The Express.
London, England, 1850-08-24 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 24, 1850.

1 Mr. Turtesu. alludes to under the designation of
• "destitute young women' term d penniless on the
• world." You cannot make good servants out of the
o greater proportion of this r timorous class it is well
; but, says Mr. Tuenall, you can maki school-
mistrusts of them. How is it, then, they do not at
• ones embrace the profession P Surely because the
home and glory of belonging to a profession for
which it is difficult to find a disqualification are worth
teething at all.
But what are we to say to the writer's description
. of the situation of teacher, es "useful and honour
-
o able," uppoing, as we believe we may, that he-eta-
• ploys these epithets to elevate the poet in the eyes of
possible aspirants
Useful it may be, and often is, in
the highest degree, we allow ; but bow is this utility
; estiiimted? 1)o the parents whose children attend
• the pauper or even the national schools recognise this
utility P In the union taco's, to which the writer
more especially alludes, these parents are generally
the most degraded portion of the community of the
neighbourhood. Many of them have not had the
o energy to exercise industry enough to give their
children food to support their physical 'entree—what
can they care about mental training P Do the
children themselves a:knowledge the utility P They
are generally the most hopeless of all classes of pupils.
Born in the midst of abject poverty, they have never
' been subject to any discipline, moral or intellectual.
Their senses of decency and honesty have been dead-
seed by their dwelokg amidst moues which reveal
constant breaches of these virtues, aid instruction
falls heavily upon ears which have had no previous
preparation for its lemons.
But the schoolmistress's occupation is honourable.
Again, wo say, who recogniecs it? Is she in general
regarded as fit company for the matron P 1)e the
small or large farmers er shopkeepers in the parishes
of the union Invite her to their houses? Do the
guardians of the poor, who should be the first to re-
cognise the value and honour of the post this female
fenetionary occupies, delight to heap tokens of favour
upon her head ? Is she not rather considered se the
most insignificant of all those employed in the task
of administering to the wants of the pauper popula-
tion ? Is there any class of society which does not
consider itself too good for the pauper schoolmistress?
To what purpose, then, is it to hold it out as an
inducement to the great class of unemployed young
women that the occupation of a schoolmistress is use-
ful and honourable, whoa the utility and honour are
to be visible only to herself P 'Hume self-devoted
beings, few and far between, who are contest with
the reward of an approving conscience for a life of
self-immolation like that of a union schoolmistress, do
not need to be tempted by fine word., and the majo-
rity will not be influenced by them, but will require
something more substantial.
And this brings us to our lut observat;on. Mr.
Turer.u. speaks of the labours of the schoolmistress
as being neither hard nor disagreeable, and the salary
as being competent. In opposition to this we are
boned to assert that the salary is generally insufficieht,
and that the labour is beyond measure intense. The
fact with respect to the salary may be verified by any
one who reads the advertisements so frtqcently in-
serted by guardians of unions. The question of the
amount of labour can aoly be spoken to by those who
like ourselves have seen the system in full operation.
The union schoolmistress has scarcely any of the
alleviations of her toil which are granted to other
female teachers. Her labours begin early in the
morning; her pupils do not leave her to return to
their homes; she has to watch them at play-hours,
assisted only by girls who have no sympathy wish
her, and who are only in the house because they ere
too idle or too vicious to exist elsewhere. She has no
one to share responsibility with her,—all the setts!
duty of tuition falls on her alone. Those who know
anything of the ordinary labours of tuition may
imagine how fearfully these are increased, in the cue
of the union schoolmistress, by the ignorance and in-
tractability of the pupils, by the impoesibiiity of pay-
ing attention to such large numbers as crowd the I
union schools. The teacher here has body and mind
overworked, with the sad reflection that she receives' I
no thanks for her toils. The greater number of the
union schoolmistresses whom we have questioned have i I
acknowledged that the amount and the unthankful
nature of the labour required of them has had the
most unfavourable effect on tht.ir health. It is 10MJ•
thing worse than mockcry, af er such a consumma-
tion, to be told that their salary is competent and
their occupation " useful and honourable."

The incident of the ball at Besancon bee given rise
to the met animated dissuasions at the Assembly,
where all the representatives permit in Parts met
yeeterday, as well as at the Beanie. The affair was
coteesivtd of suilisient importance to become the ob-
ject of a ministerial council ;and was taken up in the
Committee of Permanence, which, however, could
only. gather seven members out of the 39 at the
Legislative Palace.
No telegraphic despatch has been rtceived from
Strasbourg to-day.
On the 20th the Duke of Bordeaux gave a dinner
ors hundred covers at Wiesbaden, to which the sixty
workmen arrived from Paris by the train-de-plaistr
were invited. Same of the latter party brought their
wirer, among whom one dressed up in a Vendean
costume attracted much attention.

The following resolutions have been come teat
Wiesbaden by the Count de Chambord and twenty-
eight legitimist deputies who were present. To
abandon the policy of conciliation; to oppose the pro-
longation of the powers of the President of the Re-
public; to consider M. Berryer as the directing chief
of the party; and to blame and disavow the acrimony
displayed by the Garcia de France.
Twe ogdate of the secret polies have left Paris for
Wiesbaden, where the Count de Chambord is now re-
siding. The charge.d'affairee of the Grand Duke of
Nassau, on being informed of their miiision, at first
refused them passports; but afterward' changed his
determination, at the formal order of his government.
A new, or rather old, pretender to the throre of
France has reappeared in the field, apropos of a piece,
called" Louis XVII," which is about to be played at
the theatre of the Vaudev.lle. M. Paul Ernest is to
play the part of the Orphan of the Temple', who died
when 10 years of age. Ihe Compte di: Richmond,
who, it seems, has not renounced his character of
pretender, is about to bring an action against the
director of the Vaudeville, for producing a piece in
which be is made to die at the age of 10 years,
whereas he is still alive, in perfect hi alth, and ready
to assert his china to the crown of France.