The Express.
London, England, 1856-02-11 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, PBBRU.42Ir 11.

THE institution which now flourishes under the
name of the " Society for the Buttourageensut et
Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce," although arm
more admirably conducted than at the present mo-
ment, must be content to abdicate a poetics of these
functions which it ones amused. Arts, commerce,
and manufactures art utterly beyond the reach of the
encouragement of any society. The industrial arts,
from mere pigmies, have grown to be giants. Dsy
by day they lead captive the bidden forces of nature,
and prem them into their service. At the command
of the Arts chemistry does the work of millions of men
and horses ; the sun turns artist ; with a little acid and
metal the work of the gilder is executed, and that
with far mere recision and economy than could
be achieved by the most skilful workers in gold.
Artists, seerchants, and mandacturen used no " en-
couragement t" they it is who mooting* the world.
They Ili our laud with beauty and with plenty. They
support our state, enable us to vindicate oar dignity,
they protect as against oppreesiou, they dethrone
despots. Ia this light, so society is needed for their
lirotection.

Bat there is no reason why a society which in
termer times has does something in the troy of " en-
couragement " shaald is... hum working alto-
gether. There is still a vast work left to be done in
training the individuals who are to take charge of
the works of Art, Illeaufastures, and Commerce. That
these persons should be grounded in the principles
of Art is self-evident, and the Society of Arts may
with great propriety consider that it I. virtually ful-
filling the ends of its mention by labouring to 'loci-
date sad publish these principles amongst the classes
whose lives are to be spent in carrying than into
practice.

The SesietydArtelossannonneeditaintention doom.
mewing an attempt in this direction by instituting an
examination by ecompetent persons of snob members
el the elms@ for Malt instruction in Mechanics'

Institutes sad Atkisson= as an willing to hay'

their sequirommits tested. A large ;ember of
hbortay and mimed& gentlemen, of the highest die-
tbstioa. have consented to act as examiners, and the ,
bet examinatioa is to be held next June. It re-
mains to be mesa what shot this announcement will
have =Naga the members of the foot hundred
institutions connected with the society.
Without venturing to predict thorough suntan
to this mese= which, after all, met depend upon
the mum in which it is worked out, there is every
reason to believe that meek good may rank from it
to the mass of adult ederatios. The Society of Arts
by means of these smosiatione extending itself into
all poets of the kingdom, containing amongst its
members the majority of the diatiogalahed mem of the
country, aid working ander a judicious and visages
management, may do meth towards solving the pro.
bless of edsestica. Many of the dint:alike hitherto
found insuperable by the State, by the Church, and by
the Sects when they approach the problem do not exist
in the num of the Society of Arta. The Society has
• large field of operation before it is which it will
be impeded neither by political nee by religious preju-
dice. It steads oe a antral territory, and may coma
upon se-erred= from all porde&
The offset of a judicious system of examination
ea
the adult students in Meehaaied Lestitutions
would be to give the Institutions themselves more
vitality. Most el them have clams for the study of
=does breathes of literature and of seism= bat in
flew of these classes is displayed that lib whit* is
visible eves is the elms, of ea =Haag shoot The
reason is evident. With the selwasthey his elms-work
is hie bestow ; with the adult stagiest the class-work
Is in gametal a Mere pastime, or he takes it up with a
=gee wish to sepply the defloisasise of early edam-
ties, or to obtain that knowledge which he sees so
highly prised by those to a station above his own.
But these iedesemeals are feeble sad shadowy, com-
pared with the athletics whisk errs the school-boy
to study, or the rage* of distinction and wealth
which lighten; the lamer of the workman. But let
the adult student see that there is some] substeatial
malt to be produced by a come of seecesetel study,
sled what before wee& pastime and • dream will beense
a tempting reality. Let him bow that if be can
only attain a certain standard of ability hie merit
will be resorbed by • large mad islesatial body
whose verdict will not be disputed, mad the studies
width in time past gave him Ms mere then men
radio pleasure will sow afford him sod= sejoymeat,
and he will labour on with the =atoms= of earnest
ambition. The same effect will be predated on the
teacher. The tutor in a school is energetic became
he has to submit the result of his Moan to the
penal. of his pupils mad to • vigilant public. The
basher in ea Institute knows that kis pupils
ere hie only judges, sad he is able, if he plows.
to sagely use their locoman as the sleek to his be&
dewy. The adult workman who, having received
no education to youth, acquires a few shreds of know-
ledge late in lib, is apt to magnify hi. acquisition;
sad to feacy there is little more to acquire. Show him
the test to which he meet submit in order that he
may be considered to taw something, and his
ryes will be °posed. He will labour at his studies
es he laboured at his work. knowing that a valetas-
dal result will be obtained in both sow,
Examinations foe the members of Meshanier
Institutes will give a powerfal impetus to
the movement, of which the Watkins WWII
Colleges are a remarkable feateset. There
ought to be so reason why a mesa who, by the
fault or widens= of his parents, hen received no in-
struction in early life, should be deeded the facilities
of repairing the =dation in after years. Until lately
mineadoe, in its ordinary sonse, was supposed to ter-
sisals the moonset the boy left school. The saes=
of the Working Men's College shows that the men
themesivee, in easy iestaneas, consider this m an
antiquated error. If the ?docksides' Institutes did
not bring out the feeling of this error so distiactly, it is
beaus they were imperfectly organised, sad bemuse
they led to nothing. A esedileate from a body of
=ambers comprising auk Rea m the Astronomer-
Beyel, the Dean of Heasroan, sad a crowd of other
sea scares!, Mee distinguished, will be es highly
prised by the weave= as is the B.A. degree by the
Calamity man. The Mechanism' Institute where he
acquired the knowledge by which he was prepared
for examination will be =domed to him for the ser-
vices it hen rendered him. He will leek apes it as
the collegian le after lib leas back upon kis selleg•,
bobs& the Ifosiety of Arts will, if Ito abets be
essesseful, stand in the same relation to the
Machuice Institutes sa the University dam to the
Colleges it =stains. If the Society semeede in
imaging 400 instigation at reseal little better i

then sere leehire halls or consort roma, into eeta-
blialunents when the working adult popalatioa shall
be esebkd to repair the defects of early education, it
will bare conferred a benefit upon the country far
beyond any that it has asyetposfoored—it will hare
planted Colleges.

Everything, however, will depend upon the man-
ner in which the work is performed. Above all
will it be necessary to choose judicious examiners,
and to warn them against the rock upon which the
competitive examination at Woolwich is likely to
split. Papers must not be written to astonish the
world and to show the acquinesentsof the examiner,
but to tent the capabilities of the pupil The public
moreover, upon whose favour the success of the
scheme most ultimately depend, will insist upon
knowing something definite with regard to the course
to be adopted, and the Society ought to give as full
as =planation of its intended course as possible. If
this is done the public will be content, and will
patiently await the result.