The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-19 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Cahn Thouglift 0,4 tie, Iterent
.31d111aC3.?f Me Committee of

Cowered on Education. Sc. By EMIT Dunn.

Here is a pamphlet from a known and respected
man, on the great topic of the day. It comes late,
indeed, but still opportune; and its very lateness
evinces that the conclusions announced have been the
result of careful deliberation and mature reflection.
This statement of the opinions of the well-known
secretary of the British and Foreign School Society,
we take it, is presented rather for the sake of making
known its contents, than of criticising them—a task
which we may hereafter undertake.
Mr. Dunn states his opinions in the following form
of resolutions :

1. That the arsiganee thou offered to schools will, if generally se-
! netted, be productive of the greatest passible benefits to the commu-
nity, tending to the immediate improvement of elementary education,
and facilitating all subsequent endeavour to secure a cootinuedsupply
of welLqualifled instructors. 2. That English liberty will in nodcerree
whatever be endangered by the payments proposed to be made from
public funds to schoolmasters, monitors, or pupil teachers, co
long an such payment. are checked and controlled by local
' eommittees. 3. That the provision made under the mi-
nutes, for the selection, examination, and subsequent sup-
port of monitor., pupil teachers, and candidate. for normal
schools, Is Palit and equa', in no degree favouring the estabLiabed
church, or providing fur her exclusive benefit. 4. That there is
nothing lathe ahem° at all bearing oot the assertion, that It is
either Wended or adapted to facilitate the payment of miniaters of all
religions damomlnationi. 5. flat viewed fairly, and without prejo-
dimain=tho proposedproposed by no means excludes the moat rpid and
c. oilvocate of the voluntary principle In religion, horn
otaiMimate irk. in it. benefit,. 6. That the tendency of
the whir negoenni, unless pit-tersely thwarted, will, even In the
rural ditteldn,veentotrily be found favourable, rather than otherwise, to
the Warp of Protestant Nonconformity. 7. met the hearty
weoponlion of all closes of the community, in carrying out its pro-
visions, irgil sated the beat and only sesunty we can have against the
introduation ot • thoroughly organierd state system of education.
11. That the *Potions raised to the mode of it, introduction, and
to the exposer that will be incurred in is operation, involving, as
they do, es conatitutional character of the committee of eouncil—the
paccuswlth which it may be invented, and the amount of money that
oho Is istrusted to it by Parliament, can only be discussed with
✓homispe whia winced apart hoot any particular scheme or plan pro-
long W drib* Ar promoting education. .
- - - - - - -

- -
Fgeh of these opinions is severally developed and
supported in the pamphlet. On the subject of Eng-
lish liberty being endangered by payments to school-
masters and pupil teachers, Mr.llunn says :

The alignment; of r. Baines and hie (rim& on tilt point seem to
me to overlook altogether two things; drat, the mina." in all
earn, of local committees or trustees, in wham is vested the sole
poorer of dionneeing at any moment the schoolmaster, the pupil
teacher, or the paid monitor : and secondly, that the inspector eon
nerdse no influence or authority whatever, except by the desire, Or
with the concurrence, of this Game local governing body, with whom,
in fact, all real power ultimately rests. The Inspector, properly
speaking, cannot appoint a single monitor,—cannot select • shrie
puptl-teacher.—cannot effect the slighted change to the order, dis-
cipline, or management of the schaoL He is nut even to pay the
money voted by the government to the parties who are to be the
recipients. At each and every stage of the proceeding, the local
board must be recognised, mooched, deferred to. To talk of govern-
ment patreroge, limier ouch cireumatenees, corrupting ormlitueneks,
infteencing elections, emmulAtne t e Betlish elittfeeleriis, to my
mind, I my it with all possible respect for my friendly opponents,—
infinitely absurd. To dote broadly, end UM bar frequently been
dune, that such a system "resembles that of Frans ,"—that it " br
been drawn tram the French pattern,"—that the French
Ryden "indicates the fruits" which it maybe expected totting
forth,
Ia monetrove. . . "

