The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-11-19 00:00:00

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1856

THE DAY'S NEWS

The local and domestic incidents of the day are
somewhat interesting. Two elections are now on

the tapis—one at SoUthampton, in the room of the
late Attorney-General, and the other atlAylesbury,
in consequence of Sir R Bethell's promotion: At

the former there seems to be a host of candidates,

including Mr. Edwin James, Q C., who has aban-
doned his pretensions to. Hull; but, according to
some well-informed parties, his chances of securing

the seat of Sir A. Cockburn are like angels visits,
" few and far between." To the return of Sir R.

Bethell, the new Attorney-General, no opposition

is anticipated, as it appears that he is aia-vourite
with the liberal electors, and the tory party are too
weak to attempt to bring a rival candidate into the
field.
The question of Public Education, is certainly
receiving much attention at the present time.
Sir John Pakington. Bart.. lectured on the subject
to the citizens of Manchester last night, when he
delivered an improved edition of his parliamentary
orations on the matter last session. For the rea-
sons briefly alluded to in our remarks, on the
spread and enormity of crime in yesterday's publi.
cation, we consider that this subject should have
the early and attentive consideration of Parliament.
We hold that, of all subjects, which can engage
the attention and mind of man, education is the
foremost. Great now—great at all times—not
' only a helper in the building up of society and
civilisation, but the very foundation upon which
all society and civilisation must finally rest.

There may be those who think otherwise, b-ut such
characters know little of man himself ;—of what he
may be made, and what he makes in turn—according

✓
as he it prepared in youth
; of all laws and in
stitutions ; of the very frame work of
society itself—with which in after life he has
to deal. Much has been said and written about
the education of the people. Like other topics of
a debatable character it has been used as a popu-
lar cry for riv,2l sections in politics and religion to
villify and abuse each other. Years have rolled on
and no permanent or satisfactory settlement of the
question has been attained. This should not be, in-
asmuch as the longer we delay tho establishment
of a system of education really national in its cha-
acter and practice we not only injure the present,
but generations yet unborn. Upon the grounds
of political economy and of social and moral pro-
gress, we advocate the ideas of Sir John Pakington,
as far as they go ; but to our mind, they only meet
the evils and defects, which he proposes to eradicate
and destroy, half way. The more we reflect upon
the question, and the longer we try to reply to the
enquiry, what is education? the more are we satisfied
that they who would concoct a system of national
education in this country must pay special regard to,
and act upon, three fundamental principles, namandely,
that the system must be good, permanent,
universal; that is toisay, that the education impar-
ted shall be such as to enable all classes of the
people, coming under its control and influence, to
act with credit and advantage to themselves and
the community in which they are located, in
the discharge of their various allotted duties on
the stage of life. The follies and absurdities of our
old instruction schemes must be abandoned, and
every improvement which the gigantic minds
of a Pestalozzi, a Gaul, a Stowe, a Simpson, a
Bryce, or a Wayland can suggest, should be
acted upon—in a word—we should educate
man according to his nature—as a three-
fold being—physical, intellectual, and moral,.
As to the universality of education,
we would
go further than Sir John Pakington. All classes
should be cared and provided for. We want our
Parish Elementary Schools. We want improved
district Grammar Schools, county Colleges and
provincial Universities. When this is done edu-
cation will be universal. But a national system
may be both good and universal, and yet very
deficient, in consequence of its want of per-
manency. Hence we would have it so arranged
that no matter who may be the minister of the
day, the national system of education should
not be interferred with, and as we asses
taxes for the construction of roads, the building
of gaols and workhouses, so, also, should we lay a
rate for the support of our schools, colleges, and
universities. Our cousins across the Atlantic have
done so—they are prospering—and their criminal
statistics bear a singular contrast with ours,
although wo boast of ourselves as being the
pioneers of civilisation in every clime. Every man,
as he passes one of the National Seminaries, should
be enabled to regard it as a building in which he
has an interest, and to the erection and support
of which he contributes according to his means.
The lecture of Sir John Pakington suggests other
reflections, to which we shall allude on another

occasion.
The murder of Mr. George Little, in Dublin, has
caused 'no small 'consternation in that city. A
ccrrespondent informs us that some new cir-
cumstances have come to light, tending to give an
idea of how the crime was committed, and of the
escape of the murderer. It would appear from a
careful examination of the cashiers room, that the
concealment of a person from the occupant of the
room was totally impossible, and that, further,
deceased was at his table, or in the neighbourhood
of it, when the assassination took place ; for the