The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-06-29 00:00:00

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not, indeed, like classes in the ems- walk of
life elsewhere. full ,of thetieetieal knoaledge ;
Scottlnnen were not upeesdollits or ',histories.—
[The Hon. mid Learned Gentleman hen elicited
some laughter by his accidentally turning to Sir J.
Meckintosh, who sat nest him, when he uttered these
worded Ile begged pardon for having by his acci-
dental gesture turned towards his Hun. and Learn-
ell Priest t, who was an ornament to his country.
Ile knew Scotland had her speculative philoso-
phers and men of the greatest 'caroler. but what he
meant to a v wot this, that 999 out of 1,000 of the
general loa'r of Scoichmeso had as tt.eat a Iciest.-
tom as could be against embark ii. 4 in any, to
them title, abstrect theories, or indeed in any specu-
Lotions which did not tend to their real practical ad-
vantage. respecting which they were generally able
to make the most iwrfect calculation.—(flear.)—
His praise of the Scotch was founded oil this fret,
that they detested ignorance and sloth, mod vene-
rated the Book which proacritted such habits. He
would name tine instance among many, to shew
the zeal with which the Scnihsl, peasantry prose-
cuted the education of their children. In some pa-
rishes, which were fifteen miles long and am broad,
and where there was but one schoolmaster, and the
extent of the pariah prohibitory of . the children go-
ing from one cod to the other to one particular
school, it watt the common custom for the school-
master to take his rouods, staying a certain num-
ber of days iu one part—and so on through she
district. ethicatilig the children, and receiving from
the parents his siiirsietence (all they could give)
out of the coarse fare which they had the mean, of
procuring.—(Hear, hear.)—lt was remarkable to
see how the same t ircuinstances begat the same re-
sults, though in • remote and different population;
for in the French Report he paw that the school-
master in the district of the Pyrenees was exactly
thesame ambulatory personage as he was in Scot-
land, performing his office in the same manner,
and receiving the same return in lieu of salary.—
This part of the French Report was eurionshy word-
ed. It said, I. Happy was the schoolmaster who
inhabited the range of districts in the Pyrenees
(aad these districts, by the by, were reckoned the
wildest in Europe), for there, at least, he was
sure of some kind of subsistence ;" that is, be
was happy, because lie did not run' the risk
of being starved to death in porsumg his oc-
cupation of teaching the poor children to reed
and write. Such was exactly the state is. the
Highlands, in what lie would call the Pyrenean
parts of Scotland. He would join these poor
',route in preferring the humble and pious
prayer of their clergy (the Scottish) for the love of
God to grant them more widely the means of edu-
cation ; for the love of that religion which their
Divine Master said was preached for the rich as
well as the poor, he itnplored Parliament not to be
.stingy on this brooch alone of their internal admi-
nistration. mid not to limit to an annuity of 10/.
the stipend of the teacher who was to assist in this
good work.—/Hear./—lt was probable lion if they
did, some persons would be found to contrast :heir
ill-starred economy on this point with their profu-
sion upon canal projects. Indeed lie could edu-
cate all England and Scotland over and over spin
for half the money that Parliament had thrown
away upon the Caledonian Canal.—/Hear.)—The
Hon. and Learned Gentleman here took a review of
the practical bearings lie had deliberately kept in
view in framing the whole of this measure, which
he had taken so long a time to digest, and
the careful outliner in which lie had steered
clear of many prejudices and conflicting inte-
rests in his coarse. Ile theta touched upon the
plan which it wits his object to submit to Par-
liament respecting this stiouneutous subject. It
would consist of finir several branches-Ist, as re-
lating to the foundation of schools-0, as to the
appointment and removal of masters-3J, as to tie
sdniissiou of echolars and their tuition in the
schools, and 4th, as to the means of iinproviiig all
endow/wilts for the purposes of educatiers. There
different branches had a natural relation to each other.
The machinery with which he meant to work his
plan watt as follows :.—He proposed first, to give
the initiative power of putting in motion the plan,
or the authority to plant schools in four different
classes of persona, who may alternately exercise the
power vested in them, which poser was to origi-
nate an tripod in the first instance to the Quarter
Sessions. 'flie Crania Jury were, first. to have the
power, on bring urvritril of the want of a parochial
school, to present or field a hill fur its erection, at
the coming Quarter Sessions, the usual notices
being complied with. Secondly, the Rector,
Vicar, or perpetual Curate, were to have a similar
power of presenting. Thirdly. two Justices of the
Ecclesiastical Division were to have the same power
of originating the measure, Fourthly, five mil-
dew householders might bring it forward. In each
of the four cl was to be vested the power
of ',resettling to the ()darter Session.. which
presentiment was to be triable at the next com-
monly called translation Sessions. The prevent-
meta should state the want of the school and
the reason. in the clearest end most explicit
manner. The Hot,. and Learned Gentleman then
entered at some length into the provisions of bit
Bill for arranging the mode of trying these presrul-
melds, and eariniatiog the experise of the proposed
schools. stud also explained many of the detail..
He provided, that the education digest, and the
population abstract, should be received is. vet-
deuce, but liable to he rebutted. The school-
master's salary was nut to be less than 204 Slur
more than 30/. ; the resident irdiabitaials. or two-
thirds of them. to have e poser of raising the Sa-
lary. but not beyond att additional '2of. This
discretionary power. be explained. would be use-
ful in • variety of ways, and an eocotirsgenteut
to respectable masters. His object was not to
snake *nth sitnations lucrative ; for hr thought it
advisably that the schoolmaster should be leis to
exercise, if lie had the opportimity without titter-
&hug with his school. stone auxiliary branch of ns-
tistry. such as a little land-aterveying in Ins
leisure hours. aye. mail a little conveyancing
tun—(A laugh/—for lie (JIG Brougham) is a
professional man could have no objection to the
schoolmaster's. occosionsi cultivation of the art of
conveyancing, no he (Mt. If.) had often seers ist
‘Vesttainster Hall the advantage of cottony busi-
ness of this kiiid.—(,j iitegh)—There were a
variety of innoeeitt ways in whirls Ihe seltoolusaster
could. without interfeting with Ins school bttoinesa,
procure iu the wry of lucrative employMent, oll•

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Sc-. •
unities of exercising his talents—Am
in correspondence of the fair, there was often
employment for the epistolary twae of the village
schoolmaster.—(Laughter.)—The Hon. anti Learn.
ed Gentleman then come to his point respertfag
the apponittnent and removal of asaster.:—Fine
.-oil to the qualiticatioas for the togs, his BIN weak/
require a certificate of the applicant's couspetewey
from his neighbouring clergyman and three riesidefit
'householders ; his age not to be under 44, nor above
40; his having taken the Sacrament one manili be-
fore his application. He, also provided that pars.;
clerks should be eligible to fill the office. TI
Hen. and Learned Gesoleman expatiated on the
advantages that would aisle from making that
elaes of persons as reepectable as possible, and at.
laded to their former rank in society, su 1 cion.
pored it with, in many instance., their present i.i.
different state. He then entertained the 1 lea,:
with an anecdote of the varmus occupations Rik
a panel' clerk had, whom he recollected some rears
ago. Ile was by night an itinerant inuovies et
certain periods of the year, not indeed to aa.k,,,
from their quiet and wholesome slumber* the boss-
rbsitraiiiittosobwye'lsisroefctortilieucstieetclhfretr
cheiede(itlre.
Gouglil u'.)
of his stare.,
When this work was done, the musician naturally
required refreshment ; and beside. being in the star
pariah clerk, and reading his parts of the
duty as well as he could be raid to read them, lie
was also a mole-catcher.—(toed larrelaer.)-11 •
fareibly commented upon the advantage' to br :.-
rived from a union in many cases of the tan titfi,•e•
of parish clerk inn echoolmaster—then wits
"pea to the provisions fur carrying into elf-ct tle
application to the Quarter Sessions. Ile ova
came to the Treasury—the Hight Ilfesourable
Gentleman opposite (the Chancellor of the Eeetie-
quel) scented to startle at this lent of the subject.
though he had hitherto borne every thou: with good
humour.—('" No, no," .front the Chancellor of tke
Ezeheqmer).--fie then explained, that On dila part
of the subj, et his H.ll !provided that Inc first
penile of building the .churl-house, it Ilia Molt.
log of it were approvert by the proper meth*.
rime, and provided the expense did not veered
400 f. in each parish, was to he advanced find out
of the money in the hands of the county bra-
Sorer, who was afterwards to be rennn,erated out
of the consolidated fusel. The school-boner erec-
iioh ought to be provided for in that milliner, air
else an insurmountable uhatacle to the et.easzti,
of education would be thrown to the its .y. Bat 1;...
the whole subsequent expense of maintainial thr
school was to be defrayed by the dodruct. Hs stated
that he had carefully homed his plan, so as In suit
it to the ecclesiastical establishment of the mantra.