".
bbrk tbe plats of dielaresoi I Is hose all lerlars are " so-
phist try the distater of Rah lartmagasort sr be ampamist,
tehrsol hem gime, or dirbaiii memileg admirstiel
la trodood proming he obossisos " wirers" is ruartrese.
dad sot so NM be erther agrairot. mopolog, romsoo; or Me-
shes& ha Moor all pehro sheds Oro astablitird may by
dome dos Ur Winter old "hay ma up obst by a oipple
ministers' war, IMMO' so in ON. "lbeTeewelt kell=..
the " odosios" photo short motmos sallooL la
are seranstos rtmorbssobrr " wrier Ord aphish ex-
press them. or rash emir horst at doodah. Minh mgraosre to
complete nis." Itsgbad. Mi. dr Tory hislery Or Pahl
dare to tamer Or • momirt wild tho sourimltiom stayss of
welsh Mho assimmtly, writ bo Memo bolsi dor be kip
%bt~W
nit", istight and voltoatatzehohomp. In
ash sio pserally abused of by =MU t tow ot
So et ikei or do MOWN Ind &MIN Of
tddr prey." Is Wmod. =gar " siorm" dr rioi flare-
Mit is • drib gosior or soodst. rot it is roadlue to go
oh The two ham wog Is aiteshoposily contorted; bet they
oh
arm be swoon& To orrood ter the eireillobsost at a
derairmt ors OM at Pram be the "oldoor of Lard lobe amen
goverommt Y lOC la oar* moo Pay.

The following is the opinion given by the expe-
rienced secretary on the probable advantages likely
to accrue to the established church :

Bet I lull iesesslatei uthe herial rapt of filers aid
parawat aim Who pareadel wYdtr tits We le
questleabsemobel Ws Ilwwmea, or W eetweet
atm drunk It Ile @Mali by WSW et saser.
Ise maw with width I Wit alseemette hese
Senly wry al* hees elaramee .lo their
ewe quevels._ to appropriate Wok respealle done et leasato
set pram The objection alba illeomare Ike to the n.ar d the
lallemse MAL Bet what is this hurt Why, Ink it it that
whisk isla MN from the poster at evelitig=yareer tfra meal
W Mile= ilweaftr ot seallaiet
er sagelsalato mats% muses sr Maid=
sad ant, that istith Wag seal sees aseereola
(a very estates eseteette% lathe we aid pair SeeleW et tbs
public expire lir taselsereare rtimilieset Imes lavWelt evilest
vicious Y drill, oessitssestleg Ws usilmetteetha
of the day. Whet aw esd estrawdlosey pew ea ON rageolii.
lit, gives •earealsi shrwsteal The swirohlea malted suet
be e efilli by eete saa Os , la selease le it asel%
swiratrel s
Gild prepsta It
la. Orel la awe
Seale Woe et the ~met litho et Se amid
awital Ave the depait elihjeastw. let I I I wapy bat
was a tie i bet diaselere r Walk be lutai ud la me s
metier. 71elles at _. Whelan Med bst palled men%
Is sassitiblythhatetaL Ii
the Int ths means eel pep&
koalas vet Est postelly be We eft delles; they
shooldie the telleseas aphis se Win 01111111WOM
with soh met Wade% I se rain magma le list Wilt Is
saw whliolan.lbe ertt oar Or brat, the Memseete.
owe the the mar seer Wes= We WM
=lll=lent iltaiebt:he
INN Poillaselatos erailast sittellanTirar 1117:"1"
lee noel petit), sag of the dishiest Roma le them

Of the probable results to the dissenters take the
following :.

