The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-04 00:00:00

[STAXPIED, ld. ADDITIONAL.]

SOCIAL SCIENCE CONGRESS.

MANCH/BM, WIDNIEDAT.
The tenth annual meeting of the National Asso-
ciation for the Promotion of Social Science commenced

here to-day with the usual private meeting of the council.
In the afternoon the sermon was preached at the Cathedral
by the Rev. Canon Richton. The inaugural address was
delivered this evening, ►t the Free Trade-hall, by Lord
Shaftesbury.

All the meetings, except that last mentioned, are to
take place in one building—the new Assize Court'. In
this building it has been found there is ample IWO= =-
dation for the meetings of sections, committees, for soirees.
and for all purposes. The reception room was open yester-
day morning, and among the arrivals were Lord Brougham,
Lord Shaftesbury, Professor Fawcett, the Right Hon. J•

Napier, Mrs. Knox (laa Craig), Dr. Lankesier, Colonel
Patten, M.P.. Hon. George Denman, Mr. J. H. Fatcourt,
Mr. Barley, M.P.
The arrangements for the meeting up to this time are
said to be of the most complete and satisfactory character.
Amongst the papers to be read to-morrow is one by Mr.
Anthony Trellope on International Law of Copyright,
which is looked forward to with interest. This will be
read in Bastion Aof the Jurisprudence department. In
&tenon C, of the same department as interest.* diseumion
in minded to follow a paper by Mr. M. D. HM, Q.C., Oa
the question " Is it desirable to carry out life sentences to
the utmost, and if so in what eases and under what form
of discipline?" The proceedings in these mediate will be
preceded by an address from Lad Brougham in the Civil
Court. On Friday the Hen. Geo. DIIOIIIIIIII, Q. 0., M.P., is
to deliver an address.

Ithas been arranged that during Lord Shaftesbury's visit
to Manchester he will address a meeting of his old friends,
the factory workers at the Town-halL
Amongst the gatherings unconnected with the Social
Science Association which are to be held (but consequent
on the promote of so many gentlemen in Manchester of
scientific distinction taking an interest in the objects they
have in view), will be a dinner on Friday evening on the
occasion of opening the new hospital attached to the
Charlton Union Workhouse. The exposures which have re-
cently been made in connexion with union hospitals in
London will give more than ordinary interest to this
event, and arrangements have been made for visits of

member, of the as% °dation which will give them every

opportunity of inspecting this new hospital It is so mini
in advanoe of all other establishments of the kind in this

.- ----
eountty that when the proposition for it was first laid he-
lm() the Poor-law Board in London they were almost
astounded at the dimensions it was likely to assume, and

the liberality which dictated a scheme so much in ad-
vance of anything heretofore attempted. Not =ay,
years ago the townships in the Chorlton Union were of
a semi-rural character, with but a sparse and scattered
population, but the removal of dwellinp in Manchester
to make room for warehouses and places of business simulte
neously with a rapid grow th of trade has mused such resort of
the population to dwelling' in that direction, that the
number of inhabitants in the union is estimated at near
200,000. Unfortunately pauperism has kept equal pro-
gress with population, and hence the necessity for eaten-
live workhouse and hospital acoommodation. The hoe.

pital is built at the back of the workhouse, and separate
from it. It consists of five long pavilions parallel to each
other, but separated by spaces of garden ground 100 feet
each in width. Each pavilion is three stories in height,
and has three wards, each containing 32 beds, so that in
the hospital altogether there are 480 beds for the accom-
modation of the sick poor. The bedrooms are 15 feet high.
They have each a fireplace and grate, and the pavilion'
are lighted by eight windows in • line on eaoh side, so
that there is thorough light and ventilation. There are
15 baths in each, supplied with hot and cold water. Each
ward has a small kitchen and nurse's room at one end, and
other conveniences. The five pavilions are connected at
the ends towards the workhouse by • wide and lofty
corridor of immense length. A second corridor strikes at
right angles from the middle of the other, and connects
the hospital with an immense general kitchen, and through
that with the workhouse. The windows of the hospital
look out upon a fine open country, the prospect extending
into Cheshire, the boundary of that county being within a
very short distance. The cost to the union has been
about 24,0001., but the contract for the building was only
17,0001. Mr. William Gawthorpe, one of the guardians,
and chairman of the hospital board, to whom the inception
of the scheme is mainly due, will probably give a compre-
hensive description of the building and its management at
the opening dinner.
Lord SHAFTESBURY, in his inaugural address, touched
upon • great variety of subjects affecting the moral,
social, and physical well-being of the poorer chases. His
lordship passed a high eulogium upon the half-time educe-
tional system, which is now extended to the Potteries, pro-
ducing results so excellent that • recent visit to Stafford.
shire filled his heart with so much thankfulness that ho
" blessed God, the legislature, the employers, the school-
masters, and in his satisfaction everybody for the
glorious sight." A sad contrast was, however, presented
to him by the brickfiehls, where " hundreds of little girls
from eight to eleven years of age, half naked, and be-
smeared with dirt, totter under prodigious burdens of clay,
during many hours of toil, in these abodes of oppression."
And their mental abasement was so profound that when,
as the noble earl says, he spoke to them " they either re-
mained aghast with astonishment, or ran away screaming
as though some evil spirit had appeared to them."
There were not fewer than two thousand people in the
large room of the Free Trade Hall when Lord Shaftes-
bury delivered his address. It was listened to with con-
siderable interest, and at its close the retiring president
(Lord Brougham) proposed a vote of thanks to the Earl
of Shaftesbury. Dlr. E. James, M.P.) sec92,l9fla and
Sir James Bardsley supporioa ibe resolution, which
was carried with great acclamation. A second vote of
thanks, the passing of which was marked with much
earnestness of feeling, was awarded to Lord Brougham
upon his retiring from the presidency. It was proposed
by the Right Hon. Joseph Napier, and seconded by Mr.
T. Barley, M.P.
This morning Lord Brougham was to deliver an address
in connection with the Department for Jurisprudence and
amendment of the Law. The Hon. George Denman, Q.C..
M.P., also gives one upon law.

