the bye-litiv: prohibiting: cabmen from
smoking when on a stand waiting for hire, after
a' lengthened and, rather interesting discussion,
was remitted to :the Watch Committee; which
virtually means that the bye-law is to'be repealed,
and the cabmen are to 'be allowed to enjoy a
smoke- on' the cab-stand. The thanks of the
Council, accompanied doubtless by the gratitude
of 'every inhabitant of !LiVerpObl, 'are -to 130 Con-
veyed to the* Earl of Leicester for a full-length
portrait of the • celebrated Roscoe,' by. 5.... M.. Shee,
which hi& lordship has offered to the town, as the
birth-plaCe_ of that_great_.literary_Celebrity. The
consideration of the report recommending the
proceeding, to Parliament for owers to make the
proposed town improVements, and also of the report
of the special committee on the erection of public
-offices, was. postponed '.until the reportiNthe
Finance Committee as to the powers of ti4Cor-
poration should be brought up. -
"We have frequently had occasion to refer to
the insufficiency of the Mersey ferry steamers for
the traffic they are employed in. We haVe hailed
.with cordial satiSfaCtion the landable',.efforts of
the Commissioners of Wallasey to provide siiitable
boats for the. three important ferries of Sca.combe,
Egremont, and .New 'Brighton. Not only will
they be great gainers by such a. design, if yroperly
and spiritedly- carried out; but.we.anticipate that
their good example will operate as a healthy stimu-
lus to the authorities elsewhere, on both banks of
tieriver„to.reform the present system altogether.
The Cominisisioners who have begun this enter-
prise deserve, and we doubt' plot will -receive,
hearty _sympathy and ail. re+iisite encourage-,
ment, from the public on either side of the river.
A most important' statement 'of facts bearing on
this interesting subject will be found in a letter
we giVe to-daY from a gentleman Whom we know
to be what he
"signs himself, " A Practical Man."
He demonstrates, in. the; most forcible and conclu-
sive manner, that the gigantic traffic. on the river
demands an entirely different and superior, class
of steamers.

The management or mismanagement of the
Birkenhead Hospital has been the subject of some
c3rrespondeneein 'our columns. "A Visitor" has
made certain charges, which' "'A Plain Man"
endeavours to meet. ' We have no knowledge of
the.merits of the question, and, of course, hold
our opinion in suspense. The charges brought
forward
,by ".A Visitor" are of a nature, and
come from a'cinarter, that demand a full anckeon-
elusive answer ; and if, as we hope they arc,
founded on•mistappiehension, Wci shall le!the first
to denounce the calumny. On the otliet!hand, if
improVenient is rcallY needed, the more urgently-
it is demanded the better. In giving "A Plain
Mitit'S" answer; 'iv° !mist remark that We.think
some more satisfactory reply is likely to be looked
for,—were it. only for the better exoneration of
the management.

nivE REMEDY FOR STRIPEAi

.....

TUE evil effects 'Of''strikes, 'and even strikes
themselves, spring from causes more deeply seatfd
in the body: politic than thoiiiiVnere. fy.Eartifictal
combinations out of which they more immediately
arise. 'The misery, diseae, and• death which
have: penetrated the homes of thousands, on such
deplergblenceasions, have been painted, over and
• , over again, with harrowing effect. On Trades-
•men's,Uttions, as the .more.,osteneible and-imme-
diate causes of strikes, • has been heaped all tie
odium of such disasters:; against,them has been
-levelled all the indignation of a commiserating
public; to avoid them, modify them, or suppress
them; by whatever procese,' has been deemed the
first requisite in.securing the future welfare of
the masses. -Every effort to prevent their forma-
, tion, and to coax or drive men out of them,
hiving faded, various; temporising and conciliaj,
tory devices. have been tried as checks upon their.
operations-, with but, little effect of ft-desirable or,
Perinanent kind. Mistakeii. philanthrop4ts may
use their Utinoa.exeitiOn7s. to Persuade the' work-
ing man, that 4uck cembinations.are wrong, and:
that they ought not to be entered into, be-the
• .
consequence what it may';
,but :they' Will
never make one step of .progrevp until they are
able to ,prove to each man's mind, that :these
societies are .really the reverse of, beneficial, to his
interest and comfort. At present, working-men
think that in the end they best consult their own
interest by joining such societies, and until they
come to think' differently, the- philosopher may
go on to argue, end the moralist -continue to
denounce, 'bid in doing so 'they rmg only
offend
.against their lungs by much useless
talking. To reach the real source of all the
mischief—to get at the- root fitilt which these
unions come forth as if natural, howeverpoisonous,
fruits, we must strike below the surface. If we
would prevent the grow th of those noxious
weeds, we must not merely cut Urn to the
ground, but clear out
.the soil and carefully
remove the seed. It is but a waste of time to
exhaust our efforts in attempting to destroy the
blOSsora while the plant remains firmly- roOted
and growing .strenger by ill-judged efforts to
repress it. To effect the cure we must first
ascertain the cause; and then, direct all our efforts
to its extinction. It may be difficult to arrive• at
a wholly correct conclusion as to the true eausei
of this great evil; but we have this 'encouragement!
to ,persevere, that every step we successfully
make in the discovery and "exposure of the source,
brings us so much; nearer .the.„solution of thel
whole difficulty, and the permanent, Annihilation
of the evils arising out of it.