AM tbds—belege be tie Feld et MM. I OM, tbe merdieas
dee Melee MB MUM* beer Ilmenble te the Mime ri
maraB=is. kilideL es dr. Ulm Malme,—eed "pia 1
M bit e walkout it di MOW 0 se my me.—tlet,
in aqui mewl mats will ke ask te MANpopilimeien
aad ail Embers, M Mlbe t Se laevidie 11111 Soma
thin OM—la Me yews after tbe Mem MI Me am bee
id media, Web raft 17 yam et am Kiele ame wbo
met be et leed um di, will be eat ma Sr elmettoad
mad • MIIS be eies my be Moaned to nod eleeis,
ucemeineim et big prodded ler it 1,1111• Yew
beedreika as bow it cm be am) my be eapl=
tie ride weir, mod tbe remake. MAN. wil be
the wed& ft NM Oak at Om but my.
me 14e, W. ailests same dile wake Omar

that will be thus trained as most extravagant—for it by ao reams H.
lows that became a rebook of SO miry hare two pupil taichem, that
therefore a nebool of SOO must have 20--I Mill think it inevitulas that
a very large nuniaer of intelligent, .located, and esterpe Mug youths
will. about the thae referred to, be neeemarily let loose upon society
without the knowledge of any. handier eft, eatrasfeed by the:r habits
and training from the emupaums of the vulgar, and 11l flared to beer
up agaitim the disappointed hopes to which a large narater must be
inevitably doomed. The effect like theta( other great social changes,
will, in the hod instance, be exceedingly painful to thousands; that
the evil wit ultimately right Welt; and be produclive of great and
permanent benefit, lib not foe a moment doubt. It will charge alto-
gether the Rtatus of elementary teacher. It will rapidly elevate the
mandate' of admi,sion into normal echools. It will give a more In-
tellectual character to the instrumen of the poor. It wilt dis-
place many indolent and ineeffekeit germ, and prove a char p than
in the side of more. It will creole a rote class in *rackety.
• clam hitherto unknown in this country ; persons who w:11 unite an
enlarged edue.ttion with very lowly birth and corm-et-ma, refinement
with deep poverty. The benefit will not be unmixed with evil and
danger. Many will be irreligion.; many will be indolent and un-
disciplined; many will be arotntious and discontented. Ftil I I see no
other way in which the &oared end can he attained; and Milne many
more may reasonably be expected, ureter the divine bli ming on
their in•truction, to grow up faithful in the perform-tete of duty,
skilful in the g werninent of the tarmg, patient, inn, red tt tench,
and eminently fitted for their work, I cannot but think that, on the
whole, the advent gee will greatly preeonderate, and the government
and the country be fully remunerated Me the labour that must be
bettowed, and the expense that must be incurred. But the par-
ticular feature of the change to which I 'wish to direct attention its
tins; it will opisi the tray foe the easy anstearly establishment 0.,
schools by rAe dis,taiers in retry sortsh where ten !seethes ease.
found. The youths in question, wandering like poor '<briar, of the
olden time, from Lome in quest of r snployment, cornmeal," to teach,
and wet. skilled nit only in elementary marten., but in tho rutimens
of algebra. and in the prettier of lanetturveying and levelling, will
eagerly embrace :my offer that may be made to them to corn-
tame a tchnol in whirl, the cm +lament arising front the in-
struction of the children of the farmers or trate-men shall oom-
papate for the achnimicn of a darted number of the chiltrew of the
labourers free edema. A school thug commenced bye well-qualified
tenter, will Wen gather round it elements of strength ant perma-
nence; a committee of Runup mint will, in due time, follow; and
there in then nothing to hinder is admission too slant in all the ad-
I nommen of its more htenuret tival. In the way, if in no other, I
tun aniseed the "Minutes. will work well for dismntera If the
Wheels and clergy have (which I foe one do not tedteve) ',mete-wed.
these • Minutes" for the sake of malting the church at the expellee
of the dissenters, they have not, I think, acted with their usual Ware-
tintt. Inmead of putting new cheeks upon the activity ot their oppo-
neer., they have only afforded arkittioned security for their liberty.and
livelinent.

