The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-12 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12.

IT is not often that we are able to quote Sir Joins
T. Courainoz as a sound expositor of liberal and
progressive opinions. Prone to look at the past
rather than the future, his views of public affairs
are sometimes deeply tinged with that meditative
and sentimental conservatism which belongs to
natures sensitive and refined rather than robust.
His defence of church rates, for example, this time
last year, was a fine example in politics of what
Mr. RI:1111LIN calls the " pathetic fallacy " in art.
But there is little trace of this reactionary weak-
ness in the lecture he delivered at Tiverton last
week on " Public Schools." On the contrary, the
address is remarkable fur the breadth and libe-
rality of its general views of education, especially
in its most important practical aspect, as affecting
the middle and lower classes. Sir J. T. Coax•
RIIK:C told his hearers that the whole question of
Education had engaged his mind for many years,
and as the result of his study and observation he
his arrived at views much in advance of those still
current amongst many of even the more
intelligent members of his party. In the
first place, while urging the importance of
raising the general standard of education
throughout the country, he places the ne-
cessity for this higher national progress on
its true grounds. "He had felt the deep.
" set anxiety for the spread and improvement
"of education among all classes. The wants of
" the country and the circumstances of the times
" he believed made the call for its extension and
" improvement more urgent He had said before,
" and he repeated it now, because he was con-
" winced of the truth of it, that the irresistible ten-
" dency of the times was not so much to increase
"education as to bring into activity the political
" power of what were called the lower classes of
" the country. This was so marked a tendency, it
"1 was so regular in its advance, so vigorous in its
" springs of action, that it could not be over-
" looked. It therefore became their duty to strive
" to make the classes in question fit to exercise
" the functions cast upon them." Sir J. T.
CoLERILma truly says, that the irresistible ten-
dency of the times is to bring into activity the
political power of all classes, and especially of
those who have hitherto possessed it in the lowest
degree, or not at all. In other words, it is inevi-
table that the rights and duties of citizenship
should gradually become more widely extended
amongst the people. This is the great law of
r.ditical progress, and its workings in any country
%ill he seen just in proportion to the vigour and
frveduut of national life. In a free country
like our own political power must necessarily
spread amongst all classes, and education is
needed to fit for its exercise. These just
views of Sir J. T. Cotganeas are in striking con-
treat to those we recently quoted from the Satter-
day Rrririr on the subject of middle-class educa-
tion. The Conservative journal objects to any
substantial improvement of middle-class educa-
tion, on the ground that it would tend to raise the
pupils above their station. The Conservative
judge strongly urges a higher standard of teach-
ing on the more rational ground that it would
fit them for their dirties. Our weekly contemporary
assumes that a good education would unfit sell-
siblo youths for the pursuits of trade and corn-
:nerve. It would not be difficult to show that
such an assumption betrays not only a grievous
misconception of the true end of education, but
a radical scepticism as to its real value. Education
is not designed to make a man either a lawyer or
a grocer. Its true aim is to train and discipline
the faculties of the mind, and thus fit them for
prompt and vigorous use in the active business
of life. And if such training has any intrinsic
worth at all it must tend to strengthen the
judgment and improve the character, instead of
leading youths into fatal mistakes, and making
them gicator fools than they otherwise would have
been.

Sir J. T. COLEILIDOS answers another and more
selfish objection urged by our contemporary
against raising the standard of Middle-Class
Education. It is that "the market of in-
" telledual labour being rather glutted," middle-
class youths ought not to be tempted in any way
to compete with the class above them who are
now educated for intellectual callings. This auda-
cious chdin to a monopoly of intellectual rewards
loses sight of the fact that of old both classes, the
higher and lower, enjoyed together the advan-
tages public school education, and that the
highest amnia in English literature include many
who rose from the lowest ranks of the middle
class. Sir J. T. Cotsittnur, rejecting the plea of
privilege and monopoly, urges the far more just and
genet ens doctrine that educational ad can tages should
be extended se widely as possible. Those who
are rrally superior will then justly take the
tint place. "In order for the other classes to
" preserve their places in society they must be
" diligent in their own education. It would not
" do to rest upon tradition or upon privilege, for
" if they still desired to lead they must make
" thetie.elcus fit to be leaders. They must strike
" out with the most skilful swimmers in the race.
" While all around the underwood of the forest
" was making vigorous shoots, their own growth
" must not be neglected lest they were overgrown.
" Let them feel no dismay, for the stream which
" might overwhelm if they attempted to stop it
" woubl become a sourest of abundant blessing if
" they dinscted its course aright."
After considering the general end of education
Sir J. T. Commix:it goes on to deal with means
for securing it ; and here he naturally looks
with fare nr on public schools as among the best
instrumeuts of education. As an Old Etonian he
has a generous partiality for Eton, whose leading
idea he describes as " The union of liberty of action
" and mdependsmos of thought in the boy with,