The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-26 00:00:00

EDUCATION IN NORTH STAJPORDSBIDE:

The annual meeting in connexion with the North
Staffordshire EducatimalAssociation wits held a few days ag.,
in the Town-hall, Stoke-on-Trent, under the presidency of
the klexl of LICHFIELD lord-lieutenant of the county.
The attendance was much smaller than usual, but the wee.
they was most unfavourable.

Mr. Wane(Stone67ammar School), the examiner, read
the report of the recent examination of the competitora for
the prizes offered by the association.
Lord LICHFIELD then said that several persons had sent
excuses for non-attendance, and amongst them the Arch.
deacon of Stafford. The attendance was very null fur a
meeting of so mach interest as that ought to he in the Pot.
teries. Whatever the causes of the small attendance, he
hoped want of interest in the subject of education was not
one of them. They were able to congratulate themselves
that they had in Bishop Selwyn a worthy successor totheir
late bishop. (Hear, hear.) But however worthy a suc-
cessor they might have in him, they knew, at any r..te
what they had lost in the death of their late tlioceaae:
(Hear, hear.) It was now four years since he (Lord Lich-
field) himself occupied the chair at • meeting of that
society and distributed the prizes ; and be could not help
renumbering that the circumstances then existieg with
regard to eutication in the district were very different
from what they were now. At that time (December, 1.63)
they had just sent an appeal from the principal maim.
lecturers of that district to parliament to irquire into
the whole subject of education in the Potteries, which
appeal was followed by legislative restrictions upon the
employment of children. He remembered the difference of
opinion which then prevailed as to the exact systate whi;a
ought to be adopted, every one feeling agreed that war
legislative interference in the employment of children was
absolutely necessary. The great difference of opinion that
then existed was as to whether the employment of
dress under ten should be altogether prohibited, or the
half-time system should be adopted, as in some othsr di..
tricts. It might be too soon to refer to the results which
had followed the legislation which then took place ; but
from all he bad heard, from the reports of the inspectors of
factories and schools, and from all the information lie had
been able to obtain, those results, as far as they had gone,
were eminently satisfactory ; so much so that ho was %cry
much disposed to believe that there was a general concur-
rence in the adoption of the half-time system. Moreover,
the evils that were expected to follow from half.
timers coming in contact with children who attend.'
all day at school had proved to be unfounded.
At the time he had been referring to (the meeting of
1863) he had occasion to remark as a feet then well known
by everybody who bed read the reports of the inspectors
of schools and factories, that of the whelk number of cell.
dren at school, 75 per cent. left before they were ten years
of age. So far as the working of the factory acts had
borne upon that state of things, they knew from statistics
that there were at that moment in the schools of that die.
trict no less than 3,000 children who had been pre' tangly
employed, and no doubt contributed to that 75 tar cent,
who left school before ten. These children were now en.
joying the advantages of a certain amount of education up
to the age of thirteen. (Hear, hear.) As they knew, the
object of that scheme was, from the first, to encourage, by
giving prises, those who remained at school beyond a
certain age—the age at which it was well known very
many were in the habit of leaving school. Thcy gave
prises that children who had been in the habit of leaving
school at eleven continued up to twelve ; and to thaw
who, staying there till twelve, were in • position w com-
pete under a more severe examination. It appeared to
him that the objects of the society were, to a certain
degree, if not wholly, met by the legislative restrictions
upon the employment of children up to the age of 13, and
it struck him that the society was no longer required for
the purpose for which it had hitherto existed. Is ought
for the future to have for its object inducing children to
attend school the whole of their time up to a certain age,
and keeping them from going to work at all under that
age—it should, in fact, confine itself to the encoura.-euient
of education after the age when legislative interference
ceased—after the age of 13. He did not think anyone who
looked upon what was going on, both in this couniry and
abroad, in the improvements which were continually taking
place in the different manufactures, some of which the
Potteries were so famous for could help seeing that the
continuation of education after the age of 13 was of the
utmost importance to the future prosperity of the trade of
that district. (Hear, hear.) So far as he could understand,
the managers of that society had put the half-tinier on
precisely the same footing as the whole-timer—that was
that the half-timers might compete with the whole-timam
being put of course to the disadvantage, if it was one, of
being at school only half their time instead of the whole of
it. This required a little consideration. He had heard it
said that the progress made by half-timers was really so
remarkable that it was found that they got as much edu-
cation as those who were at school the whole of their
time. If that was really the case, the necessity for giv-
ing encouragement to children to remain at school
the whole of their time, instead of half their time,
would not exist; but upon this subject he should like
to hear some remarks from those who were taking an
active pert in the affairs of the society. However, they
might at any rate congratulate themselves not only
upon the improvement which had been brought shout by
the operations of that association in inducing children to
remain at school, but also upon the very great increase in
the number of children educated. (Hear, hear.) But,
unfortunately, with all they had in that respect to con-
gratulate themselves upon, be was afraid there was • great
deal still to be done ; that although the number receiving
education had very much incensed, at the same time there
was • vast number of children who were receiving no edit-
cation at all, neither at school nor at work. The number
of these in some of our large manufacturing towns hal
been stated at something almost incredible to those who
were not already aware of the facts. They had been told
of the enormous number of children in places like 51.sn-
, cheater who were turned into the streets, and neither west
to school nor to work. He thought that, upon inquiry, it
would be found that there was a very large number of
children in the Potteries who were uneducated—(bear)-
1 and if, as he suspected, • large number of these were toe
children of persons receiving out-door relief, itwas a subject
worthy of the consideration of the guardians whether they
were doing as much as they ought to do for education. (Ala
plause.) With respect to the education of children in the
workhouses, which was a most important subject, he had
heard with great satisfaction that Stoke had provided, 3
largo expense, separate sohcol buildings attached to CI
workhouse, where poor children would be educated, and their
parents assisted thereby, instead of receiving money assist-
ance from the parish. That was a plan which could baldly
fail to work most admirably, and it was gte itly to the
credit of the parish that such • large sum of mousy
(13,000 L) had been expended on such an admirable insti-
tution as that school must infallibly prove to be. (thee
bear.) Afterall, though they might oongratulate thennelras
upon the improvements in education which had taken
place, there was no doubt that in many parts of the cote:
try some very different system would have to be adopted
than that which had been hitherto the general system of
education in this country. Before long the whole subject
would not only occupy the attention of parliament to a
greater extent than it had done hitherto, but public atten-
tion as well. (Hear.) There were some places in which
the voluntary system had undoubtedly failed, and SAM
other system must be had recourse to ; but such +la-
don should take place as would secure to every pert of
the country the same advantages which were derived by
those parts where education had really been successfully
applied. (Hear, hear.) So far as regarded that district,
the voluntary principle had worked in a very remarkably
succesaful manner. (Hear, hear.) He bad been aakinz
Sir Lovelace Starnerhowtheyhail succeeded in securin; the
large amount of additional accommodation that must nave
been required for the great accession of children ealuottol
under the half-time system (something like 3.000). Ac-
commodation had been provided for these in the last
three years, and there had been no difficulty in pro-
viding it. He heard this with great satisfaction.
because it was not long ago that there was
a meeting In South Staffordshire to ascertair. what
steps it would be necessary to take in order to provide the
additional accommodation which would be required there
to educate the large number of children who would be
brought in that district under the operation of the Factory
Act. Although they were told there was a considerable
amount of surplus accommodation for children in the
schools of that district, they certainly did contemplate a
very serious difficulty in how the remainder of the required
accommodation was to be got. But when he foetid that
the difficulty had been so comfy and so adiabatically over-
come in the Potteries, he felt very sanguine that it would
he as easily surmounted in the south. (Hear, hear.) Alta
some further remarks the noble chairman concluded his
address, and then distributed the prizes.

