Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-07-27 00:00:00

position to which no Englishman can bear to see his

country reduced

No great power can condescend

to enter a congress where the penalty of disagree=

JOHN RUSSELL. He is a dangerous Minister to be
entrusted with the control of so delicate an affair as
this, who, on the occasion of our last appearance on
such a scene, after spending untold amounts of
blood and treasure to curb the encroachments of an
ambitious and insidious power, avowed his ruling
object, as the representative of England, to be this,
—to consult the interests of her late enemy ! The
man whose motto at Vienna was, "We must take

" care of the honour of Russia," ought not to be
trusted with the honour of England at Zurich.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL is a man of unbounded

temerity ; and in diplomacy, at all events, of the
most miserable capacity. He has forfeited the
confidence of the most moderate of politicians, and

we are convinced that the surest protection against

his errors and mistakes is a system of judicious and

vigilant distrust

PARLIAMENT has just passed the estimate for the
Educational Grant. •It appears that since the first
grant, made in 1840, £10,642, a progressive increase
from year to year has gone on, until it has reached,

in the present year, the sum of £836,920, the amount

for which Mr. LOWE moved in the House of Com-

mons on Friday night. We have a right to ask,
and to search out, what results issue from this con-

tinually increasing grant for education from the

public funds. It is not intended to supply national

education, but to stimulate private benevolence, and
local demand for instruction. It is not a part of the

duty of the state

people : it is a parental duty

This principle was

forcibly put by Mr. ADDERLEY, who, under the late,
kdministration, occupied the place now held by the

right hon. member for Calne, that of Vice-President
of the Committee of Council for Education. Mr.

A.DDERtEY saiv's=,

The business of the Government

was to interfere'as little as possible wit

" really the bukness 'of thc

education of children was a parental function, it

was not the natural .business of the Government

and when the Government interfered, it wa

only when, it became absohutely necessary. It

should stand out of ti

whenever that was 'ready to step in. It shoulil act
in the Way.of stiniulating to action, and when that

;lied, it should withdraw." It has

had, indeed, this effect ;—a great demand for educa-
tion is spreading itself over the country, and the

public is availing itself of the facilities placed at the
disposal of the 'Government..: The 'system -is good,
and through its instrumentality a number of schools

have been established, supported by voluntary con-

tributions, in the proportion of three to two. It has

also built up an effective machinery for educational

purposes. Popular education was in a most defective

condition when this system was commenced; but
now a good standard has been firmly fixed. One

great advantage which has resulted from this system

is, that we have now a larger number of compe'

and intelligent teachers—preceptors possessed not
only of acquired knowledge, but also trained, and

made '

apt to teach." The power to communicate

he teac

)een raised, a

)y the respect

which he commands, not alone of the pupils, but also

of theft

is a mos

powerful influence, especially in rural andmanufac-

turing districtB

The sehOolmaster of the parish, by

icter, anc

his in

gence,' should stand next to the clergyman, in, the

estimation of the people, by whom he is surrounded

Although a system of centralisation is objectionable;

when, local self-governmer

tole ffinction, which the Board of Privy Council for

Education has established, is a system of inspection,
by, which the competency of the teacher, and the
condition of education, generally, throughout the
country, is ascertained. This staff consists, in num-

ber, Qf 56, gentlevaen of education, ability, and zeal

It necessarily involves a great mass of corres:

ence, and therefore of labour anc

expense