The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-09-21 00:00:00

country like Scotland, Which has been honourseiy distin-
guished among all the nations of Damp. In Its diffusion of
education, which has reaped from it so rich a reward by
that prosperity which has attended its children in every
quarter of the world, I beg to point out to you one thing--
that the primary obj, et of a State education, supported in
hart by the state foods, and administered by puslic bodies.
Is the edueation of the poor. (Cheers) That is the first and
primary object. Ni doubt, it Is very mimirahme I know It will
be stained in a ,reat measure in So mtlaml, that, in addition to
the education of the poor, you will be also able in the pet.
maty s lioo's as you have been hitherto, to give an education
in higher subjects than those which are wiapted merely to
the education of the poor, and that of those schools will
come many men who will distinguish themselves in Id e, and
very likely reaeh a high poeition, (Cheers.) That has lwen so
iii SCotland nitherto, and I shall rojoice if it ehall continue
to be no. but what 1 o ish to point out is, that in the exer-
cise of tile duties you may have to di charge as members
of amnion! Boards end in other capacities, the primary duty
of those who would have to administer this fund, put:Hely
QM locally vise 1 Iron, rates or the taxation of the country,
is to look tim the education of the poor, and if cities shoidd
ever smear in any way in which the two ate found to he
irreconcilable with eseh mmther -in which one most give way,
in which either the stsnmiarat of teaching must be lowered or
the poet he left uncared bit—the undoubted duty of
those who administer education is to look alter the elm,
cation of the p!,or lint and to the encouragcment of profi-
ciency in &gip r sunk as. Individual eircum,tauci•is ate quite
is see oudary mutter I mentku that heteanae Scotland has
gained to touch repatalliOn, and so worthily galnod it, by Vim
many eminent men it has sent out of its schools. Line sees Ow
it is ala-ay s a peril—it is a temptation Vi the schoolmaster
himself to give his I nte mainly to the more promising pupils to
the neglect of the route tenokward. It was my duty, many
years Iwo, to introduce what is oalled the Revised Coda
(A hiss.) Exactly, it lint !lever been popuiar wun the sehool-
masters, because it forces them to do exactly what they
like—that is, to gioy their time mainly to the back-
ward and more stupid children, instead of to those who
are more forward and promising. It was meant to do
that, and it did. It was want too malle the education for
which the State contrlbutea as education for the poor in the
find instance, and it was only meant that those more forward
pupils should receive any extra benefit after the poor
had been sufficiently provided for. It is not • popular
principle. Thus it is not popular with the teachers, because
it makes teaching morn irksome it in not vomiter with the
examiners, because it makes inspection and examination
more irksome : but it ought to be luxe popular with the
great mass of sound-thinking people, becaumm it is quite evi-
dent that person of brilliant talents with sufficient mean.
can always in thene dawn of cm,mpetition--especially open
competition—get for themselves aumoieus WWI& of in-
struction. But, unless the State takes conipassion on the chil-
dren of the poor, whose parents are not always aware of the
value of the ell llettiOe they reject for their ehildren—unless
the state aots ne 4 parent there is uo other refuge for them.
They must grow up to laucrance, and, probably, iu vice.
Cheer. )
" I am not aware that thereto any other subject on whieh
it is necessary for nie to touch on the present occaaion. It
gives me the greatest pleasure to visit those hardy, hi-
dustrioue communities iu Scotland w hich are scatteied on
the coast of tau rough German Ocean no sight on be more
gratifying than to see time mnuner in which they are able to
support themselves, and even SC:Ohre wraith and competence
trim the labours clench a task Os fishing, just self Nature
gave them back hi the sea what they lost in the land. lam
only sorry to observe at the inesent moment that both sea
and land seem to have coosp iced against the prosperity of Scot-
land. I hear nothing but bail remota of the fishing at sea,
and on shore nothimw but !ailing crops, loss of potatoes, and
misfortunes of that hind wherever I have been hut per-
haps, this may he all the more bitter and more difficult to
bear because it is contemporaneous with what I call • great
degree of commerjal prosperity. But, gentlemen, the
Scotch nation have brag worse things than these, they
have always shown patience and indomitable perseverance,
which have made them conquerors comer grouter
difficalties than these. (Cheers.) I cannot but hope
aud believe, whatever may be the darkness of tie present
moment, that there is a brighter future in store for
you in the natural course of events. At any rate, I Ste
no symptoms of lack of heart or courage in this couutry, for
wherever I go 1 aan satmoshed to see the amount of land
which has been reclaimed , and the efforts which are con-
tinually made to get more and more out of the laud by the
un iring industry and perseverance which meet one in every
quarter are truly houourable and truly gratifying (Cheers.)
I only hope that it may lie in my twit cite make such a
settlement of the little affair for which I have come here to-
day to be, satisfactory to both sides. I ain pulled two ways
one by sty duty to the service to the public, and the other by
my desire tube agreeable to you. Whether that tamo or not,
can assure you, in concluai mu, I as, grateful to you for the
honour you have done tome (kind cheers/