The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 10, 1853.

uh.ile pr..incee oduc..tion in the colonies and in fun ign
per a. TLe Asia of school astiterial at reduced prices liJs
TLe balmier sheet shows an expenditure of
nearly 19,000!., and the society urgently appeals f..r in-
creased seh•criptions."

The Bishcpol MANCHESTER, in moving the printing of the
report and the appointment of the committee, expressed hie
grey at not having been present at the entire examination
of the children that morning, but for the most important
part he could answer, that the institution was working as
well as ever. (Hear, hear.) He had himself been engaged
for 20 years in education, part of the time in co-operation
with the lamented Arnold, and could therefore give en
opinion of same value iu fasciae both of the verbal accuracy,
and religiousspirit with which the children had Finn their
answers in the holy seriptures. (Hear, hear.) The report
was full of most interesting matter. He could heartily re-
spond to the wish expressed in it by a brother-clergyntan,
that every village might contain a British school. (Hear,
hear.) It had been said that the parents did not wish to
have their children educated ; he feared that that was too
true, but the reason was, that the education offered was not
practical. (Hear, hear.) That objection, however, was
oonspletely obviated by the truly practical system of this
osisty. (Hear, hear.) From experience of his own
populous diocese he could speak to the value of its
operations. Crime was rapidly disappearing there, and
Its believed that that result bad been happily accele-
Mod by the general adoption of the separate system in
poems and the classification of criminals—the latter wee-
am having gone tar to break up the gangs with which the
north had formerly been infested. The Factory Bill had
also done much, and the half-timers were rapidly becoming
valuable aids to educational progress. He had been happy
to hear in the report the approbation expressed of the
minutes in council, for he felt that those minutes had been
the means of educating hundreds. (Hear, hear.) Turning
to another topic, he must say that he disagreed with the
Dean of Hereford as to the sufficiency of the self-sustain-
ing.system. At this moment many of the young men
trained in this school had left the schools for other occupa-
tions, and many were placing themselves in a false position
by endeavouring to eater the ministry of the Church of
England. This must be met, but it could only be met
by making their rewards as teachers permanent and
supporting. Such • result could only be attained by a
pubic rate, which, in his opinion, would by no means
interfere ith the voluntary system. He believed, how-
ever, that by the adoption of a system which he was about
to indicate, the voluntary system might be rendered much
more effectual. Look to the parallel ease of the legal relief
of the poor ? How much had that system improved the
condition of the poor, and yet it had not at all diminished
the spontaneous charity which fed the hospitals, the dis-
pensaries, and the asylums. (Hear, hear.) The right rev.
prelate having complimented the society on the liberality
which gave to all sects a common platform, proceeded to
tell a striking anecdote of a wretched boy of 12 years old,
who even at that tender age had been eight times in prison.
Oa the ninth he was so worked upon by the pious chaplain
of the gaol, that he gave every promise of reformation.
However, on his discharge, he found that in the interim his
mother bad gene to the union, and that he had no home
to go to. He struggled with his destiny for two days, but
at the end of that time hunger prevailed; he stole bread,
and was again scat back to prison. Again he reformed
under the chaplain, but one day being found reading his bible
on his bed, which ho had unrolled for the purpose, contrary
to the regulations of the prison, he was reproved and stopped
by the warder. He obeyed at once, but the same warder
returning in an hour, found him a wretched suicide, sus-
pended from the window of his cell. (The recital of this
anecdote created a powerful impression on the meeting.)
He (the Bishop of Manchester) submitted that this was a
state of things which called for the immediate and powerful
interference of both the government and the people. (ileac,
near.; The right reverend prelate concluded by moving the
adoption of the report.
iscount EBiLNOTON seconded the resolution, coinciding
with the mover as to the necessity of an education rate,
especially in the western counties, where wages were low,
but by no means coincidently with smallness of families.
(Cheers and laughter.) In conclusion, the speaker com-
plimented the chairman on his introduction of the recent
educational measure of the government. The resolution
was unanimously agreed to.
The Rev. F. CLOSE (Cheltenham) moved the second re-
solution, declaring the necessity of continued exertion.
He congratulated the meeting on the progress
of education during the last ten years, which
he thought was mainly attributable to the judi-
cious measures of her Majesty's government. It
had all, he believed, been effected by the rapilly extending
system of pupil teachers combined with government inspec-
tion. The taste for christian education was rapidly extend-
ing, and, he believed, would extend still more, and that the
people would all send their children to school. were they
sure that body and soul would both be attended to. Any
disinclination that at preseat existed was attributable to the
badness of the schools, and, he believed, that wherever a
good schoolmaster established himself, he would, coule pisi
coml., get a school about him, whether he was British and
Foreign, denominational, or voluntary. (Hear, hear.) It
they wanted a pauper education let it bo free, but if they
wanted an elevating education it must be paid for. The
people valued only what they paid for, a remarkable proof
of which existed in Scotland, where it was quite common to
see bare-legged children paying sixpence • week for school.
(Rear, hear.) But the fact was that Sandy was a shrewd
fellow, and calculated that if he gave his children • good
education, they would soon be able to buy shoes and stock-
ings for themselves. (Cheers and laughter.) For these
reasons he did not wish to see the self sustaining system
thrown over altogether. He would mention a gratifying fact
which had been communicated to him by • Cheltenham
magistrate. The writer said that, when four years since
he entered the magistracy, Northleeeli jail could not con-
tain all the criminals, and enlargements were projected,
whereas the other day he found on a magisterial visit, that
there were not prisoners enough to turn the treadmill that
supplied water to the jail. (Loud cheers.) Much of this
was of course to be attributed to emigration, and something
to the improvement of trade, but his (Mr. Close's) belief
was, that after all this striking improvement was mainly
attributable to to the spread of education. (Hear, hear.)
An empty jail and a full school were things that all well-
wishers of the country should endeavour for. (Cheers.)
Dr. DUFF 'seconded the resolution with an eloquent dis-
sertation on the spiritual and temporal advantages of •
sound scriptural education. The resolution was agreed to.
The Rev. F. JOBSON (Wesleyan minister) proposed the
third resolution, offering the grateful thanks of the meet-
ing to her Majesty and Prince Albert, for their continued
patronage and munificent support. (Goad cheers.)
Mr. WzaraaLar (Moravian minister from Antigua)
seconded the resolution, bearing a warm testimony to the
advantages which Antigua derived from the fact of its being
under British rule. The coloured people there, especially
since "Uncle Tom" had come among them—(cheers)—
thanked God that they were under British rule, and the
little children devoured what they called " The Topsy
Book " with tears of grateful appreciation of the advan-
tages of their own position as compared with that of their
bleak brethren in the United States. (Loud cheers.) The
rev. gentleman gave a premising account of the schools of
the island, but urged the necessity of increased pecuniary
assistance.