THE VOLUNTEER VISIT TO BELOTOM. —The
honorary secretaries of the English committee have re-
ceived from Lieut.-Colonel Loyd-Lindsay, ILP., his se-
orpptance of the post of commandant of the English
volunteers in Brussels. The lists of volunteers accept-
ing the Belgian invitation must be closed at noon to-
morrow, and •no tickets can be issued after that time.
It is necessary that all volunteers going over provide them-
selves with these tickets, which are iasued at the of of
the honorary secretaries, 79, Basinghalletreet, E.G., inas-
much as railway tickets at the reduced fares will not be
issued without them, and they will be required to be used
as passports in Brussels. The Belgian authorities have
made arrangements by which 125 volunteers can be
conveyed free from Dover to Brussels on the morning of
the 10th, 125 on the same evening, and the remainder on
the morning of the 11th. The railway arrangements
between London and Dover are not yet decided on, but it is
believed that the return fares will be 20s. first class, 14s.
second class. The Great Eastern Railway offer to convey
volunteers to Antwerp (twenty miles from Brussels) and
back for 15s. &stelae, 10e. second class. They will run a
special train from Bishopegate at 5.25 p.m. on Wednesday,
and will have sufficient boats in attendance to convey as
many volunteers as choose to go by that route, so that
they will arrive in Brussels about noon on Thursday.
Application for tickets should be made before-
hand. The following is the amended programme
of fetes to be offered to foreign riflemen :
Thursday, Oct. 11—Seven p.m., torchlight reception of the
volunteers in the Place dee Nations ; presentation of the
ria d'Aonneur at the Hotel de Ville. Friday, Oet. 12—
Noon, public reception of the volunteers at the Tir Na-
tional ; 9 p.m., rout at the Cercle Artistique et Litteraire.
Saturday, Oct. 13—Short range shooting ; 9 p.m., ban
given by the Socitte Royale de la Reunion Lyrique. Sun-
day, Oct. 14-2 p.m., races and steeplechase. 9 p.m., ball
given by the Societe de la Grande Harmonic Monday,
Oct. 15—Long range shooting ; 9 p.m., ball of the Societe
Philbarmonique. Tuesday, Oct. 16—Long range shooting;
9 p.m., theatrical performance. Wednesday, Oct. 17—Con.
elus;on of the shooting at the Tir NationaL Thursday,
Oct. 18—Excursion to Antwerp ; 9 p.m., promenade coo-
cert of the Societk de la Grande Harmonic
LONDON GENERAL OMNIBUS COMPANY (UNWED).
—Traffic receipts for the week ending Sept. 30, 11,523/.
7s. 44.

[TWOPENCE

MR. FAWCETT, M.P., ON EDUCATION IN Tlll
AGEICULTUILLL DISTRICTS.

Professor Fawcett, in the course of his address in
Manchester on Monday evening, at the annual meeting of
the Union of Lsnoashire and Cheshire Meehaniee butt-
totes, contended that these institutes had not failed.
They had not accomplished all the great expectations of
their founders, but they were dan a great good, sad the
exact work they were suited for. The real cause why they
were not more useful was the defkiency of elementary
education. If (he said) you look to any elsas or any dia.
trict where iceman is prevalent, you can explain he
muse in one single sentence, and it is this—that Mil-
dren are permitted to leave school sad co to work
at too early an age. (Loud cheers.) To give you an
illustration : I know the sapicaltinul &striate well, and I
believe--althlt has an Englishman I say it with a pang
of emorse and e—that the great majority of our agri-
cultural population are growing up in a state of absolute
and profound ignorance. I know villages myriad where
there ars admirable schools, plenty of money and great seal
amongst the middle and upper classes, and yet to my own
positive knowledge them is scarcely a youth who can read
the newspaper. What is thereon' cithis ? Why the parents
oat • miserable extrema upon 10a. or 1.13. •
Irma, and dneMly &tender childcen obtain even ashUlin •
week by holloaingat crows or tresdingover the fellows, that
child's taken away from school ; and, of course. it is •
truism and commonplace to assert that everything he
has learnt is soon forgotten. If you wish to prevent
this, you can do it in one way, and in one way effectually,
and thst is to extend to every branch of industry in this
eseatry the oduestiosek. 411111101 414-.81111111.4N11117
Twenty rearm repo Lord filieftedwirr led the felearled tenet
in forcing those sots —I say forcing them to a certain
post the mender interest. lam sot s .
bpre~isaedl.l7-2hat the manufacturers have resisted them,
use it was reasonable for them to say that emelt
Canal legislation is unhurt. (Hear, hear.) Ent now I wiII
say this to Lord Shaftesbury—ha will soon be here, and I
wish be was on this platform to hear it—(cheers)—let
him extend the seal which be showed in improving the
education in your own county to his own district, nay
oven to his own estate. (Cheers.) I can tell him that the
ignorance of Lancashire is never to be compared to the
present ignorance of Dorsetahire. Let him come forward
and try to in a similar measure for the agricultural
districts ; let him test the sincerity of the landed interred,
and try to prove whether, in advocating these factory MAN
they were sincerely desirous to promote the education of
their poorer fellow-countrymen. Let ;him do this, and he
will find many a willing supporter in the manufacturers,
who now know from experience what has been the happy,
the blessed influence of this legislation ; and if he can only
extend the good work which he began twenty years since,
he will well entitle himself to be considered one of the
benefactors of his country.