The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-25 00:00:00

E4t .tourrib.ge ONstrVer.

SATURDAY. JANUARY 26, 1808.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION.

If there is one thing on which all political ,
and religious parties in this country are agreed
on it is that education ought to be extended.
The moment the question is put, how shill it be
extended ? opinions would suddenly split Up
and divide into opposing forces; and the lime
result would be observable were the (petition to
be asked, what shall he the character of the
jeducation that ongla to be given But still all
would agree that edueation it required, and that
some method ought to be adopted of bestowin
it on those who are either unable or unwilling
to bestow it upon themselves, or rather their
children, So varloue are opinions upon
tional questions that we may almost say, Qsot
hominm sett too 1 e ; but it Is a romarkilile feature
of the present time that people are now move
willing than ever they were to forego initrilaal
opinions and erotchets, to Carry out the great
object that every day becomes inereasingly de•
sirable, the exteuaion of education,
If there is another thing an which WA are all
agreed it is in hating compulsion. An English-
man Is always boasting of his freedom, thit be
lives in a free country, and that his hous big
castle. The idea of " compulaary ethical-Im,"
or of comoulsory anything else, is therefore
nitarally distasteful to him. And yet there is
no more law.abiding OP law-lionnuring country
in the world than our own. Now the very Pc
sence and backbone of our laws Is the prineinle
of compuleion were they permissive they woohl
be so many solemn fareee. Another thing to.,i
we F:iiglisli mueh dislike, and are contlinalli
crying out about, is the interference of P irlia-
remit with the freedom of the subject or the
freedom of trade. Al yet many of our yen
beet laws ilo interfere with trade, and this for
the public good ; and not even those who are
more immediately affected by them ever think
of agitating for their repeal. Looking St
working of these general principles in the mil,
lio mind, we think we are instilled in coming t,,
the conclusion' first, that it is quite practicable
' for all meets and parties to agree on some large.
broad, and national system of education ; and
secondly, that the nation in this matter, as it has
done in so many others, would soon get over its
primary repugnance to the compulsory principle.
Already a great change has come over the pub-
lic mind in this respect. Half a dozen years
ago, we will say—we might say less—the very
idea of compulsory education would have heen
scouted as un-Engiish and a good deal beidde
but we are all now beginning to see that the
substantive is so good that the adjective cannot
be necessarily bad.
A good step has already been taken in this
direction. 'elm State, or Government, or Par-
liament—the governing power of the country—
has, as it were, taken hold of the childrea in
factories, .4c., and ha a compelled them to be at
least partially educated. The principle of own.
1:Allston may he said to be here applied only in-
directly, hut it is compulsion nevertheless, and
compulsion of a very good kind, and for a very
good object. The Conference recently held at
Manchester on the subject of education brought
out one leading Mei which was sal:pm:or:A by
the majority present, that the principle of corn.
pulsory rating for education, or in other words,
conionisory clue then was advisable. It is un-
perstond that the bill of Mr. Austin Brace.
which WU at first permissive, is to be modified,
and to be introduced on the principle we have
Ireferred to as being the leading idea of the Con-
ference.

A number of more or lees eminent politicians
having now taken up this subject, and the great
questions arising out of it having talon hold of
the public mind to some extent, we may be sure
that it will not speedily be allowed to drop!
There are indeed indications of the great pies-
tion of education becoming (lie question of the
day at a most critical time, the aielembling of
Parliament. It is therefore very desirable that
those who are most deeply interested In it, the
working classes, should at once examine Bole
important subject, especially in connection with
the legislative machinery which many aealeua
friends of education will aim to put in motion.
There are, or aoon will be, three things to choose
to allow matters to rest as they are, with the
great mass of the poorer el asses confessedly in.educated ; to expand the volimtary and Govora.
moot aid system ; or to adopt the system of
compulsory rating. Happily it is nit necessary
to insist on the disadvantage of the first prop i-
sition. It is becoming increasingly felt that,
with the present superi ir systems aud extent
of education abroad, we are not doing justice
to our poorer fellow-countrymen to allow them
to be weighted with ignorance in the fiercer and
fiercer competition of civilised nations. The
present generation of the working and labour-
ing classes feel their deficiency in this respect,
and are daily becoming more desirous that their
children should have advantages which they
themselves have not had. Nor need we insist
on the often-remarked connection between igno-
rance and crime. To put the matter broadly, it
would cost less to educate the lowest classes
than to imprison them; and we now often have
to do the latter because we have not done the
former. The great struggle, we feel convinced
will be on tho question whether it will be advis-
able to expand the voluntary and Government
aid system, or to adopt the compulsory rating
principle. The first system, as it exists, we be-
lieve to be inadequate to the national require-
ments ; but as it is good so far as it goes it fol-
lows that its development would be a boon.
But how is this to be done ? The volinitar?
element Parliament cannot touch, for the most
rabid sectarian partitan of this or that system
would never dream of proposing that Parlian cot
should forbid education of any kind who tic
whole country feels that we have too little of it
already. The only part of time existing system
Viet could be extended by le;islative action is
the Government-maid; and then conies the ques-
tion whether it would not be better for the peo-
ple to rate themselves for the education of their
own children, maintaining the principle of local
self-control, than to look for further help froin
Government. It is in fact the alternative of
putting our own shoulder to the wheel histead
of praying to Hercules for help. Let it be re-
marked that no one proposes to abolish existing
systems. The present machinery, voluntary or
Government aided, will exist after Mr. Bruce's
bill is passed, if it be piemed. But a national
rating, in proportion to local wants, would sup-
plement the educational efforts that are now
being made, and we believe would supplement
them effectually.