The Express.
London, England, 1856-04-04 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 4.

AN attempt is to be made in the House of Com-
mons, this evening, to throw oat the Bill which pro-
poses to empower the Crown to Dominate a Vice-
President of the Educational Committee of the Privy
Commit who shall have a seat in the Home of Coen-
Mona. Mr. HADFIF.LD is to NOVO that the Bill be
read a sewed time this day six months. This modes
would, if carried, be tantamount to a vote of the
House of Commons that everything done by it, to
promote education, for the last thirty or forty year&
has bees wrong. The Home began by voting small
rums in aid of the National and British and Foreign
Schools. The lvote was subsequently incresesd,
and its application extended to various local schools,
on their complying with certain conditions. The
amount of money voted for these moose from
1839 to the end of 18.3, is 'lightly in excess of
two millions. The House of Commons could not
take upon it the detailed application of grunts in aid
of schools, and that task was, as a matter of course, en-
trusted to the Executive Government. The Executive
Government has discharged the duty imposed upon it
of distributing the money, through the instru-
mentality of a Committee of the Privy Council. The
Executive Government is in this, however, merely
the Almoner to distribute the bounty of the repre-
sentatives of the people. The House of Commeen
remarking that here and there, by individuals and
associations, praiseworthy efforts have bees made to
improve the quality of education, and to extend its
dissemination, have /evolved to come to the aid of
these efforts, in the hope that a time may
emu when the whole community, impressed with
a cooviotion of the importance of juvenile instruetioo,
shall ambles to ado; dit to all, The Houma of Com-
mas, in short, have resolved to promote the mis-
sioaary efforts of the friends of education by advances
of money. It is 000sequently the duty of the House
of Cowman, as guardians of the national purse, to
see that the snowy they vote for this purpose is
honestly and effectively administered. Tow:able the
Hoses of Commons to discharge this duty is the
object of the proposed appointment of a Vice-Prat-'
dent of the Educational Committee of the Privy
Council. It will be the business of that functionary
to make himself thoroughly acquainted with all that
is being done to promote education, ander the
directions of the Committee, and to furnish,
at any time, any information on the sub-
ject that may be required by the House of Com-
mons. Thus, and only thus, can the House be en-
abled, systematically and with effect, to check and
control the application of its educational grants.
Without the assistance of such a functionary as the
proposed Vio►President, the grants of the Home, of
Commons in aid of education will be thrown away at
haphazard. Unties the arrangement proposed by the
Bill to appoint a Vioe-President of the Committee of
Commit for Education be adopted, it will be better to
discontinue votes of money, for the due and bimodal
distribution of which there can be no guarantee.
Therefore we my that if Mr. HADFIELD'S motion be
carried, it will be tantamount to a declandlon of the
House of Commons that all grants in aid et odes&
lion ought to be discontinued in future.
We axe not *retain whether the gentlemen who
eall themselves advocates of Voluntary named=
an prepared to go this length. We doubt very sub
whether they know themselves. It is tree that their
principles, if logically carried out, would bring them
to this conclusion; but many of them have been par-
ties to the acceptance of Parliamentary grants. At
the Crosby Hall meeting of the "Friends of Volun-
tary Education," reported in our impression of yes-
terday, the Rev. ANDEZW REED contrasted the
expense of education under the British School sys-
tem and the Government system. The expense
under the former, he said, was only 12e. a head,
while under the latter it was 325. a head.
We do sot ask at present whether the estimates
of the reverend gentleman are ix erect, or
whether aspens, is ties only consideration to be
taken into account in coming to a judgment on the
comparative merit, of the two systems. But we say
that the 'viten of the British Schools I. no seers an
unaided voluntary system than that wile& is
patronised by Governtoest. no Bridal Wools aro,
in fact, a part of the Government system. Ia 1866
the British Sehoole received 32,9141. of the messy
voted is that year for the promotion of *dimities by
Pullen/set. Sines 1839 the British Schools have
received 181,1981. of Parliamentary mosey. It is a
fair quince to be argued in Parliament, whether the
British Schools have done mom to promote adulation
with an outlay of 12i. per head, or the Government
Schools with an outlay of Els, per head; but to
amble Parliament to come to &derision en this point,
the assistance of a ViesPrmident of the Council's
Committee of Beisation is indispeumble.
Bat the Rev. Ammer Bus is not the only
" lined of voluntary edasatisa" who spume to be

troubled with a eenimien of ideas. On; and all of
them labour under attentive iskappeekession of what
is meant by Unational stimatiew." They se sooner
hese the tent than it coeisree up in their minds
ideas of state Anemias se it exists on the Costinent,
when the people ere drilled and trained by Govern-
ment, without their own consent or ce-operatim. In
&gland this is impossible. Here "national educa-
tion • mast necessarily be the education of the people
by the people. Whether the work is to
be dean by local elestive boards, or by
weepsesible ministers nadir the direction and
'patrol of Parliament, the people have equally
the whole power in their own hands. The friends of '
Rational education are quite es anxious as the friends
of voluntary education to " isenkste a spirit of inde-
pendence amongst the people.• The only differenoe
between them is, that the friends of national edam-

tioa seek to prevail upon the whole people to co
operate for the promotion of sae comma mineatioa,
and that the Meads of voluntary "decades wish sash
met to promote a separate and seclusive edneatiottal
system of its owe. Voluntary educative; is merely
another name for sectaries educatioa. This friends
of national education would leave it fres
to all parents to Ws their children in
their own religious principles; but they my
that there are no orthodox or 'seethed= systems of
reeding, writing, and arithmetic ; and that children
of all volition" may ably reedy, their instruction
in them arts from the seam teacher; and in the same
losiasaiss. They say that it is quits as easy to
have these branches of education imparted by
teachers common to all, while religious tuition is at.
forded by special teachers, as it is for boys and girls
to attend the same grammar schools and yet have
different teachers of dancing. They say that by
common schools the economy and efficiency of tuition

will be promoted. Above all, they say that, by com-
mon schools, children will be inipremed with a nue
of a common citizenship ; will be peacdeally taught,
at an early age, to beer and forbear in matters of
opinion. On the contrary, the voluntary or sectarian
system of education baa a neamoary tendon'', to
inspire prejudioes against all who are not members
of the mate communion ; to weaken the patriotic
sense of a common citizenship; to encourage a
Pharisaical habit of judging men, not by their
qualities and actions, bat by the opinions they
profess•

The estimates for the National Gallery will be sub-
mitted to the Hones of Commons this day. It is to
be hoped that the independent members who take an
interest in the promotion of the line arts will be pre-
emit, and endeavour to obtain some explanation
regarding the extraordinary purchases hitherto made
for the Gallery, and, if possible, some guarantee for
the future.