The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-01 00:00:00

ASSOCIATION'
GB.

L 3/A S TER S OF
TALLY.

the method of teaching grammar ; by the Rev. John
Curwen, on the tonic sol-fa mode of teaching singing.
The remainder of the sitting was devoted to business
of a routine character chiefly. Before tho meeting
separated, Mr. Brookes, master of the Jews' Western
School, inqufred whether the second rule of the society,
who declared that none should be members except those
which made the Bible the basis of all instruction, was in-
tended to exclude masters who did not proceed on that
principle ? He himself was of the Jewish religion, but
he knew that many others in the same position with
himself would b© glad to join in the great objects of the
society, and thus dispel sectarian feeling, it that rule
were not urged. After some discussion it was found
that no rule could be altered except by previous notice
of one month before the annual meeting, which notice
must be given by a member. A member undertook
to give this notice, and the matter stands over for
deliberation at the next annual meeting.

AT

The proceedings at the annual meeting of this associa
tion were resumed on Friday morning, at St. Martin's
Hall, Long-acre. Mr. T. Tate, mathematical professor
of Kneller Hall Collegiate Institution, in the chair.
Mr. Tuomis CRAMPTON, master of the- Brentford
Public-school, proceeded to deliver his lecture on "The
Teaching of Common Things." He said the subject
which he had to introduce had lately occupied a large
share of public attention. It was, in fact, the topic of
the day in regard to elementary education ; and, if
rightly pursued, it would be worthy of endurine. popu-
larity. He conceived that schoolmasters had the great
charge of the general education of the child committed
to them. Practically, and by implication, they stood in
the important position of parent to many of these poor
children, who might be truly regarded as orphans, so
far as the want of home training, and the judicious care
of a parent was concerned. They were indeed responsible
to the Great parent ofall to do their very best, lest any of
those "little ones" should perish. He could not, therefore,
but regard it as an imperative duty on the part of the
schoolmaster to examine the propriety of teaching any
subject that might be proposed fur school instruction.
Theorists not only differed on what ought to be taught,
but also on every detail of method how to teach. For
instance, they had lately heard a great deal eh:AA the bad
writing of the middle and lower dames of Enelasd.
The inspectors took this as seriously as the members of
the Royal Society did Charles I f.'s celebrated query,
Why a live fish placed in a tub of water should not in-
crease
the weight thereof ? For, allowing
merston to have been more than usually serious in the
matter, they might first doubt the fact, and assert the
writing of the middle classes of England to be generally
excellent. But granting it to be otherwise, how to re-
medy it ? " You don't write half enough large hand,"
said Mr. Watkins; "It's no use writing lare hand at
utterly all," said Mr. Jelinger Symons, " it's absurd."
From the elaborate method of Alulhauser, which came
out with the direct patronage of Government, we inferred
that the slope of the letter was important, as books were
ruled on purpose to secure this point. Now, what did
Lord Palmerston say ?—" Don't slopt 'cm at all ; make
'em like print." (A. laugh.) One declaimed against the
alternation of thick and thin upstrokes and downstrokes.
Imitate Italian band," cries another, which was simply
thick upstrokes and thin downstrokes. For all this, what
were they to do ? If they attempted the impossibility of
following all these directions, we might certainly succeed
in developing a true aristocratic handwriting. He did
not question the sincerity of these advocates for particu-
lar plans or subjects. Unfortunately, they were rather too
sincere, so that their enthusiasm for their favourite sub-
, jest involved the ignoring of others. They had been
taught to regard reading, writing, and arithmetic as the
itAiepensable milk, bread, and meat of education,and
could not find time duly to attend to these with so
much daily work for music, so much fordr much for science, so much to learn phonics,
and so in
mg,ucsho
to unlearn phonics. They found it simply impossible to
get through half this work in six hours
daily teaching,
and they were therefore compelled to be eclectic even if
they had not wished it. He thought too little regard
had been paid to the idiosyncracv of each teacher. Every
ens knew best what his main tendencies were, and every
one knew that lie taught hest that which he loved.
Though they had each of them powers of mind tc acquire
respectable knowledge of many things, yet they did not
act wisely in opposing those leading characteristics of
our nature which had been formed by an all-wise Creator
for the evident purpose of developing high and varied
results. They should not be ashamed of not knowing
tinny things, aye, and not teaching many things also,
80 that they " occupied," in a persevering, hopeful spirit,
those talents that God had graciously committed to them.
Ho hoped, therefore, that they should agree as to
the propriety as well as necessity of electicisin in
regard to subjects proposed fur teaching, and not be
driven from their duty, by the sudden rush of any
subject into temporary popularity. Ho admitted the
value of many new subjects propounded, and did not
in the least question the sincere awl benevolent mo•
tires of the propeundere ; but they must pause, and
see first whether they had time, and then ability, to
teach the new subject, which they had better not at-
tempt until they could do it efr.cien tly arid consistently
with the attention required by other indispensable duties.
Many a humble schoolmaster might do mere service
against the Goliath of Ignorance with the simple sling
and the stone that he could use well, than by the swords
and armour, the costly apparatus and elaborate methods,
which would but encumber him. The grand aim of in-
tellectual discipline was doubtless to increase the powers
of the mind, so as to enable man more fully to become
acqeeinted with the works and arrangements of Provi-
dence, and to use such knowledge in the best way for
the good of mankind. A knowledge of abstract sciences
might be generally regards 1 as valuable for enabling
them to obtain a better knowledge of the concrete. The
discipline of the mental powers was thought to be the
sole aim of education, irrespective Of the utility or
practical value of the subjects thus employed for mental
training. The classics awl the mathematics therefore
held fur a long time, and do now hold to a great
extent, the position of exclusive educational agents.
But lie thoeght it would be admitted that these studies
Lad not been so signally successful in the practical
improvements of the human race, These studies, the
classics especially, were fur many centuries exclusively
pursued as objects as well as methods of learning ;
and still the dark ages existed —still the scholastic
philosophy reigned—still the sun went round the earth
—stiil general ignorance and semi-barb :risen prevailed,
poor suffering humanity took refuge in the tyranny
of kings from the lawlessnees et men. Science was
not, freedom was net, religion became a thing of
puperstition, priestcraft, oppression, cruelty, and blood.
By and by thei e arose is B icon, wile was the first teacher
of common things. He glee-. us the great method of
teaching this subject, n Heti c!aesieal knowledge had not
only fail( d to develop, but much hindered and obscured.
The inductive philosophy taught mankind how to em-
Ploy the mental powers ie investigating the real
objects of nature, and how to snake these subservient to
the best purposes of human happiness. Some time after
there arose England's great mental philosopher, John
Locke. He told mankind that floe human mind could
be best trained by appealing to the perceptive faculties
and exercising the logical powers on objects of observa-
tion. This philosophy and this teaching produced valu-
able fruit by its inherent vitality, and without any uni-
rereity or scholastic patronage. They had sufficient
Proofs, however, of the value of physical science in de-
veloping great minds without university assistance in the
ggeat names of James Watt, Robert Ferguson, Ark-
ight, Crompton and the present illustrious Faraday,
tinned
scores of seconder names that might be men-
tioned.
department of
lie thought they could place the third great
physical science, human knowledge, the investigation of
e, as far as they could carry it out in our
"heuls, under the tern " common things.' The want of
inductivene
teaching
oss, in truth, characterised too much of our
fur text books seem formed on the idea that
the de
of the reasoning faculty by means of the