We recognisc in these propositions the genuine
spirit of English noneonform'ty : they aro patriotic
and christian, such as might have emanated from the
Ilampdens, the Seldens, and the Miltons, thonib not
very likely to prove acceptable in a Praise-God Bare-
bones Parliament. We can easily understand the
delicacy which prevented the secretary of the British
and Foreign School Society, and the important body
which he represents, from casting an implied censure
on the errors of their more violent brethren, so long
as any semblance of temper or moderation was main-
tained; we feel sympathy for their reluctance to
struggle against a fractional faction until they found
that the essence and character of nonconformity were
likely to be compromised by their silence ; and we
rejoice to find that their rebuke is couched in the
language of dignified pity, not of angry recrimination.
It is not our part to make any invidious comparison
between the amount of nonconformist wealth and
intelligence represented by the British and Foreign
School Society, and that comprised in the recent con-
ference. The materials for a statistical contrast are
not at our disposal ; but if we may judge, as the world
will judge, from the published reports and proceed-
ings of the two bodies, there can be little difficulty in
di termining which has manifested more of the calm-
ness that belongs to conscious influence, the dignity
that belongs to conscious power, and the decorum that
suits a consciousness of enlightened opinion.

ginsNEW SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS.
--The thirteenth annual exhibition of the new society of
painters in water colours opens this day at the Gallery, Nis.
53, Pall-mall. The exhibition is of a very pleasing character,
with some half done works of particular excellence; three •
or four large and ambitious efforts (for which the society has
been hitherto distinguished); a fair sprinkling of love-
scenes, and of euhject pictures, but with the usual deficiency
of works of landscape art, in which the new society still con-
tinues to be inferior to the old. The best picture in the
exhibition is contriout.d by Mr. Ilaghe, " hieeting-room of
the Brevrene Corporation at Antwerp"--a modest name, toe
mod, st, indeed—ter the picture is a kind of conversation
piece containing eleven full-length figures admirably grouped
and full of character and colour. 'fine is by far the most
successful picture we remember of Mr. Hsghe's. He has
painted on other caseation/ his accessories as well, hie chairs,
cabinets, and stuffs, his old leather hangings, and
quaintly-cut glees chandelien : but his figures were
never before as good, or the character be bas calm seed
in the face as happy as it is here. In point o.
colour it is the very perfection of water.colot.r painting,
and rivals oil in everything but the excellence of i's flesh
that'. After Mr. Heghe we would place Mr. Jenkins, on
account of No. 187, "The Happj Time—Brittany." Here,
though the subject is old—a pair of lovers looking affec-
tionately at one another--the treatment is novel and happy,
and the expression on the girl's fees sweetly simple aud con-
fiding. There is some affectation, however, in the crow
legged attitudes in which both of them stand leaning against
a wall—and a certain poverty of manner in the arrangement
of the background.
The two most ambitious tfforta in the gallery are Mr.
Warren's " John the Baptist preaching," and Mr. Riviere's
" Meeting of Ja-ob and Rachel." Sacred subjects have not
been very happily treated in this country by either our poets
or our painters. Here the desire bee been mistaken
for the means, the inclination for the power. Yet
there is something to corn:l:end in both; chiefly,
however, a certain facility of invention and a promise
of excellence when the same pencils are employed in pour-
traying events of a less lofty character. That Mr. Warren
can occasionally accomplish all he has attempted, his
" Waiting for the Baggage Camels" (No 88) is a
striking and admirable illustration. After Mr. Warren
and Mr. Riviere, Mr. Wehnert and Mr. Absolon
are the most ambitious members of the mciety.
Mr. Wehnert contributes " The Death of Jean Goujon, the
sculptor ;" and Mr. Absolon " The Young Pretender .sleep
in a cave in the Isle of Skye." Jean Goujon, the sculptor,
was shot during the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, while at
work on his scaffolding finishing some bat reliefs in one of
the courts of the Louvre. The incident has, therefi ire, much
that adapts it for the purposes of art. Mr. Webnert, how-
ever, has made very little of it—leas, indeed, than his
Sculptor in Prison" had led in to expect. Mr. Absolon
hes been more successful ; but then lees has been attempted.
There can be but one expression on a sleeping fax-
but
the countenance of a dying man may, exhibit

