The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-30 00:00:00

THERMOMETER.

This morning
This day at Two o'clock 7O
Barometer-30.15.
Wind—N.-Easterly ; light, with fine weather,

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
CFiIR DAY.-31orning, ih. 2511.—Afternoon, lb. 52m.
To-ttoßn.ovr.-Morninz, 2n. Um—Afternoon, 2h. 43m.

,_•Ried* v tt.
3414

LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1863.

Whenever a Victor gives way to cruelty in the
completion of his triumph—rest assured that at one
time in the fight he was very nearly beaten. When-
ever one of two men quarrelling grows particularly
angry, be quite certain of this, that he is the one
more in the wrong—if he be not, indeed, wholly
and solely in the wrong, in the matter under dis-
pute. E ich of these sayings, no matter in what
particular words expressed, has long since come to
be recognised by the generality as an axiom drawn
from experience. And each is, without doubt,
right in the main, though not, of course,
invariably. Exceptions there are, occasionally, to
both ; but these, we believe, may be set aside very
readily at once as exceptions. And certainly, if
we come at this moment to apply either of these
popularly and almost universally recognised truths
to the war in America, or to those who are discuss-
ing (apart from that war), say in our own country,
the relative merits of the balligerents, of the Soutb
and of the North, of the Federate or of the Confede-
rates, of President DAVIS or of President LINCOLN,
we do most confidently leave it to the common sense
and to the right reason of all dispassionate ob-
servers to pronounce quite decisively and quite
unhesitatingly Which of the two sides has shown
itself, from beginning to end, to be in the
Wrong.

The cruelty, the barbarity, the brutality, hae
been all on one side : that is, on the side of the
Northerns, of the Federalists. 'We appeal—not to
the past, to History—not to the future, to Posterity :
we appeal to the present recollection of all, to boldly,
honestly, and truly say whether it has not been so.
The Confederate Army has given to view many a
conspicuous General—but it never presented to the
world's scorn a General BUTLER. The infamy
of doing that belongs exclusively, as we
all know, to the Federals. The Southern
President has never issued, under the authority
of his own name, signed with his own hand,
promulgated as the deliberate utterance of his own
Government, a document such as the Northern
PRESIDENT has issued, signed, and promulgated,
declaring a contingent penal abolition of slavery,
and, in the act of so doing, unfurling, as an
atrocious signal or incentive to the negroes in the
South, the black banner of a Servile War.!
Richmond has never yet been the arena for
execrable riots, during which, for several
days in succession, Murder has stalked
scatheless through the streets, as it has re-
cently been doing through the streets of New York,
in the form of a lawless rabble, armed with fire and
sword, bent upon outrage and destruction, and
bunting to the death those very negroes whose
freedom the leaders of this Northern mob affect, for
their own selfish ends, to have so much at heart.
Turning from this momentary contemplation of the
really startling contrast presented to view throughout
this dreadful conflict by the belligerents themselves
—we would noes apply the second of the two popular
axioms quoted at the outset of these present
remarks of ours, not to the combatants, but simply
to their critics, to
the commentators upon the
Records of the War so far as it has yet gone, to
the commentators upon those records, here, in this
country, to the speakers upon various platforms,
and to the writers upon the various public news-
papers. Referring to those who have watched either
or, still better, to
those Who s,ave watched
we ask upon which side has been
both,
the anger, the ill blood, the
Pas
ask confidently which of the two, between thweene
tfhuersye,dwise-
Putants, has argued the more equablyin tone and
in
temper the vindicator of the North or of the South,
of the Federals ur of the Confederates ? Why,
la
the nosiest and most numerously attended meeting
that has anywhere as yet been convened in this
country since first this lamentable war commenced,
at the great assembly which took place last autumn
(of all places in London, at Exeter Hall!)
the champions, that is to say, the oratorical
champions of the North, of t 143 Federals, of Presi-
dent LINCOLN, and General BUTLER, lied the like,
had it, in a manner, all to themselves. Yet, such was
their passionate and infuriated condition, that some

