The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-12 00:00:00

The E far' of D( 3rby on Middle-class Education

On Saturday aLe Lecture-11;11 of the Cone giate Institution,
Liverpool, was c rowded, even to inconvenience, by a most
brilliant assembi age of ladies and gentlemne, the attraction
being the appeal ance of the Earl of Derby, who had con-
sented to break • through a long-established rule and to pre-
side on the four ider's anniversary, and deliver prizes to some
of the pupils cr anected with the institution, viz., The Mas-
ters' Universi 17 Exhibition; the prizes given by his lord-
ship, and obtained by pupils of these schools, this year and
last year at ;he Oxford local examinations ; the other prizes
and the cart ificates obtained this year at the two University
Local Exe =illations ; and some of the prizes gained by
pupils oft he institution in the Liverpool School of Art.
Those ' mvited to be present were stationed in the body of
the hall and first gallery, and the boys, whose noisy and
jovial d ezoonstrations at intervals proved them to be in ad-
xairable 'health and spirits, occupied the galleries.
Abor &t 50 of the collegiate cadets, in unform, were very
attentive in showing visitors to their seats, and making
theme otherwise useful.

Tb e Earl of Derby (who was received on entering with a
Bear ty burst of cheering) was surrounded on the platform by
som e of the oldest and most influential friends of the institw
ticm, including the Rev. Dr. Howson (principal) and other
masters, the Mayor, Mr. C. Turner, M.P., the Rev. Rec-
tor Campbell, Rev. Cannon M'Neile, Mr. J. A. Tobin, Mr.
d. K. Rounthwaite, Mr. N. Waterhouse, Mr. Alderman
-.Bennett, Mr. J. A. Tinne, Mr. C. Parker, Mr. Alderman
Dover, Mr. Alderman S. Home, Mr. C. Bushell, and other
well known clergymen and gentlemen.
The proceedings commenced at noon with the singing of
" King Alfred's Hymn," after which
The Rev. PRINCIPAL, in alluding to the presence of the
Earl of Derby, stated that it was in the same month 23
years ago that his lordship laid the foundation-stone of this
institution, and since he had accepted the office of patron
to the institution no one could possibly have as
great a
right to preside at its meetings.
Dr. HOWSON then gave the list of prizemen, and for-
anally introduced his Lordship to the assembly.
The Earl of DERRY was received with prolonged and
hearty cheering. He said ;—Mr. Principal, ladies and gen-
Carnal, and boys of the Collegiate Institution. The Prin-
cipal has told you very truly that it now is within a few
days of 23 years since I had the honour of laying the first
stone of this imporiant and magnificent building in which
we are novr assembled. It wants but little more than three
months of being 21 years since the time when this building
was first opened for the purposes of education, and when its
opening was inaugurated by an able and eloquent address
from the right hon. gentleman now the Chancellor of the
use.) Twenty-three and 21 years!
Exchequer. (Loud appla
A short period as compared with that which he hopes will be
the life of this young institution, but a period occupying no
inconsiderable space in the life of each individual man—a
period during which many of those who took an interest
in. the earlier proceedings and attended the first establish-
ment of this institution have passed away from these scenes
a;ld have ceased from their earthly labours ; a period
during which a whole generation in this busy bustling
centre of commercial activity has grown up from infancy
to manhood, front boyhood to maturer age ; and it may
not be irrelevant or important that, when this college is
entering upon its majority, we should take the opportunity
of casting a retrospective glance upon the circumstances
which have led to its establishment, and upon the progress
which it has made hitherto; and that I should also say a
few words ',von its present position, and what we hope for
its future prospects. I need not say to those who know
the history of education in this country that 50 years ago
—I speak of a time when I myself was a boy at Eton—
the education of this country was upon a deplorably low
sta.adarcl ; that the amount afforded of public education
for any class of society was exceedingly scanty in amount,
and exceedingly deficient in character. It is true, indeed,
that to a certain portion of the higher, or at all events the
wealthier classes the public schools afforded a certain degree
of instruction and of education ; but at the same time, with-
out *.vishing in the least degree to disparage thoseclassical
stud lee which at that time formed the almost entire and
exclusive subject of instruction at Eton—those studies from
wb ich I hope that I have myself derived some advantage,
at si which I am sure have procured fo:. me great enjoyment
-I say without in the slightest degree disparaging studies
which I hope will always be considered as an essential por-
tion of a liberal education in this country, 1 am bound to
say that at the time of which I speak—things have much
improved since—whatever benefit a boy derived from his
instruction at Eton was derived much more from the effect
produced upon his character by the social influence of that
little miniature world of which he was a citizen than by
any cultivation of his intellect or expansion of his mental
powers which he could derive from the ordinary business of
the school. I believe that Eton was a tolerable representa-
tiw at that time of the state of the public schools gene-
rally, and such as that education wasit is quite evident that
'with some few exceptions, the education which it did afford
-were only available to the wealthier classes, and to persons,
at all events, in easy circumstances of life. With regard to
the other classes, education was infinitely more deficient still.
The ancient grammar schools—excellent as they were in
th air original intention, and adapted to the time for which
tlaey were founded—were insufficient to meet the require-
neenta of the present age, even if they had not in many cases,
'from apathy, from neglect, from abuse, and from insufficient
endowment became wholly or partially insufficient. At the
time of which I speak—God be praised that a change has
taken place since—there were many excellent men who ap-
prehended serious danger from communicating instruction