The annual distribution of prizes to the pupils
attending the School of Art in connection with this in-
stitution took pleas os Monday at the society's Louse.
Kildare-street, Dublin. The attendance was very
including a number of ladies. Amongst those prts,
were—Lord Strathnairn, Commander of the 1' •••
Judge Lynch, Sir George Hodson, Bart., and Lady Bed.
eon, Sir Robert Kano, Mr. Laurence Waldron.
Colonel Adamson, Mr. George Woods Mauneell, Ea'
toss Netterville and the Hon. Eliza Netterville. Ilan.
Louisa Yelverton, General and Mrs. Irving, the Lori Mater
elect and Mrs. Carroll, the Rev. J. J. BlscSor!
W. R. Meredith, Mr. Pierce Creagh, Mr. Geer-, 11. Me!.
van P..H.A., Mr. Kirk R.H.A., Mr. Darling: 11r.
P. Read, Mr. Henry Macanums, 1t.H..1 Mr. 1,111..,::
. Sanders Commissary-General and Mn.
Hingston, Mr. B. Meredith, LL.B., Mr. end Mr, Pielys
and Miss Vandelear, Mrs. Hutchinson, Mn. Lloyd. Nr.
B. D. Drunker, solicitor ; the Collector of Custow,.
taro Simeon, Mr. Thomas P. Beetle, Mr. G. ....nos.
Secretary General Post-ofilos, end MrsCorner:di, t.er 14v.
N. P. Spellacy, Dr. and the Misses Dirbanids.c.
FEIENDLEAS AND FALLEN ItEnswwatouv, 4c,
Office, 200, Easton-road, N.W.—B. W. Thome... Tet..ry•
gratefully acknowledges the following :•-Mr.
10s. 6d. ; Darlington, 10s. ; ditto, 10s. ; M. P.. IV.,
a Friend, 11. ; for Night Refuge, L. E., ss. • Chill'"""
2s. ;R. E. lip, 21. 641. • a Woman, On. ; 11. M.. ;
Canterbury Friend, 24..61; E. H. L, Is. ; Jocoi,e. ;
Tiverton, 'A. 6d. ;T.H. W. 2s. ; 8., ;
Anonymous, sa. ; Well-wisher, ss. ; Ann Der-hose.
2s. lid. ; Mr. Grower, ss. ; Mr. Smith. 10f. ; en Il`t
Soldier. Is. ; Jersey.; H. G., 2s. 6d. ; Rotherham. ••s• •
Mr.. Gordon. 2f. 51. Further help before the 51st
earnestly solicited.