reading lesson. was not worth consideration ; we had
plenty of deseriptivelessons of all sorts of things and in all
sorts of styles but he was unaware of a single inductive
l the mere i reading books in common use. If the
reading of facts were their object, they had only
totltireaartinl
tic,quartern.t of an hour daily from writing, arithrne-
to reading tes..,nu some other subjects, and devote these
" common tixit "o,ks of what any one's fancy might term
01
nh de
so: They had, however, somethit,g fa"
ny, w' s their duty to be masters of their
mon thinge " therefore they might welcome "sour-
ie our daily routine as the vehicle for the
training of the inentel faculties,
by means of perception, chiefly those of induction
the preparation of not. n.
He should much recommend
of the refre.shianighoefitph:toestahocfhe enri list;
by such
on account
and.tr secondly,
veamluert.bnioorypiens
tgaiivsouiznczghi
atexerciseslesson,
f;
Ifs would carry out the
n r
minx the object valuable
Ashburton ettributedetlPi(e"d'ible plheenyt kofnea
ownis tha Lordman very much to the six montli:vheekstudied in thise university
" I did not,
of Geneva. "There" he said
dto marls andiuie
much, but my eypeasmevqee(rieuoisieeneeLl
understandle a r n
Faculties were called
what had before
into play which lay till then undev.e.leor and I found my
dpuerrititanerstne few months, than
mind ripen more rapi\dlly.
in years previous."
immense importance of objects as
tii to the eye
scarcely estimated the
in teaching, He would next appealingrecomme
ple, how
e preparation
of a number of simple experitnents. For
simple, yet h6w suggestive, the mere burneixam
paper before the class : why the paper ignitnecgl:oprieeacdeiloyf
—why the flame ascends—why it. increased so rapidly
when held below the other portion of the paper—why
it burnt very elowl
would probably go out a horizontal position—why it
q held above the paper. These
questions would opetiii
and highly practical lessonsatty extensive range of facts,
the lying down and avoidin
gvstrld necessarily follow, as
in the open air when the :iontai,eturiel tendency to run
l
smothering, covering, preventing ac:el of air to the fire
caught fire—the
—in fact to procure its cessation.
schoolboys had to clean boots and shoes.e 174:1The'itd most
tigate why they used the hard brush for brutshiegnii"l:*
dirt, and why a softer one for shining—hy the blacking
the
mast be rubbed while damp to produce a polish, anadesekini
it left to get dry, it would turn to adult white. Additi h-
interest would be thus given to common employments
and, generally speaking, the rationale of any labou'r
would invest it with a churns that would ensure its better
performance, as well as make it a vehicle for thought-
ful improvement. " Seest thou a man diligent in his
business," said the wise man, "he shall stand before
kings ; he shall not stand before mean men." And We
he believed to be true in every condition and in every
ease. They might trace the course of the poorest clod-
hoppers, and find examples of one lad being more active,
more clever at his work, in short, doing better than
others. He took a first place among boys, a first place
among men.
Hisce3 ofurs e was onward and upward, keep-
ing to his conditio-
nus unkindness,
success he roust
lied down 1 rise.
ien Tie
, plight be pelted by envy, p
but, like a cork, up he came, and, while he was true,
whole si orld could not keep him down.
mankind was full of such instances ; arid
TLohe lo
:teoll' history t
oji;
Inany of then; had their first movements directly traced
to some striking occasion or
•i particular circumstance
which they were J'l5t.ll
t-(1 in regarding as educational.
match, rather, They had then but to apply the .s
to
ley the train of common sense to common things, havingi
full hope and confidence float such would in due time ,e
ignited, and: pm('
• •
ng
uce, if not brilliant,
ig
Some dig norntice, overturning at least useful
in exploding
erturning masses of
.error, and removing the lurking places of rice. (near')
cussion followed on the topics started in the
. lecture of Mr. Cramptor, in which Mr. Buckmaster,
Mr. G. Kearlsy, the Chaiirm
of t
meet took part, and a vote and other
gentlemen
octoorded to the lecturer.hanks was unanimously
Later in the day lectures were delivered Mr J WOOLWICH.— Fret,. Smith, a middle-aged man, by
• 'Mesta, oorrespond,ing secretary ha, - •J.
I trade A bricklayer, was charged with hating caused the
tho-association, on

