The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-03 00:00:00

that kind of learning.

The education of free in

stitutions, parochial, municipal, and political, of
a free press, and the right of a free meeting, is,
after all, of more value than all the primary
schools, and higher school education of Pi assia,
Austria, or any of the German states. There is
no reason why we should not enjoy both kinds of
training, but, really, if one must be surrendered, we
should say make a bonfire of the books and leave
us our freedom. Educated slavery will not do
for Englishmen. It is just the house which is
least accessible to all the influences of our free
institutions, which now stands alone in the Legis-
lature as the persecutor .of the Jews. Highly
educated, and chiefly in the scholarship of the
ancients, immovable by the popular will, and re-
sponsible only to the fears of revolution, it still
compels a Jew to swear by the faith of a Chris-
bian,—to play the hypocrite, or to suffer political
annihilation—because he is a Jew. It not only
denies him entrance within its own doors, but
forbids him admission to the people's House,
although the people have elected him. It cannot
be doubted that the Corporation of London may
sustain a most advantageous comparison with the
House of Lords on the greatest of all questions—
that of Religious Liberty. Rank, refined manners,
and hereditary power cannot atone for narrow-
mindedness in religion, and are but a poor com-
pensation for the manly sense, albeit united with
comparative illiteracy, which distinguishes the
Livery and Corporation generally of London.

The defects of our social system naturally strike
an intelligent foreigner more forcibly than our-
selves. He comes among us eagle-eyed, and pre-
pared in all respects for observation. Unlike us,
" to the manner born," the power of custom ra-
ther sharpens his perceptions than dulls them.
Accustomed to the various phases of society else-
where anything peculiar to us at once attracts his
attention, and if it be something to our disadvan-
tage it will be none the less, but rather all the
more curiously inquired into, and made the sub-
ject of comment. His standard, too, unlike ours,
which, unless we have had his advantages, is to a
certain extent ideal, is real, something existing,
and consequently more precise and readily avail-
able. Hence whatever exception he takes to any
portion of our habits and manners is deserving of
thoughtful consideration. More than this would
be unjust, for, on the other hand, if his powers
of perception be rendered for a time more acute,
we cannot be assured that this is the case with his
sense of justice, for the prejudices of race, cus-
tom, and education cannot be supposed to be ex-
tinct in him, and we all know how powerful these
are to bias the will and pervert the judgment.
There is a sort of stranger critic, however, whose
remarks upon us are the result of as keen a per-
ception as that of any American, Garman, or
Frenchman, and must be regarded with much less
distrust, not to say greater respect—and that is a
patriotic Englishman, sensitively alive to the
greatness and glory of his country, who has spent
the greater part of his life in its service abroad.
Such a critic is that gallant soldier, the Earl of
ALBEMARLE, as his speech the other day at Ban-
ham, and the circumstances under which it was
spoken, sufficiently testify.

The Earl, it appears, " like a fine old English
gentleman," takes pleasure in the happiness of
those under him, and is so enlightened as to de-
sire that that happiness shall be as fully partici-
pated, and of a nature as conducive to their social
welfare as possible. He attempts, therefore, with
the aid of the clergy and gentry of the neighbour-
hood, at a very eligible opportunity, on his return
from abroad, to gratify his inclinations. He
will have " Harvest Home " a festival of
general and elevating enjoyment. Instead
of a rude and inebriating feast for male
labourers alone, he will have a festival in which
their wives and daughters can participate ; and
at that festival he will tell them, in the kindliest
manner, what he believes may be of service to them.
He will tell them some of the faults of the social
systam obtaining among them, so as to induce
them to commence the work of reformation. In
the execution of this design the speech in gnu,-
tion was delivered to the labourers of the loc11;ty
after a tea meeting, attended by some 3,000
persons.

And what has the Gallant Earl discovered which
may fairly be taken except& to ? Is it the
inefficiency of the English labourer as compared
with the labourer abroad ? By no means—he is
the finest labourer in the world. Nowhere are
thews and sinews turned to such good account.
But he is not content with this—the gallant Earl,
proud as he is of his country, has had to blush
for the social condition of the British labourer.
His patriotic pride has been wounded to wit•
ness the superiority of the condition of the French
labourer in several regpects. He would have
that superiority cease, and he would not have
the British labourer beaten in the art of
holiday keeping for one thing. Your French
labourer, with much less physical force at
command—shame to tell it—is more manly. He
has regard for the happiness and welfare of his
wife and family ; unlike the English labourer, he
cannot enjoy himself, and leave them miserable at
home. The Earl would have the English la-
bourer emulate conduct so laudable. This, how-
ever, is not the only respect in which the latter is
inferior to his continental rival. The French
labourer does not deem it necessary to get drunk
at holiday-making—to wallow, like the English
labourer in the grossest species of enjoyment—
and the Earl would have the latter come over
to the same opinion and practice. Neither
would he have him go about seeking jar-
gess like a beggar, and that to obtain the
means for such enjoyment, nor to haunt public
houses where the process of imbrutation is carried
on. But above all he would have him equal to
the French labourer in this, in refraining from
trifebeating, that dastardly practice which makes
your foreigner to regard our state of society with
disgust ! It is to be hoped, in conclusion, the
labourers he addressed will cease from faults
so glaring and so kindly pointed out, and that
others will follow their example.