The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-14 00:00:00

p,

proteelion to the distressed, while the trete .'
the mi.erly would be 'withholding it. Uii !.
present system, where the Magistrates di I
duty, the predittate 'lever recioved encouraeemeor
Ile had many neje/Mons to state to the B ii, ' • et‘kt.
should, notwite standine. vote for the committal. t
it, in order to attend it • t,
tO,
Mr. LefeHIN(STON said, he agreed with see • * I'
11 tat. Meyer in regard to toe maey evils while
arree from the Poet's ;totes, hut he was contra..
that it was impossible at pr sent to do them aes
•
He was a friend to the ettucation of the prow tea,
the broedest pine -met, as it was the ineaneot
at i
fording t• a great:et happiness to them met thee
could enjoy under heaven. Ile did ant believe th. t •
it would hoer the effeft wnich was so mach iloreded
by some, of making every one of those so edge
sated desirous of coming into official situations.
It was a well-kenern Taft, that those people who •
frequented most the places of public worship, were
such as possessed the facially of reading. and he
could we no reason why it shauld•be said that they
w told read books of a dangerous tendency, or po- ,•
eitical traits, or that they would be inculeatieg
erroneous doctrines as to out Saviour. le was to be
presumed that their first educatioe would be whew* 1•e•
to read the Biel., and Jr was nee surely from thence
th he preowned the they would be disposed to do
wrong, or to go astray. To• whatever cots stry we
looked, it would be found, that wherever iestrue-
tinn wa, generally aff toted to the poor, and where
they were not nperested with harsh Govertiseet,
! they were the mo•t industrious. there waist part
of the Pore's Laws, which ..had never been carried
into ex cuiten, according to their reel meaning. sod
the intentitm of Goiravernieist, he meant, the giving
employment to the poor ; tint he was convinced
that the doing so would not tend to any good. as
it would tether hirt the belencre of trade, and tend
to injure the Country. Uonn tee whole. -he ap-
p•oved of the Bill, as he thought • its towiewey
would he eventually to diminish the Pole's *ales.
and encourage the Industry of the lowew *editor of
the people.
Mr. IL DUNIeAS begged leave to notice a
few tads which had been shaded to•with regard to
Scotland, while, at the same time, he protemed
himself friendly to the genera principles of the
Bill. An Honourable etemher had alluded" to tee
expense incurred in educating the poor in &otiose,
and bad stated it at 60001. a year. It this was
meant to apply to the period before the passing
of the act ot 1803, it was corgiderably everstatod.
He could venture to ray. that the maws of
the salary allowed to schoolmasters, was between
161. and 171. while the everimrsee was shoot 211.
exclusive ot a house and garden The rate was
levied solely upon the landed proprietors. they
paying one half, and having recourse 'poet their
tenants, by the Aft of Parliament. for the other INK
It was a mistake to say that large sums were paid.
from this country to th 4 Nwth. the whisk symest
being entirely independent of any such eolleetion.
Mr. MOICKIS explained, and mid, that when •
he spoke of 60001. he enfant it as the amount pre•
vious to the Aft ot 1803, and he only mentioned tt
to thew she small simoontlo which the politic feud
Was limited in the Mothers part of the kisgdoni,
and that the education of the poor was moiety
effeeted by private suegeript,ons. The salaries of
the school masters, as he utteerstood. were orgy
from 111. to 171.
Mr. SIMEON was at a loss to discover whet
good end could be answered by the House going
into a Committee upin this Bill during the present
Session, at a time of the year when many of the
country gentlemen were absent, the more especially
as it was not possible they could pass it. It was not
from any disapprobation of the Bill, but from a cos.
vieion that it could not be of service to press k for-
ward at such a season, that he should've:aft far its
postponement.
Lord NIT LTON said, he was surprised 'that any -
person could propose to cut this most impoetaic
business short at this early stage of it. He could
not see why it ought to be supposed, that became
people were e..hicated, these ceuld not be footed
people willing to till the ground. Although some
who were educated above ethers might be looking
to higher situ sating, yet the very nature of thine'
forbad that they should not is general be digitated
to perform laborious duties. Approving. as be did.
of the measure, be should certainly vote for gokng
inn a Committee.
Mr. WALKER said, he should he glad to know
how the Noble Lord would propose to determine
the degree of excellence which was to entitle some
of the educated poor to aspire to counting-houses.
and others tt pet form laborious duties..
Mr. WHi l'allEAD began by °berrying upon
the argument of the Honourable Gentleman oppe.
site (Mr. Simeon), as to this being an improper sea-
son to discuss his measure, owing to the thinness of
the House, and the enlightened part of the Country
Members being absent ; this had no weight with
him, for so it happened, that in that House cettein
comparatively trivial subjects anti aetod a full attend-
ance, while others, of great national importance,
produced no attendance at all. This. however.
was in the nature of things, and he was convince.'
that whether they should discuss the matter, either
in the month of D•cember, or in the month of July,
the attendance wuuld never be greater than at tee
present moment. It was his intention tsl per sore:
in obtaining the sense of the H ,use in tee preseti:
Session of Parliament, as he thought it was e
utmost importance chat something sitcule be
done concerning it as solo as possible. In prnper-
lion as men were exalted by education, so midi
the mare were they tit to be govereed ; the mote
they knew their duties the AMC fit were Otte t'
perform them. Of the truth of the; principle he
was perfeetly coavinemi, but whether the uetion wee
fit and prepared to adopt the measure propouse
was the question which he aow welted the House to
determine. He should still insist that his plan weld
ultimately to diminish the Amount of toe peer's rates,
but that consideration was the ;east of eil others.
—Would any Honourable Member deny the:
a system of education, camprehending reading.
writing, and arithmetic, was net pteterable
to one that merely taught the people the art
of boxing. bull-baiting. or pia) hog upon the
fiddle t Or, could any one allege that that a p ar-
son who enjoyed these latter quite *amid
not be mote civilised. humane. and indastieues.
providing he centd also net sad write" lt. vow

;

i i