a variety of emotions. Among -the better:class *-
tures we may further enumerate two by Mr.
Topham, "Cavan's Well," and "St. Patrick's-dm-Scene in
the West of Ireland," the former suggested, perhaps, by a
small picture by Mr. Goodall at the Bratiah Institution. Me,
Reichard has a pretty three-quarter figure in white, called
"La Heine des Flours." Mr. Taylor, a clever little picture
of a kitchenmaid placing a rose against her cheek, and,
while looking at herself in a shilling minor, fora( tting her
employment of peeling turnip* at the sink. Mr. Juts=
has rent the best landscape in the exhibition, " The Stream.
let," No. 251 ; Mr. Howse, " The Attack," too small, and
too sketchy, but effective end suggestive ; Mr. Mole, a
charming tittle group of " Gleaners Rating "—two girls at
a stile, the younger one's face exquisitely simple; Mr. Hodg-
son, a semi-circular shaped landscape, called "Sweet Sum-
mer Time," prettily conceived, but somewhat cold and even
careless in execution. Nor are the ladies undeserving a word
of commendation. Miss Egerton is advancing in a know-
ledge of the resources of her art ; and Mrs. Margetta paints
fruit and flowers, and ivory and ruby cups, with as much
truth and precision in water colours as Mr. Lance (whom s
talent is so well known) accomplishes in the richer qualities
of oil.

IntNIL
SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.—The performance of
Mendelseohn's Elijah," under his direction, took place ea •
Friday evening. Our musical readers will remember that this
oratorio wax first performed at the Birmingham Festival he •
August last, on which occasion we gave a detailed amount et
the piece itself and of its performance. Notwithstanding the
great effect which it then produced, the composer himself, it
appears, was not fully satisfied ; for he has since bestowed
much time and care upon its revisal, and has made eon-
siderable alterations upon it. Several portions of it have
been entirely re-written ; and there is scarcely a movement
which has not undergone some change. Alterations have
been made, not only in the music but in the ;item, whist',
in several places, has been rendered more coherent, end
more dramatic in its language. The performance
at Exeter Hall, considering the short time spent
in preparation, there having been only one rehearsal
since Mendelssohn's arrival, was wonderfully good. It
was defective chiefly in the choruses. In the pea-
ewes *which demanded great power, the choral voices
did not come out with sufficient firmness and decision ;
hence the volume of sound was not commensurate with the
numerical strength of the singers ; occasional wavering and
unsteadiness in taking up the points detracted from the
dearness of the harmony ; and the vocal parts were over-
powered by the loudness of the organ and of the brazen it
In the softer parts of the choruses, !severer, and
hi the concerted movements for solo voices, many beautiful
effects were podneed. The principal gagers were Mr.
Phillips, Mr. I•ockey, MN Birch, and Mies Dolby. The
weight of the performance lay chiefly on Mr. Phillips, who
sustained the part of Elijah with great energy and.power.
The performance was enthnaiutiplly applauded by a very
crowded audience, and many Ideas were encored. We un-
derstand that her Majesty and Prince Albert have intimated
their intention of kononring with their presence the
second performance of this oratorio en Friday neat.

ARRIVAL OF JOINT 1.3-ND.—The long-looked-for
arrival of this singer his at last taken plan. She reached
Blackwall on Saturday afternoon, by the General Steam
Navigation Company's steamer, Sir Edward Banks, front
Ostend, after a very favouraLle passage. She was met by
Mr. Lumley, who accompanied her to town ; and on Satur-
day night she visited Her Majesty's Theatre.
The Atheneum announces that " teener stars - %'e 4t
also travelled into our =lineal sphere, including the .., ,• • v0,,.:4-.? :14
bergers,. a party of young players on stringed nisi . f ~,
.......___.2
from Vienna, of whom report speaks highly. Alto
...i..s ~.., ...s PI
the hopes of German music - young Jeachim. H .sk ;.: e,. ~.'kz- la
mere, a pianist of good classical r puts, is shortly e .7 ..„...1"..- -;-i'sr-.. ~..,,
and Herr Holsel, whose agreeable oompoeitions . „,' -,;:*.j: ~. •-w
able singing are not forgotten, is 'hooey here. -• igf ' "-• i..,.
oriq. v
-.I kr