The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-15 00:00:00

ROYAL LFATI

It ON EDUCATION.

The following letter is now in coarse of being for-
vs arc, .1 by thr .tettitoistiop of C iaterbory (by C.loMaltli of
her 31 erste) to do clergy of the various parishes in Elia-
bad sod Welds •
~ Vi. rose 11.—Most Rosv. Father in God, our right
trusty and beloved councillor, we greet you well.
" tiefihre the president cid g uvers..ire of the locorpo-
rsted NM:NNW SOCItiV fur the Education of the Poor its the
principles of the established cherish in E,gland and Wales '
hese, by their petition, humbly represented unto us, that
the pr.•.dent and govrroura or La &piety bays now durirg
• period of 11 years z:aboisly and perseverngly laboured to
tarry ,ate ilfmt the great work tor which the society was
incorporated, end that they kayo now espeaded the %bole
of thr funds which, either through the munificence of the
sovereign or the Isl:utility of toe public, have bre n placed at
fist it disposal for the purpose of emending and improving
education among the pourer classes:
" that thu produce t f the collections made under the
authority of the royal Etter', which for soma time past
have been triennially granted on their petition, has been
mainly expended in building school-rooms and teachers'
reodeners, perm:ll:catty scouted for .hs cdscation of the
children of tt.e po,r, ass is the organisation and improve-
Sent of these already rected:
-not the general pion.i;uts upon which the society has
eondutted its operations have received the sanctirm of the
le.oslaticre, as wall aa the approbation of our subjects at
levee:
That the plan which the society has pursued since Its
Sonadmina in the year 1811, of eueouregiad local voluntary
*forte, by granting tni.Jerate sinus of money to aid in the
erection of schools and t • •Cti. houses, Las been adopted
by oar government in 11Xtrihutiog the grant voted away by
parliament so furtherance cf natiecei eitacatien ; and that,
with r.rpect t o the ap; zoo .t widen-opera:m of the peopie
La general, it will be sudici oit to observe that the number
Of children attending schouir. in inoruediate connexion and
therespoadence with the mai. ty, amounted in the year
1813 to 40,131; in the year 1833 to 400,838; is the year
1837 to atn.9ll; is the year 1317 to 816,874; and at
Christmas, 1331, to the increased number of 8o6,130; while
the total number of church schools known to exist up to
Christmas, 1831, is 23357, with 1,....61.401 scholars
" That the grants made by the society in aid of building,
enlarging, or otherwise improvirg school-rooms and
teaebers' residence', cut of it. own funds up to Cluistm. s,
1831, amounted altogether to 3'21,7311.; the advance of this
money, ell'ei is plated on ccudition of a certain amount
of private cuntributim in each cue, having drawn forth an
expenditure of at least three times toe amount in building
alte, beseles the annual repulse of keeping up the schools
when built:
" That the training inetitutions of the society have during
the last nine years sent out 2,117 treined teachers (1,133
masters and 1,011 mistresses), into schools in viuiedis parts
of the country.
'• Toot thu great progress which has been mule in es 1
tending education among the poor renders more desirable
than ever the adoption of effective measures for its i:oprove-
anent, and that for this purpose the society will continue
to maintain its central school for boys, for girls, and for in-
fants, and will afford support to its various esto'dishments
for instructing and training young persons of either sex, as
well as adults, to he teachers; and will give aid towards
the expense of inspecting, organising, and re-modelling
schools. so that the mo,t improved methods of teaching
may be speedily and eilectiv.ly spread througLout the
country :
"That, as well from the rapid increase of the population
of thi, kingdom, as from tie numerous applicatiehs con-
tinually made to the society both for ail towards erecting
school rooms and for the services of duly-qualified teachers,
it is evident that liberal contributions to the fends cf the
society will be required in order to meet the pressing de-
mands made upon its resources, the increase of which de-
mends is one of the many proofs of the general feeling
which exists throughout the country, strengthened by the
late events in other nations, that it is only by providing is
sound religious education for the growing musts of the
population that the social and religious Institutions of these
kingdoms can be preserved :
"The president and governors of the society, therefore,
earnestly pray that we will be graciously pleased, by issuing
our royal letters directing collections to be made through-
out England and Wales in aid of the funds of the society,
to place in their hands the means by which the objects of
the society can be maintained and extended, so that at
length the poor in every parish throughout the kingdom
may have the opportunity afforded the-.t of obtaining for
their children the inestimable blessings of a sound Christian
education.
" We, taking the premises into our royal conside-
ration, and being always ready to give the best encou-
ragement and countenance to undertakings which
tend so much to the promotion of piety and of
our holy religion, are gracioue:y pleased to direct
that these our letters be communicated to the
several suffragan bishops within your province, expressly
requiring you and them to take care that publication be
ands hereof on such Sunday, and in such places within
your and their respective dioceses, as you and the said
bishops abaU appoint . • and that upon this occasion the
ministers in each parish do effectually excite their parish-
ioners to a liberal contribution, whose benevolence towards
*greying on the said charitable work shall be collected the
week following, at their respective dwellings, by the church-
wardens or overseers of the poor in each parish; and the
Walston of the several parie':ea are to cause the sums so
collected to be paid immediately to the treasurer hoe the
time being of the said society, and applied to the furtherance
of the above-isentioned good designs.
" And so we bid you heartily farewell."