and education to the lower classes of society, and thought it
was absolutely essential to the well •being of the country that
these classes, in order that they might not be dissatisfied
with their condition, should be kept in a state of profound
ignorance. lam speaking of opinions and feelings which
prevailed many years ago. A change, however,—a vast
change, —has come over the feelings of society upon these
subjects; and I am not quite sure that we do not, with re-
gard to the lower class of society, run some risk of falling
into the opposite error, not of over- educating—for I think
it is imposssble to over-educate boys who are capable of re-
ceiving such an amount of instruction as may be given to
them during the short period to which their school attend-
ance is confined ; but I am afraid there is some risk with
regard to the lower classes that our education should be too
ambitious, and that in striving to crowd a vast amount of
instruction into the very limited space of time which alone
can be afforded, we run the risk of getting, not a sound
wholesome, elementary education, but a superficial smat-
tering of a great deal without a solid knowledge of that
which is most useful. (Applause.) The great improve-
ment, however, which took place in the education of the
lower-classes made still more apparent the lamentable
deficiency of any proper provision for those whom we call,
by a familiar and colloquial expression, the "middle-
classes" of society ; and it was to meet the want which was
then more and more felt, and felt more especially in the
great commercial towns of this country, that almost simul-
taneously were established, as I believe, the Collegiate In-
stitution of Liverpool, the school at Itossall, the Colleges of
Marlborough and Cheltenham, and, I believe, several esta-
blishments of a similar description. Now, I have used the
term
middle classes, because it is one which has a certain
colloquial and well-understood significance, although one which I believepoiot iotfwfaould be found excedingly diffilcult l
to define. In
of ourdrsnocwiala
oondtand it is one of the great hap-
pinessese
of distinction
in this country—it is almost
impossible to
gradealina Unction between the various
classes and the
the lowest, society is classesof
distributed.
which, from highest to
try, as in many others, a broad, elThere is not in this coun-
tinction between different kaear, and sharp line of dis-
which it is impossible to pass over fad different conditions
other, and which keeps up a
pormanroom the one aide or the
different classes of society. In this contust barrier
between the
line. The distinction of rank and social try there
is
no
such
doubt, understood and respected ; but, on
the one
are, no
descendant in the second generation of the hi su
hand, the
the realm has no distinguishing mark to separate Peer in
the community at large. He is rather absorbesd,hflrs from
say, in the general class of society, an his
Position
that time must be dependent, like the position of fro
au others,
his own industry, his own talents, and upon
(
On the other hand, we see daily Applause.)e the ranks of
the peerage and °f d f the highest cl
asses recruited from the
class of the ,
middle and lower giving fresh life,
fresh blood, and fresh energy to the ranks into which they
• more encouragement and more atim
enter, and giving proceed. (Cheers.) u -
to those from which they p But sup-
posing we were
to draw a line, which I think after all
inexact would be a very one, and suppose from the middle
b
belongine• to the higher classes,
class we were to exclude, as
all those who from inherited fortune or position have had
the opportunity of obtaining for themselves and the means
of giving to their children a liberal education, and are
to any provision, •
independent of the necessities of applying
miPisese, on the other hand, we exclude as belonging to the
lowestelass all those whose daily subsistence is dependent
upon their daily manual labour—l ask you to look what a
vast amount, what an immense social range, what infinite
gradar
I°,lB are left between these two extremes, all of which
gradations andmean by the
te that which we
middle—.
iasseeorfanks constitute
.It would be very
easy to
sayt thin
or
in this
to the higher
classes, this (Ina that person "he belongsb
the lower
class," but for onlengs to the middle, and that to
eurately define. theevrhosQ Position you could distinctly,
impossible to to say, soadare hundreds of whom it would be
bably would not agreezith regard to whom two people
or hl
higher-middle, to
thoh_ether they belonged to the higher,
Such is the happy fusion by or to the lower class.
tion melts into and is aby,owthhich one rank and one grads-
harmonious chain by which.
tiled by another, forming the
together in this happy country e whole of society is bound
is not without a purpose that (Lend cheers.) Now, it
may appear to be somewhat irle..4 entered upon what
sion of what may he intended faun d. e
ts us-
and nie •
middle-class." I have done so because" by the terms
bearing upon the object and intention with which it
has a direct
insti-
tution was founded. Looking to the extent is
this
classes as I have defined them—that active, et(1): the middle
the leaven of the whole social comrnuoisy_whrigehetis body,
nishel no inconsiderable number of on: Est has fur-
has furnished by far the largest proportion of the l7bheirca-
ili
professions, the bar, the bench, and the epiens I,oanch,
also, which has distinguished itself in the army, which, in
point of fact, has supplied every liberal profession with
some of its brightest ornaments, 111 might be permitted