Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-24 00:00:00

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MIDDLE CLASS EXAMINATIONS.—(For the Northern
rime-s%)—In national education, the great problem has
"er been, not " Shall we educate ?" but " How shall
we educate ?" Our experience of human nature has
taught us that the mind of man will be educated,
whether he seeks it or not. It is therefore of the greatest
itcPurtance that attention should be paid to the educa-
tion of the mind in its early and untutored state ; or,
In other words, to the education of our children. If the
kind will feed, why not increase its energies by giving it
cahby food, instead of poisoning it with the vice and
amorality it will so soon feed upon, if not already
Occupied with better and healthier food ? If all
nillut be educated, why should not all be edu-
The
besotted wretch

cated in a proper manner ?
whol_ll glories in crimes at the vay mention of which
inanity must blush, is just as much educated, in a
ertain way, as the most refined and enlightened man
that ever elevated and delighted mankind with his en-
aobling thoughts. The only, but great, difference con-
sists in the food with which each has fed his mind.
Therefore, we repeat, the gnat question is, " How shall
we educate ?" This important question has been pro-
Posed at different periods, by different individuals, under
various circumstances, and has of course received different
answers. Those quiet fountains of learning, our Uni-
versities, have, by judicious conservative reforms, sought
t° adapt their ancient and admirable system to the - aron,
71ants of an ever-changing present. To these institu- .ere.
°nB Englishmen have always looked as the great sources
and centres of learning and improvement of every
escriPtion. But there are certain " oracles of wisdom"
in this 19th century, who would fain persuade us that
the system of education pursued in those institutions is
not, in reality, education at all, and consequently any
t
actually
wasted. For, say these sages, of what practical
use will be the studies there pursued, and for what
Practicalvid employment will they educate the studer"-, ?
ently for none, they constantly reply. Some :,four
readers
will no doubt be surprised to hear
gnat such
fallacious andinconclusive arguments ghoul'
in the present century, by what are cal:m(1"a be ventilated
But we can assure them, the fact practical men.
is not at all an un-
common one. We can well •
'imagine the rage and dis-
appointment of these mal'ern wiseacres at finding that
the middle classes hail actually. dared, in defianceof their sublime theo
tical extent Portsmouth, with
TY of education, to go to the here- Experimental trials are making at
to them d soliciting the Universities to extend a view of ascertaining the amount of resistance offered
+.nose educational privileges formerly confined I) iron and steel plates of various manufactures when
upper and wealthier classes of society Yet such opyposed to heavy ordnance at a short range. The trials
-dtzthglealfiat, as the
.examinations recently. held all over are understood to. have reference to the future coating
England amply testify. The truth is, that the middle of the steam ram now in progress of construction.

ZURICH, August 23.—The plenipotentiaries
have, through the medium of the Federal Council,
conveyed their thanks to the Government of
Zurich, for the excellent reception they have met
with. M. Von Rettig had arrived here from
Vienna with despatches.