one, rashly venturing to utter a few sentences in
vindication of the Confederates, was first of all
brutally hustled out of Exeter-hall, and then still
more brutally hounded along the Strand, as
though he had been a mad dog, until
the unfortunate Wight found shelter, as he
did eventually, in a shop not far from our office.
Quite consonantly with the wrath evidenced more
than once by the acts of [the Northern army,
or its leaders, out in the actual seat of war, and with
the words, whether spoken or written, which have
already emanated in this country from the lips or
from the pens of the impassioned sympathisers with

46 I praise your Jackson and your South
No, I've no taste at all that way ;
Those words are not sweet in my mouth,
Though dear they are to some, you say ;

In fact, if I the truth must tell,
I think your Jackson and his crew,
Accurst of God, are fit for hell,
Though they may fight and conquer, top."
Later on, as if just nearly beside himself with fury,
he ventures to howl forth his maledictions thus

unstintingly :
" Curse those who sell their blood to lust,
Their very flesh to stripes and toil;
I spit at such —the thought I trust,
(Y. such should make my blood to boil."
Again, still addressing himself to CHARLES
MACKAY, to true-hearted gentle-hearted CHARLES
MACKAY, thus bawls forth this foaming partizan—
"Clasp you the hands that wield the whip !
Press you the palms that rivet chains I
My curse will through my clenched teeth slip,
I'd brand your heroes all as Gains."
Enough, however, of all this—though we are fain (in
an aside to the writer of these angry words) to say,
with 808 RAFTER in the farce, when Monsieur
FUMEZ is bowing, with a flourish, to the ladies, aux
dames! "Don't stand damning and swearing,
there !" Enough at least, if we add, that the furious
tines addressed thus to CHARLZS MACKAY are ac
companied by other " New Voices from the Crowd"
—Ye Gods! " the crowd !" sly, rather, the mob!
One of these " New Voices" being a specimen of
the forcible feeble, in the shape of a travestie of
" Scots wha hae"—in the name of DATIs ! One

stanza in it beginning—
" Who for hell, our rights and law I"
Another of these bawling " Voices" being a parody
upon " Rale Britannia," setting forth thus—
" When _Davis first, at hell's commands I" &o.
Closing our remarks—again,we would ask, however,
Which side has all along been proving itself, is
still persistently and quite consistently, proving
itself, under the test of our two axioms, to be clearly
in the Wrong ? Oa which side is the Anger ? On
which side bas been the Cruelty ? All England,
we bel:eve, if polled to-morrow, would answer by
an overwhelming majority—That of the Federals !
that of the thick and thin sympathisers with
Federalism !

The QUEEN has come forward with her usual
good sense and kind feeling, and uttered a protest
against the disgraceful practice of Female Blondins.
The Mayor of Birmingham, Mr. CHARLES STURGE,
received a letter from Sir CHARLES PHIPPS, written
by command of the QUEEN, relating to the catas-
trophe. Tne QUEEN expresses the pain with which
she has read the account of the fatal accident which
has occurred during afite at Aston Park. Birming-
ham. In the next paragraph especial mention is
made of the revolting practice. " Her MAJESTY
cannot refrain from making known through you her
personal feelings of horror that one of her subjects,
a female, should have been sacrificed to the gratifi-
cation of the demoralising taste, unfortunately pre-
valent, for exhibitions attended with the greatest
danger to the performers." Nothing could have
been said in more appropriate language than the
foregoing, and in the next sentence the reproof is
made still more pointed by allusion to the effect
produced on the spectators. "Were any proof
wanting that such exhibitions were demoralising, I
am commanded to remark that it would be at once
found in the decision arrived at to continue the fes-
tivities, the hilarity, and the sports of the occasion,
after an event so melancholy." This censure is
richly deserved, since seldom if ever has such a dis-
graceful circumstance been recorded. In fact, the
managers are more to be reprehended for the con-
tinuance of the performances after the accident than
for the accident itself; for in the first instance they
were so far sanctioned by precedent, and perhaps
hardened by the immunity that the performers had
long enjoy ed in practlsiug such dangerous feats. But
no reason on record can possibly be found for the
oa ignoring of rr nmg
bt he
feo
rfaectthtehi
ra teya
eceo, rpa
ns ed hyae
t.
shameful act
tbheaetn tehaeryripedersisted in catering for the amusement
of the public, and swelling the sum of their own
profits. A rebuke from the highest personage in
the realm may doubtless produce more effect on
their minds than many long sermons from other
quarters, and it is indeed to be trusted that not only
will they feel ashamed of their conduct and eschew
at once and for ever all such practices for the future,
but that this affair may be the means ofputting a
summary stoppage to all such feats, and also to the
callous indifference and cold-hearted acticns that
etigmatised the file at Aston Park. The closing
passage in the letter of her MAJESTY is worthy of
attentive consideration. "Her MAJESTY trusts that
you, in common with the rest of the townspeople of
Bermingham, will use your influence to prevent in
future the degradation to such exhibitions of the
Park which was gladly opened by her MAJESTY
and the beloved PRINCE CONSORT, in the hope
that it would be made serviceable for the healthy
exercise and rational recreation of the people."
Doubtless this reproach will be felt by those con-
cerned. It must be especially
fy
MAJESTY to peruse such demoralisa-
tionrecordsmotortthieingtoher
of the tastes of those she had hoped would im•
prove and refine by the innocent sphere of recrea-
tion provided for them. When the QUEEN and
PRINCE CONSORT opened this place they most likely
returned from their expedition satisfiedthat nothing
but good and happiness would accrue to those Who
visited it.

the eau.,c of Fccleraiism, hre certain metrical utter,
ancss which have but this very day reached us
from one among that conspicuous minority—(as we
are glad to know for certain that they unquestion-
ably are) these sympathisers in England with the
cause of the North, with the cause of Federalism
—from one, among that conspicuous minority, him-
self endowed with the Gift of Song. The name
of this particular sympathiser, of this metrical
sympathiser with the North we, here (in his
own interests) abstain from mentioning. Suffice
it to say that it is one among the Young Poets
of to-day, ono who is, in truth, not un-
worthy of assuming a recognised place among
that restricted band of living contributors
to our poetic literature—but one who has struch
the chords of his lyre now, for once, with a
hand so agitated by angry passions that the sound
emitted by it is nothing less than so much jangling
dissonance. Whether it really is so or not, however,
shall not here be allowed to rest simply
upon our individual assertion. The writer, whose
name we shall still continue, out of regard to his
reputation, to suppress, shall himself pronounce
whether it is or is not. Addressing himself, evi-
dently in great wrath, to CHARLES MACKAY under
the title of " New Voices from the Crowd," and
addressing himself thus to Dr. MACKAY, as to one
"Late Progress Poet, now Times Correspondent
from America," our pro-Federal poet here in Eng-
land, thus hesitates not, in terms that ring in mea-
sure, though some there are (those for example that
will be found below italicised) that must certainly
be pronounced unmeasured terms, thus hesitates not
to give unchristian utterance to his ungovernable
animosities :

vreli-nciled than this letter of our Gra.woJs ;.N.OVE-
REIGN. The QUEEN has always shown a care and
consideration for the welfare of her subjects, that
hes attracted their admiration, and gained their
affections more effectually than anything else could
have done. No grandeur of a monarch's surround-
ings, no great qualities exercised in camp or council,
can influence the mind so much as the humane
feeling manifested in the sympathy for the sor-
rows, and concern for the sufferings of others.
At seasonable times just indignation expressed for
acts that all right-minded persons must condemn
and abhor manifests the interest taken in her
people by their QUEEN. She i 3 unwilling that they
should deteriorate in taste, or be wanting in pro•
priety in the season of festive enjoyment, and
well has sh. 3 performed her duty as monitor of
their actions and guardian of their welfare, by
her quiet, yet forcible, admonition on this dis-
tressing occasion. It now remains for them to
do their part, and improve the opp rtunity that
so melancholy an occurrence has afforded to them.
Mr. STURGE wrote a very proper reply to Sir
C. PHIPPS. He states that no one
more deeply deplores the casualty than
himself, but the depraved taste referred to
has become everywhere prevalent. Recently he
prevented an exhibition of the class taking place
within the borough, and in this case his name ap-
peared in conjunction with those of the Lord Lieute
nant and members of Parliament and magistrates
as patrons of the fete, which was for a charitable
purpose; but he did not believe that any of these
gentlemen had a notion that a dangerous exhibition
would be attempted. He hoped that for the future
the influence of the authorities at Birmingham
would, in conjunction with their fellow-townsmen,
prevent the recurrence of such performances, so that
the gracious intentions of her MAJESTY and revered
Consort might be realised and not frustrated; and in
the meantime, he trusted that exhibitions of so dan-
gerous and demoralising a character might be inter-
dicted by parliamentary enactment. Nothing
could be more satisfactory than this letter, and the
concluding passage is a very judicious piece of
advice, which cannot be two speedily followed with
respect to individual safety and general credit. It
would be well if gentlemen in high position did not
so readily lend the sanction of their namts and the
support of their influence to this class of entertain-
ments, without first instituting minute inquiries as
to the character of the proceedings. Doubtless, for
the future more care and caution will be adopted, and
it will be most advisable if such should become the
case. At any rate this sad transaction was one of too
much moment to be passed by as an accident; it
concerned too deeply a grave and solemn subject.
Human life must not be wantonly trifled with in
this flippant and frivolous style. Death through in
such sports is too awful an event for it to be totally
ignored, and almost more important still to guard
against is the effect of such conduct on the minds
and morals of the people. Now that the affair has
been so properly and promptly noticed by the
QUEEN, it is not a fallacious hope that inspires
well-wishers to believe that its recurrence will
never again disgrace the exhibitions of this country
and defeat the prcjects of those who seek to benefit
the lower orders by the encouragement of pastimes
that rightly employed would prove a blessing, but
signalised by such proceedings as those at Aston
Park on a late occasion would result in nothing
good, but rather conduce to evil impressions and
the spread of a heartless indifference and demo-
ralised taste.

