The Press.
London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 18, 1858.

Mr. S. T. KEKEWICH, M.P. for Devon, moved the
first resolution :

Her Majesty having been graciously pleased to confer
the distinguished honour of a peerage on Sir John Buller
Yarde Buller, Bart., our late representative for the
southern division of this county, whose career for nearly
thirty years was marked with steady and strict adherence
to Conservative principles, and who has ever been a
staunch supporter of our noble constitution in Church and
State, we beg to offer him our most sincere and hearty
congratulations.

Mr. Kekewich proceeded to say it was strictly in
his private capacity, and as one of the noble lord's
late constituents, that he took part in the present
proceedings. The honour of a peerage was but
rarely conferred upon a county member, but her
Majesty had departed from the usual course in this
instance with very good reason. Their late represen-
tative's strict and devoted attention to his parliamen-
tary duties was almost proverbial, and in all
emergencies he was at his place, consistently main-
taining the principles upon which he first offered
himself to the electors of South Devon. Sir R. Peel
had on a memorable occasion publicly declared that
a better member of Parliament than Sir John Yarde
Buller never sat in that house, and, for integrity and
consistency in support of the great constitutional
principles in Church and State, it would be vain to
search for a man who more thoroughly deserved
their admiration.

The resolution having been seconded by Mr. J. F.
P. PflturlPs, of Broumburough, Totnes, was carried
by acclamation.
The next resolution, proposed by Mr. W. H.
PETERS, of Harefleld, and seconded by Mr. W. B.
ILBERT, in speeches highly eulogistic of Lord
Churston's public and private merits, was carried
unanimously :

That. with the view of recording these opinions, and
the high sense we entertain of his public and private
worth, a testimonial be presented to Lord Churston, and
that subscriptions be immediately entered into fur that
purpose ; no individual subscription to exceed st.

An influential committee for the purpose of
carrying out this object was appointed, and the
proceedings terininateu with a vote of thanks to the
chairman.

SIR GEORGE GREY ON EDUCATION.

AT the dinner which succeeded the annual con-
ference of delegates in connection with the Northern
Association of Mechanics' Institutes, at Alnwick, on
Tuesday, Sir George Grey, who presided, made some
important remarks on education, particularly ad•
dressing himself to the agency books and news-
papers on popular instruction.
Sir GEORGE GREY, in proposing the toast, " Pro-
sperity to the Northern Association of Literary and
Mechanics' Institutions," introduced it by remarking
that it would be superfluous to dwell on the advan.
tages and applications of knowledge, and the time
bad gone by when the arrogance of learning could
condemn to ignorance the great body of the people, or
when the fears and prejudices of a few could raise a
barrier against the enlightenment of the many. With
regard to the means by which a result admittedly
important might he attained, the right hon.
baronet thus alluded to mechanics' institutes :

It was gratifying to know that the influence of that in-
stitution had extended yesr by year, and though Mr. Smith
had very properly adverted to its agency as being crippled
by the want of funds, yet it must be a matter of sincere
congratulation to them to know that the number of insti-
tutions in the association was far greater thou in former
times. In 1853 he found there were but twenty-eight, and
in the present year there are eighty-four. The number of
members filen had increased, affording a gratifying proof,
not only of the activity of the friends of education, but
increased appreciation on the part of the people of the
benefits which institutions such as that extended to them
and placed within their reach. He said just now he
thought that institution took the right means in the object
it proposed, in endeavouring to promote the moral and
intellectual welfare of the people ; and he was bound to
say that he also must heartily concurred in the view enun-
ciated in a passage in the report, in which it was stated
that the best way of withdrawing men from the tavern and
alehouse was to provide other means of social relaxation.
He therefore concurred that the reading room should be
comfortably lighted, with a cheerful fire and other requi-
sites, in order to make it attractive, and by so doing they
appealed to the person as a reasonable and moral being,
as a being not, only accountable to the laws of his country
but of God, and would withdraw him from those debasing
pleasures, if pleasurekthey could be called, which so many
indulged in.
Sir George Grey justified his remarks on this
point by a passage from the life of the late Hugh
Miller :
He was struck in reading the works of that lamented
man, Mr. Hugh Miller, with a passage in which he recorded
the experiences of some of his earlier days, when, though
working as an operative mason, he rad learned to appre•
ciate the maxims and philosophy of Bacon, and when he
returned from his day's work to his lodgings to the intel-
lectual feast which lie enjoyed from such works. Oue time,
however, he was induced by some companions to trans-
gress the bounds of temperance, and to indulge with them

in excess of drink. He returned to his lodgings and went
to his Bacon, but was unable to appreciate it or enja) the
lessons of the work, and from that day he made a resolve
never to indulge in the like manner again for the rest of
his life—never again to cloud by intemperance that Intel.
lect which God had given him, because it prevented him
from appreciating the treasure of intellectual enjoyment
which he had before experienced.
To the value of newspaper reading the right hon.
baronet bore the fol:owing unequivocal testimony :
Amongst the essentials to a good reading-room was a
useful and judicious selection of books. He di(' not mean
by that that they should exclude everything which some
fastidious tastes might think ought nct to be there. Bet
let the books be wise and judicious, with a view to excite
and deeply interest the mind, and furnish to the readers
examples to guide them in their course. Betore alluding
furthet to the library, let him say but one word as to news-
papers. He saw that it was stated in the report as a
matter of regret that the newspapers formed the principal
attraction, and in some places it had been almost neces-
sary to separate the newspapers from the books, because
it was considered that they withdrew people's attention
from what was more useful and valuable. He thought,
however, looking nt the character of the newspapers of the
present day—looking at the varied information—looking at
the description of facts occurring in all parts of the world—
looking at the reviews of literary works which they found,
he still advocated their use in the reading-room; and,
though hooks should be read too, he should not attempt to
divert the newspapers from perusal by excluding them,
because he believed they often were useful and conveyed
much valuable information. Even these newspaper were
an admirable substitute and counteractive for the pleasures
of the public-house.

Sir George, referring to works of fiction, contended
that it would be a groat injustice to the authors in-
dkcriminately to exclude them from the libraries of
mechanics' institutions, and referred to several of a
character which he thought ought to have a place in
their libraries. He then answered various objections
to mechanics' institutions, particularly that on the
score of their producing a superficial knowledge, on
which subject he quoted a remark of Sir J. Mackin-
tosh, that superficial knowledge was greatly to be
preferred to ignorance, and that after all the true
science of life consisted in maxims which it (lid not
require every man to be deeply learned to fathom.

SECOND EDITION.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON.