The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-02 00:00:00

conference. Remembering his advanced age and
his illustrious career, his great name and his great
position, the fact of Lord PALMERSTON'S appearance
being greeted with laughter, and that, too, at so mo-
mentous a juncture, we take to be an incident of a
very extraordinary kind, and one having about it a
most painful significance ! The other occurrence, one
yet more significant, as we conceive, than that just
now mentioned--the other incident we are here
desirous of alluding to, precisely by reason of its
insignificance, was the circumstance of Lord
PALMERSTON'S allusion towards the end of his
speech on Monday evening to the possible capture
of King
enRISTIAN, being received with an out-
burst expressive of scornful derision. The Spec-
tator of to-day speaks of the noise that then broke
forth in the House of Commons as—half laughter,
half hooting! "I he House half laughed, haf
hooted at him," says our contemporary.
At whom ? At whom is it that the House
of Commons is thus half laughing, half hooting ?
Why, at Lord PALMERSTON ! We take an
incident like this to have about it, indeed, a very
weighty significance ! It augurs but darkly—on
the eve of such a discussion as Parliament has not
had for many years past—it augurs but darkly for
Ministers that upon the eve of the commencement
of this great Debate upon their Abortive
Foreign Policy, their Leader should have been thus
interrupted in his general explanation of that
policy and of its failure by—hootings ! An English
:Ministry must surely be on the brink of disruption
when the Prime Minieter is hooted in the House
of Commons—that Prime Minister being (of all
men to be hooted !) Lord PALMERSTON !

Education is always one of th© most difficult
subjects to discuss—so many things have to be cone
sidered in relation to it, and so many prejudices and
partialities come into the way of its operation. The
debate the other night on the question proves the
many difficulties that environ it, but at all events it
is satisfactory to find that some efficient persons are
giving their attention to this momentous topic. We
are more likely to arrive at a satisfactory solution
if care and attention are used than if matters are
allowed to continue in their present inert state.
Although this case seems particularly one which
may be said tot homines tot sententia, yet good may
accrue to the interests of the cause from the com-
bined effects of discussion and research. Mr.
WALTER'S remarks are well worthy of attention:
he generally has same valuable information to im-
part relative to this question, and on the occasion
referred to he said that the inequality of the Par
liamentary gcant was very great, and the attention
of the house ought to be called to it. The hon.
member referred to the effects of the pupil-teacher
system. Mr. WALTER very truly complained of
the rule of the Revised Code which made "the
employment of pupil teachers compulsory, or sub-
jected the managers to loss of the grant if they EN
not employ them." Several examples were given
and instances cited respecting the effects of this
system, which does net seem to answer at all. From
a statement made by one of the inspectors about
these teachers it seems that their knowledge of
grammar is very imperfect, and that they have not
improved, notwithstanding the complaints that have
already been made concerning their deficiencies.
Indeed, the report referred to declares that these
pupil teachers are unable to make any simple
statement in a clear and grammatical way. It is
very deplorable to think that those who are con-
sidered by some as absolutely indispensable for the
proper education of the country should be so faulty
in their own acquirements; but there is a still worse
view of the question to consider, and that is, that
the plan is failing from the physical incapacity of
the younger experimentalists. Mr. BRoDIE, the
inspector already referred to, gave a list of those
who had been attacked with sickness, and it was a
very extensive one. Out of 542 who were referred to,
no less than 214 had been ill, and many of these
had died. It is the opinion of many who are com-
petent to judge, and who have opportunities for
forming an opinion, that there is too much required
of these young people, and that the pressure of
overwork has the most injurious effects upon them.
Among those dissentients to the practice are
physicians and some managers and teachers of the
system. One of these avers that she considered the
constitution of the girls had been very much tried
in the institution, and some of them who left quite
strong have come back completely worn out in
mind and body. It stands to reason that young
persons are not fit to bear so much fatigue as older
owes, and the combined effect of learning and
teaching is very likely to prove moat itjurious to
the system. Nor can it be expected that in either
capacity the overworked individual will be likely to
succeed. He cannot possibly be animated during
his task of teaching, and he cannot apply
himself with enough industry to learning if he is
exhausted by previous overwork. The sooner this
system is given up or altered the better, and it was
at the outset an unwise thing to make the obser-
vance of it compulsory in the manner described
before. It is always a dangerous thing to overtask
youth, and it is one of the greatest mistakes made
at the present day. Tne evil results to health and
strength are most numerous, and the overzeal which
prompts the teacher or parent fails in effecting its
chief aim, for a distaste to learning is acquired, and
the young person so overtoiled and disgusted with
teaching is not likely to use much effort or seize
many opportunities to acquire the self-knowledge
and culture which are so much more important
than any that is taught. it is perverting a glcri-
ous thing from its destined end if, in attempting to
force knowledge upon those unfit, perhaps, to re•
ceive overmuch, we injure the vital energies, and
crush the life from out young hearts. Education
is a great privilege, but, like all other privileges, it
must be used and not abused, or it will certainly
fail in effecting its aim and object. It is absurd
also to try to cram so much learning all at once into
the minds of the young, because a little that they
thoroughly understand is better than an avalanche
of information that is confused together in their
bewildered brains. No teaching that affects the
health can be profitable or salutary to the mind,
and hence, doubtless, the failure of these overworked
pupil teachers. It is not going the way to en-
' courage the unwilling to send their children
to school, if they see such deleterious effects
resulting from it in others, and therefore
the sooner a change takes place the better for all
parties concerned in the affair. Mr. WALTER
announced his intention to move on a future occa-
sion for a committee to inquire into the best mode
of bringing all the unassisted schools Ns ithin reach
of the Government grant. This will be a very
desirable object to effect, and it is to be hoped that
it will be successful, for upon it depends much of
she beneficial result of the efforts at education
made throughout the
andattainments
country, often so sedulous,
t ai often,ent
s and results.
so unequal in their