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—Dec. 30.

MARYLEBONE. Jacob Hull, a sullen-looking
middle-aged man, was placed at the bar before Mr.
Long, charged with the following most atrocious con-
duct towards George Kemp, living in Haverstock-place,
Camden•town.
Complainant, around whose head was a bandage, de-
posed, that on the previous Saturday he was in the com•
luny of the prisoner at a beer-shop, and that a quarrel
arose between them, some fighting ensued, and com-
plainant knocked prisoner down.
Mr. Long—Now come to the biting off your ear.
Where did that take place f—Complainant : After the
quarrel I looked into a beer-house in Ferdinand-street,
on my way home, and while on the settle, partaking
quietly of a glass of ale, the prisoner entered ; he eat
down close to me, and after remaining quiet for some
minutes, he, without saying a word, threw one arm
round my waist, and seizing me firmly by the collar, bit
off part of one of my ears. The piece fell from his
mouth, and was picked up from off the floor ; some par-
ties hearing me cry out came to my assistance, and
rescued me after much difficulty from the prisoner's held.
Prisoner also endeavoured to fasten his teeth into my
nose, and would no doubt have succeeded in his object
hail not my cries had the effect of bringing instant aid.
Other witnesses were examined touching the brutal
outrage.
The portion of the ear which had Leen torn away by
prisoner's teeth wus produced by Jesse, one of the war-
rant officers of the court ; it was nearly two inches in
length and about half an inch wide.
The prisoner, who had scarcely anything to say for
himself, was fined 51., the magistrate at the same time
remarking that but for the previous quarrel and ad-
mitted assault he should have sent the case to the
sessions.

LAMBETH.—Mr. Herring, the relieving officer of
the parish of St. Mary's, Newington, attended before
the Hon. G. C. Norton, in compliance with a message
from that magistrate, to answer some questions, and
give an explanalion of his conduct as regarded some
poor people, who had been sent to him from the court
to be relieved. For several days past a considerable
portion of the time of the magistrates at this court has
been occupied by the exceedingly distressing complaints
of the poor of the district entitled to relief from the pa-
rish, but more particularly the parish of Newington.
The applicants from this parish not only complained
of not receiving relief, but of the harsh and unkind
treatment which they received at the hands of the
officers. On Friday there were not less than twenty-
seven cases from Newington parish alone, and Mr.
Norton, finding that they were cases in which the par-
ties should have been relieved by the parish officers, and
not from the poor-box, desired Dixon, one of the sum-
moning officers, to take three of the worst cases to Mr.
Herring, and tell him they were deserving his imme-
diate attention. From these three Herring selected one
woman, and said that she had been before the board of
guardians on the Thursday, when she was offered three
1 raves of bread, but that she refused them ; and believ-
ing,, therefore, that she bad imposed on the magistrate,
requested him to take her back to the court. Dixon did
so, when the woman at ones acknowledged she had been
before the board, and refused to accept the three loaves
for this reason, that they would be of no use whatever
to herself and her family in the state they were in. Her
husband was ill, and unable to earn anything ; her three
children in a state of nakedness, and a room without a
fire, and she would ask what use' three loaves of bread
could be to her with a family in such a state.
Dixon, the officer, corroborated the statement of the
poor woman as respected the state of herchildren, and said
said that a greater ecene of misery and wretchedness he
never witnessed than that which the unfortunate child-
ren presented. He also said that he had learned that
the person whose duty it was to visit the family, and
on whose report the guardians acted, had never gone
upstairs to see the state of the children.
Mr. Norton observed that this was precisely what he
thought. From what he had seen of the guardians of
Newington parish he believed them to be most
humane and kind ; and he felt perfectly certain that if
a proper representation bad been made to them, as it
should have been, they would not have allowed the poor
! family to remain in their present wretched state, or con-
fine their order to three loaves of dry bread.
Mr. Herring (i❑ an impudent tore—Why charge mu
with all this ? I was only acting on the board's order.
Mr. Norton—l'll tell you wiry ; because it was your
duty to have visited this poor family yourself, arid not
to have allowed somebody else to go, who merely asked
a few questions at the door, and then made a false re-
rrroa.nt 't;eee to keileelleee as to the antral state of
the family. I have bad to do with a great many re-
iieving officers in my time, but I can say that I have
never had to complain of the conduct of any one of them
to the same extent that I have of yours. There are at
present no less than seventeen applications in tho outer
office who have been refused relief from yoer parish, and
I insist on your inquiring into their cases, and relieving
them, or dealing properly with then.
A decent looking female who stood in the witness-
box, addressing the magistrate, said that her husband
had been ill for some time, and her two children not
much better, and all three, as well as herself, had not
tasted a morsel of food for a day and a half, arid though
she had represented these facts to Mr. Herring, he re-
fused to do anything for her.
Mr. Norton—Then, but for the half•crown I gave you
last evening, you might have been with your family with-
out a morsel until this time, so far as Mr. Herring is
concerned ?—Poor woman—Yes, sir, that we might
until this morning, when ho (Mr. Herring) assisted me
with two loaves ; but what are two loaves to a sick
family

Mr. Norton--Now, Mr. Herring, you bear the state-
ment of this poor woman, and I request that you will
at once attend to h•r and the other cases, and if you du
not, I shall know then what to do.
Mr. Herring here snatched up his hat, and left the
court in a hurried manner, and certainly not accompa-
nied by the blessings of his auditory.