Tee revelation was agreed tn.
The Rev. Dr. HOBEY (Baptist minister) moved a vote of
thanks to his grace the Duke of Bedford for his liberal sub-
serlpSions, and to Lord John Russell for his kindness in
presiding at the present and former meetings.
I Sir JANIS K. 8/lUTTLYWORTIL in brief terms seconded
the resolution.

The SzcarriatY (Mr. Dunn), in putting the resolution,
announced that, in addition to former gifts, the chairman
had that morning put down his name for 201. (Loud
cheer..)

Lord J. EVINELL rose to return thanks. His lordship
said—Ladies and gentlemen, I will detain you but for every
short time in thanking you for the kindness with which you
have received the resolution which has just been proposed
to yen. Indeed I have some doubts whether I should be
*ad In *staining you at all ; and whether, having occu•
pia Ibis chair so often, you would not have been better
pkissil to see a new face, and to have some novelty in the
aniset of your proceedings. (Loud cheers, and cries of
"no, no.") Still I cannot but feel that, having taken a
warm interest in the affairs of this society, from its earliest
days, and recollecting how loag it is since it was first
assisted by mz father, who took a warm interest in the sys-
tem of education which Joseph Lancaster introduced into
this country, I cannot but feel a great gratification in seeing
the position in which the question of education now stands.
It is Impossible net to see that that which I stated a year
ago from this place—namely, that we were hastening
to a period when the question would be ripe for a more ex-
tended application, and for new measures, is now happily
becoming realised. (Hear, hear.) And let me add also
that the last steps will be much more rapid than the first,
because in the first place we had to rely on the energy,
zeal, and benevolence of a few persona who took a wiser
view of this question than the majority of their country-
men; but towards the end of the struggle, when education
becomes more general, you have other sentiments to appeal
to, and those who remain behind, and who happen to have
property in the towns and villages which are left without
schools, and in remote districts, will be actuated by shame,
and will feel themselves open to the reproach that they have
taken no part in the education of their fellow countrymen.
(Hear.) Some question has been raised today as to the best
mode of promoting education. Now, we (the British and Fo-
reign School Society) have always endeavoured to promote it
in connexion with religion. That was from the commence-
ment our principle, and will, I trust, continue to be so
(cheers)—but, at t,ie same time, as many reflections have
oeen thrown out against those who promote secular educa-
tion, I may, perhaps, say, without beirg an advocate of
opinions from which I differ, or of a scheme from which I
entirely dissent, that in some instances the mode in which
religious education has been given, has given some advan-
tages to the arguments, and some plausibility to the scheme,
of those who promote merely secular education. If all
those who unite religion with education would consider
that the child has body and mind as well as soul, and if all
would act according to that theory, there is no doubt
but that a union of religious with secular edu-
cation would be the sole education thought fit
to bring up men and women for this Christian
community. (Cheers.) But when part of that lesson is
forgotten, when the body and the mind are very much
neglected, and that which is taught of rclgiun, is so con-
ducted into the paths of theological difference, and of the-
oretical opinion which divide christian sects from one
another, then, the man who is for secular education steps in
and says, " These children are entirely occupied with reli-
gious differences' and with niceties which they do not com-
prehend, we had better put aside religious points, and Ict
education be given at different times and by different per-
sons." (Rear, hear.) I think, that we who belong to
the British and Foreign School Society, have always done
beet to avoid that error, and I believe that in the future
education of the people of this country it will be much