Trades Unions spring from a consciousness of
the .exceeding feebleness of theOvorking classel
in adjusting for- themselves,, seParately,and
vidually, those important business ariangementsi
which directly concern 'their own immediate and
material interests. :nose Unions—ciesigned to
establish-the strength of the workingmen in corn,'
binatien, are a plain'ani undeniablettinfession of
individual feebleness. The universal consciousness
of this nersonal inadequacy has driven thefina.sses
to endeavour to secure, by the strength of nUm-
hers acting together, advantages which they
believeto be othOrWise beyond their attainment.
,
It is most natural that they should do-so;, and no
power on earth can prevent them. They only do
what might be expected of them in the circum-
stances; and what all men, high and low, do when
similarly situated. Union is strength ; and a
sense of in dividual weakness seeks its easiest remedy:
iri union. The Unions necessarily involve the possi-'
bility of strikes and all their attendant evils. If we

would overcome and remove these we mast begin
with the, individual, and remove frc6% the mind
that paralysing s ,nse of weakness and the conse-
quent feeling of dependence; on artificial aid.
Ethicate'and, enlighten every Man until he feels
so thoroughly independent, and self-reliant that
he can cheerfully anticipate every difficulty
arising from the mutabilitics of trade, and the
effects of free competition, and we shall hear no
more of Unions. This remedy is certain, even if
its operation should be slow. The great, and
only remaining difficulty is, how to aceemiplish it.
• e :
To make education effective in 'Siterseding the
supposed necessity for TradeS UniOnS,. we Must
have a very different class of schoolmasters, and
quite another style of , school_ lessons, to be
taught and 'expounded • with more practical
efficiency than We have yet been accustomed to.
Much has been done and more is doing to im-
prove our system of education ; but a great deal
still remains to be 'done ; and the cause of educa-
tion must yet enlist` far more of public 'attention
before thatireat question can be settled satisfac-
torily, or much progress be effected. The object
we have now in view will be one of the most
certain results of providing a sound, practical, and
healthy education for the general body of the
. .
people. Let quasi reformers cease for a time to
waste session after session of Parliament in use-
less if not insincere discussions about questionable
Reform Bills, and apply their time and resources
to the improvement and elevation of tholnasses,
by securing to them the inestimable blessings of
useful knowledge. That which too 'commonly
passes for education at- the • present day is,
to a great extent, good for nothiak, in a
practical point of view, especially among
what are called the lower,, classes. Did it fall
within the scope of Out present argument,
we might show 'how viaiteful and comparatively
fruitless is the' cinnbrOus anctcostly educational
system pursued by the Wealthier•classes.-- They,
however, can afford to spend a great part of their
lives... in being saturated. wi th, a kind, of instruction
much of which is utterly useless: 7: The evils and
deficiencies of the present system, in their case,
are to some extent counteracOd and supplied
by ameliorating and ,refining influences which
wait only upon those whose lot has fortunately
been cast in the higher walks of social life.. For
the working man, however, we must have an
education suited: to:, his condition of life; to be
communicated plainly and practically without
unnecessary waste' of •time or- means ; and its
great objects must .be—lo enable him, at psfrearly
an age, as may be desirable, to obtain the g‘atest
remuneration for his labour ; and to make the
best use of his Money when he has earned it. We
must impart to each Working man the full use of hid
productive faculties; instruction as to the vulious
ways in which these .may be most succesSitilly
turned, to account; and information •requisite to
enable him most economically to apply theiruits
of his labour for his own support and comfort.
This is the only kind of education that will avail
anything- in securing to him thoge.'adrvantages
which an imperfectly• educated population now
seek to secure by the jarring . and utterly insuffi-
cient means of trade societies and strikes. _