WESTMINSTER.—LoreI 111 (infect:7le appeared to a
summons charging him with refusing to pay a cibinan
his legal fare.
Charles Segars, the complainant, said he was hired by
the defendant on the 6th ult., from the rank at the bot-
tom of the Haymarket. He drove to the Athenaeum
Club, and then carried the defendant to his residence,
7. Park.street, Westminster. The servant brought com-
plainant out sixpence as his fare, but he demanded n
shilling for the distance.
His lordship admitted the facts, but said that he had
been in the habit frequently of riding► the same distance
for sixpence, and he should be ♦ery glad to have the
question settled by measurement. He should, how-
ever, be happy to pay the money to the cabman, and
remunerate him for his loss of time. He could then
have the distance measured without further troubling
him.

It was suggested by the ma,gistrate that the better
course would be to deposit ss, each, and have the
ground measured before the cabman was paid. In pur-
suance of this suggestion the distance Was measured,
and proved to be 90 yards over the mile,

THAMES.—Lewis Coiran and Fanny Cowan, his
wife, a respectable young couple, were charged
with
Nelsen-street, stealing a silver watch, hair guard, and
gsotpli,elit3y, wher.ey, in the
dwelling-house, No. 6,
they are lodging.
Mrs. Thompson, the prisoners'
ksaeyidwheerrea
thus-
band's silver watch, to which a g , ulaanrddlaanddy,
usual place at 11
morn-
ing. She last saw the watch in its
of the mor n-
tached, was hanging up in the kitchen on Friday
o'clock. She went out twice in the coursee
of her single
ing, and on the second occasion met on
young teen lodgers, named Campbell, who had a fur-
nished room, and partook of his meals in the kitchen,coming in as she went out. At 3 o'clock she missed
watch. She did not mention her loss to any one until
her husband came home at half-past Sin the evening,
thei
l
and then suspicion fell on the prisoners, who were at
home Use greater part of the day, and went out before
her husband came home.
The witness was cross-examined by Mr. Daniel for
the prisoners, and she could not assign a reason for sus•
pecting the prisoners instead of the single young man
todger. The witness was under examination a long
-, and the time of the court was wasted, for the real
t' me,
co"nlet Vas pointed out in court before Mrs. Thompson
minr.eneecl,,liier evidence.
produced th:v, assistant to Mr. Woods, pawnbroker,
alluded to by 1N,I;
of the pri,on:ateh, and it was not pawned by either
but and
the single young man lodger
Mr. Yardley
in court. B. Thompson, pr son,anit:ltiwiehiropmlahcee.pointed out
single young
the prisoners.manDliosdch
rs net a tittle of evidence against
Henry Campbell, 2ao,g
standt ern instantly, and lot the
scribed himself as a casernakerth" arraigned, and de-
, Before the case ainst him. proceeded,
wlir. Cowan
(of the firm of Cowanw and Bral
the City, complained that his on had i')eteer-Tivoofers in
custody
the
doe
;r
aodna
tai
en mostof
ri
aeecdh
iahr gae
felon a
Indas
:31 ic,F,n!;.,ne
he had stood for the last half-hour. traveller, in the receipt of a :mines. per day, trsie,•\,:jaes big
penses, and was an honest and respectable youn naseTzl-
, He was very indignant that his son should have be
placed in such a disgraceful position.
Mr. Yardley—I don't wonder, sir, at your indin
• tion ; I must say yoar son and his wife are entirely exoa-
nerated, and ought not to have been given into custody.
Mr. Crawley said the watch was pawned for li. on
' I Friday afternoon. He thought the prisoner Campbell
was the man who pawned it. •
Police-constable Lovell, No. 345, li, said he had just
searched the prisoner and found 17s. 6d. upon him.
Mr. Yardley—l shall remand this young man until
i
Thursday next.