It is no doubt a responsible and difficult task to
legislate on matters affecting the national educa-
tion. There is so much to be considered, so much
that is perplexing and complicated, and so many
contradictory interest* to be considered, that it h.
not surprising if the Committee of Council have
failed to give entire satisfaction. The endeavour to
reconcile the desire to afford every member of the
State facilities for acquiring at least the plain rudi-
ments of knowledge, whatever his means or posh
thin, with the wish to retain that sturdy indepen-
dence which is so valuable in itself and so much,
more conducive to the purposes of education, is no
easy matter. There is no question that the work-
ing classes, particularly those of the better sort,
think much more of the " schooling' which their
children receive if it is paid for out of their hard won
weekly earnings than if it is a matter of free gift.
The mother is not so likely to keep the child at
home to help her in her household work if she re-a
lises the fact that by so doing she is wasting the
time they pay for, and the father is not likely to
tolerate a truant. Still as there are great numbers
of parents who either can not or will not pay for
their children's learning, it will not do to trust this
feeling too far. Again, in matters of religion it i.
unquestionably very difficult to combine that tolera-
tion which befits establishments of a national cha-
racter with due regard to the religious instruction
of the children. The difficulties which have been
lately more under discussion, however, are on
matters of trivial detail, and do not affect the prin-
ciples on which the grants are founded. At one of
the last meetings of the Upper House Lord
REDESDALE culled the attention of their lordships
to a recent minute of the Committee of Council on
Education, which he said would have the effect of
reducing the grant made to endcwed schools. The
number of those schools was, in 1847, 4,678,
and consequently the change would affect a
large area. These schools must either make
up the difference by increased subscriptions or else
suffer their efficiency to be diminished. They
(Light pass the examinations most satisfactorily, and
yet the amount of public aid which they received
would be reduced in proportion to the endowment.
Lord REDESDALE deprecated the alteration, which
was, he said, in fact, an attempt to apply the chari
ties of the country to the aid of the public revenue,
and remarked that it was strange such a prospect
should be made in a year wizen the endeavour to
impose a tax on charities had met with such uni-
versal opposition. Lord DERBY, in supporting the
objections of Lord REDESDALE, gave as an instance
of thneheardsosholhiopcs built
ausedbhyythheunnealf new minute,
had an
e, the case
of oln
endowment of £4B a year in land. He had recently
beard tbat the maximum amount which this school
would receive under the Government grant was £42,
or six pounds less than the endowment, so that in
no case could the schools benefit by Parliamentary
aid, which would act prejudicially by withdrawing
the stig ulus now received. The Earl of Pow's
observed that although the Commissioners of Cha-
rities had enabled trustees to change the manner in
probablyor
m isio
avail n
be very slow to ee
sl
themselves sh eoyf wouldtl2Et pt
twhhemichtotl'eedy employed such funds, and to devote
ucationalptuhrepmoss
grant. In fact it is fair to cad upon
if any amount so contributed were to diminish the
scarcely
private charity for a matter which, if it be
as a national
given tree at all, should be granted
SOMERSET
said that the cost of education was on the average
right. On the other hand, the Duke of
305. for each scholar, and that the Committee

It is time that the most earnest endeavours should
simply propcsed that when the school already re-
ceived that amount from endowments the State
be used that the future may realise the hopes of the •
subsidies should not be given, as it was in tended to
Pas
t more than the present has done, and to gain „
uTpl
that desirable end, and reach that auspicious con- faciliy them to districts where there were no such
ties for education already existing. This
summation, nothing could be more ppropriate or sonde fair enough; but a little help might enable

such schools to extend their il,fluence, end it is
always well to take advantage of establistments
already in working ordcr. Another argument in
favour of the continuation of the grants is that, in
most cases, they had been applied in raising the
salaries of the masters and mistresses, an ill-paid
class, to whom the existence of better paid appoint-
ments here and there offers an encouragement which
is very desirable. It is useless to expect children
to be properly ta'aght or trained unless their in-
structors are capable for their office. There is far too
much cheap education going on nowadar s. R e can-
not take up a paper without seeing amazing advertise-
ments telling us how all the comforts of home and a
first-rate classical and mathematical education can
be secured for sixteen guineas a year inclusive, or
reading a catalogue of the varied acquirements and
accomplishments to be imparted by some ad-
venturous lady, who is a finished musician
and excellent linguist, for six pence an
hour. This is the sort of thing we should watch-
fully guard against in our national schools—super
ficiality without substance. If we attempt too
much we shall fail utterly. The vast area over
which knowledge is at present extended offers great
, temptations to the instructor who wishes to attain
distinction through his pupils, arid varied and ab
struse lessons puzzle the brains of children of very
ordinary ability, to whom they are likely to be of
no practical benefit in after life. For schools of
this character, at which the attendance of the chil-
dren is often very brief, it is idle to fill their heads
and load their memories with strings of dates and
knowledge equally useless, A fair idea of the history
of their own country, a thorough, cquaintance with
the rudiments of a plain education, and a know-
ledge of the general outlines of geography, are
quite as muca as children belonging generally to an
uncultivated class, and only at school for a few short
months, perhaps, need to learn. If there is time or
opportunity for more, the rudiments of natural
science and mechanics would be more advantageous
to them than forgotten names and dates, which
serve only for display. We want in our teachers
persons of character and discriminative judgment,
not mere walking catechisms ; and an improvement
in the rate of salary will probably encourage or en-
able such persons to come for ward.