The gross and glaring deficiencies of our pre-
sent
system of education for the humbler classes
are notorious, and we need scarcely point. out how
far it falls short of securing the requisites we
desiderate. 'What is the general character of the
instructions given in those schools where the
children of our artisans are broughb up, and what
effect'do they Produce .on them in after life ? Is it
true, that while they are minutely informed as to
the names and localities of cities and provinces
which for thousands of years have_ politically
ceased to exist, they' are too often left entirely

ignorant of the geography, history, and resources
of the town and county 'in which they live ?
Are they filled with marvellous and apocryphal
accounts of streams and waters whose very exist-
ence is neat' to mythical, while they are left all
but uninfornied :of the 'navigation. of their own
coast or the adjoining,.arm.a.the_aea?.....Are heY
taught to pride themselves on their intimacy with
the shrines and devotions of heathen superstition,
while thellknoW nothing of the various rel4ious
denominations whose , places of worship surround
their habitations in every direction? Is it
thought,of more consequence to initiata them into,
the mysteries of the various forms of government
which we are told succeeded each other in,
countries whose power was fading even before
the—ciiiiiiiiencernent of the Christian .era, than *that:
they should, understand 'the relative splieils and
jurisdictions of .our own local boards and our
higher forms of national administration ? While we
instruct our youths in the names and acts of rulers
and magistrates who once distinguished them-
selves inlthe histories of ancient peoples, do we,
omit all mention to them of .those statesmen,
judges, magistrates, and officials under whose
administration and ruletheytand all that they are
or. can be, happen to have been placed. -.ln..teach-
ing modern •soience,- shall we waste the time of
the rising generation, and oppress their Memories:
with lists` of technica 1 and witneaninOiames,
while they scarcely 4 are able to tell you the:
scientific difference between a potato and a
chesnut ? In "short, is it not the case that a
great proportion of the isolated morsels of khow-.
ledge generally communicated to the children of
the htimbler classes are of the nature of vague
abstractions,imperfectly committed to treacherous
memories, which, in the actual tear and wear of
life, rapidly grow dim, and finally •disappear,---:,

leaving the adult workman adrift on the shoreless
gulf of ignorance, rudderless, and without anchor
or 'COmpass whereon to trust the safety of his
tempest-driven barque Is it not the truth that
our uninformed population, in too many cases,

look upon the law and its execution as a system
inimical to mankind, and receive their firs -
practical lesscin of the functio-ns arid powers of
the magistrate in a prison cell ? How true is it

that Much, if not most, of the wisdoin that is ltd
be found among the humbler classes has been
acquired too late to be useful to themselves, and
as the result of having disobeyed great social and
political laws, which they were never able' to
comprehend ; or of having come into violent
collision with institutions under which they havU

lived, but of whose existence they were scarcely
aware until the penalty of their ignorance had
been incurred ?—thus learning what prudence'
they may, like errant.: dogs, .from the kicks
bestowed on them as trespassers !

Under the present inadequate system of educe
tion it is a mere mockery to talk to the people of
those 'laws of political economy which directly
militate against Unions and Strikes. If we woul4
have them understand and obey these truths, Iva
must begin at the beginning ; and, having afforded
them a kind of knowledge which, in the first
place, comes closer to their immediate wants, WA
shall gradually enable them to reach the, borders
I
of, those more. general and ,abstract trutlia: which
at plesent, they can scarcely comprehend, and
whose inculcation is least of all likely to be
successful amid the miseries and calamities of an
actual strike.

EbucaTrus or (wit YotNg.:—Many of our readerEi
are aware that.many years ago a law was passed requir-f
that all' children employed in yarn or cloth inn's+
should be above eight yearS old and attend school parts
of each •day ; another law was subsequently passed,
affecting printworks. Both these laws. have worked!
well. It is proposed by a bill now before the House to
further extend the provisions so as to embrace" all.,
departments of regular labour, and to make itcompnl-!
sory on all employers of children. under 12 years Of age'
to see that they are able to read and write -or to gir:
thent.the time reqUiSite :(26 rhours a rmonth) to atttiennld-
sonie schonl. t 4 measure is onn.,of very:
portance, and requires the support of all
cleiate Can rising rice: Whgoresileek to