Upon that in fact it was to be engrafted with tins-
eled scrupulous intention. The nrighbourtionit
would make no objection to maintain the .eluok,
hut often they might be found unable to meet the
first expenee of setting the new estahltilimerst nil
It was for this purpote alone he called on the Trea-
sury to aid the first step, a itbout which, indeed, th-re
would beau cad to the greet attempt at oftioniveinero.
He had been at first afraid of offending those who
were not eonitec ed with the religious establish..
invite. He had dreaded that the Diasefitere might
have said to him, and with great semblance of jos-
tier, s' You are seeking to establish a hew principle
of power fur the church—to create a new sort of
parson in each parish. whom you call upon us, net
of your conregations, to pay." lie had felt
force of this argument, and vitified to it. Bat
whets afterwards he bad considered what au advan-
tage it must be to the plan, in reelect both to its
usefulness and durability. to establish upon the
ancient, well-known, sound, and extensive 11:1411
of the ecclesiastical establiehmfmt* of the COllll-
- Its considered the advantages of haw.
ing for the superintendence of the plan such a
Ludy of itidividuals as the pious, learrie.i,
and meritorious churchmen—men such as these.
whose sersicee with respect to the present
be had already had occasion to notice to the Howe,
he felt himself obliged to yield to eiimiderAtjurg an
powerful, and that if nothing else could hr ofF-Fr.l
as a lesson why the plan should be kept
their morel, the services which hr loot I:ea:-
boned already as having been rendered I.y
would be enough to prove the propriety of that
part of the plan. But there were two other coma-
&rations which must have prevailed with hint, if
the first had failed. First, it was essential that the
education of the poor should have religtois for it.
basis-.religion. which Wen all but every thing to
the rich, was, without a figure. really every thing to
the poor. To therm was (list religion rind 4011
preached by him who became the foettflotioil of it ;
said a the poor were not to he preached to in a re.
ligious way through the means of insiructimi. then
ibd the rich and powerful do but Inilf their 'lute.
flow much more necessary did it appear aill tl.:.
view of the case, to place the plan geiwrally ti.i.i.r
the contra! of the choral. Again, the c4ur 'I
Were not only teachers according to the direct•ini
their religious duty. but he was pirparrd to pu‘i,
that by law they were considered as the chief tract:-
e,.
in other matters besides religion. It was on.
passible to force them to disebaree the whole i f
these duties, byelaw their labosins on ()di.r parts of
the vineyard were too great to allow of it. %Vitae
could be better then than to court their afeseststics.
What could be more advantageous than to confers t
the systems of reltgious inatraction seedtht educa-
tion of the pour by connecting the 'separate teach-
ers ? lie would say that a church pasiott was y.
clerical schoolmaster, as it might be with equal
truth said. that a gond echoalfitarter was a lay rev-
son. This brought limos back to the questicti
the connexion between Chora! and State, as si -
glinted the effec.s of the plan. lie begged ft.
Iluuse tit consider the zsiil and warns-itrartrdliv.ir
already displayed by the clergy. They hail m t
!weltered those difficult and multifarious statement.
already met:booed for the porpoise of tilling up the
evidence from which the digest had torn prepared ;
they had DO ambition in what they h:til done.
leasing their nouns inserted in the book, wlet.l)
few men of the members of shin Hosed would
',ethyl,' read ; they did rat know that the',
labours were ever designed to receive
lion, a that their stators would vier so we-
pear ; they hail accomplished a most clitficti't
duty which had beets unposed upon them, and
in most lust:wee* bad accompantral thew reline,
with eipteesiette of earnest anxiety to assist io this
great object of the Parliament. Their lettere wire
full of brurdictious ou the plate which they gene-