The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-02 00:00:00

LONDON :
SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2, 1837.

In 1835 Lord BROUGHAM brought forward in the House
of Lords the important subject of National Education, and
moved fourteen resolutions, which were laid on the table,
and of which their Lordships took no further notice. Last
year he introduced a Bill which, partly owing to accidental
circumstances, met with no better fate ; but not discouraged
by the apathy which unfortunately prevails on the subject
in that House, or frightened at the difficulty with which it
is surrounded, be has renewed the attempt this Session, by
introducing a more comprehensive Bill for the better edu-
cation of the people of England and Wales. In his speech
last night, which will be read with great interest, he pointed
out the difficulties, arising chiefly from prejudices and anti-
pathies he had to contend with, and then proposed the remedy,
which in his own words is properly described as " a measure
for the purpose of doing all that is wanted for the education
of the people, without doing more." One great feature in
the plan is the total absence of compulsion. Children not
only arc not to be compelled to attend schools, but even
their parents are not to be rated for the erection and main-
tenance of schools unless the majority in the district are so
inclined. No preference is to be given to Churchmen or
Dissenters—the Holy Scriptures are to be used, but no
peculiar doctrines or tenets enforced, so that if the rule is
duly observed it matters not whether the master be a
Churchmen or a Dissenter. The children of Catholics and
Jews are not to be required to read the Scriptures or hear
them read, and in order that no schism may be created by
the majority dictating to the minority, as regards the re-
ligion of the master, the minority whether it con-
sists of Churchmen or Dissenters shall have the
power to withhold their assent, the only evil consequence
of which will be, that matters shall remain as they are, till
the two parties can come to an understanding. To super-
intend the distribution of funds granted by Parliament, or
of funds bequeathed for the purposes of education, and to
communicate information and advice to the Town Councils
in boroughs, and to Education Committees in country
parishes, who, to a certain extent, shall have the regulation
of the schools, a Board of Commissioners is to be appointed,
consisting of three paid Commissioners, to be members for
life, and two Ministers of the Crown. The expenses are
to be defrayed by voluntary assessment, and in districts
where the inhabitants are too poor to raise the necessary
funds, the deficiency to be made up by grants from Parlia-
ment. These are the principal details of the measure ;
and in drawing them up the Noble Lord has shown great
judgment and discretion, by avoiding everything that
could excite religious prejudices, or give the preponderance
to one party or another, or dry up those sources by which
many schools throughout the country are now main-
tained. The Bishops expressed no opinion on the subject ;
but few of them, indeed, heard the speech to the end, and
their opinions consequently will not be known till they have
in a body subjected it to the strictest ordeal. It may fora
time, however, be obstructed, but looking at the feeling
which now pervades the country, we doubt not its ultimate
success, and Lord BROUGHAM will have what to him is of
far more importance than a seat in the Cabinet, the con-
solation of having been the means of emancipating millions
of his fellow-creatures from the slavery of ignorance, and of
establishing a name which will be venerated and blessed by
all future generations.

Our readers will find in another part of The Sun of this
day, a report of a public dinner given to Mr. O'CONNELL
by the Reformers of Norwich. The Hon. and Learned
Gentleman, who was welcomed with enthusiasm by a nu-
merous and respectable assemblage, spoke with his usual
energy and animation, especially on the subject of the Bal-
lot. This, indeed, is one of the great cardinal points to
which the attention of all Reformers should be just now
directed. We should not lose sight of it for an instant,
and still less should we suffer ourselves to be deterred from
its agitation by the direct hostility of Lord J. RUSSELL. On the
contrary, his Lordship's opposition should stimulate our ener-
gies,and goad us on to renewed efforts. He is not our " Sir
Oracle," even though he be Ministerial leader in the
House of Commons. We are glad, therefore, to find Mr.
O'CortriEu. insisting, with such earnestness and pertina-
city, on the expediency of our agitating the question of
the Ballot at every suitable opportunity. He says, very
justly, that the majority of the arguments urged against
it are mere shallow sophistries, not worth the trouble of
refutation ; and that it can scarcely fail, under any circum-
stances, of producing the beneficial results we anticipate
from it—namely, putting a stop for ever to that wholesale
system of bribery and intimidation, which the To-
ries have had recourse to, with such unparelleled
effrontery, throughout the last elections. But there is
another good effect with which the Ballot will be attended,
which, we believe, has not yet been referred to. It will
tend to elevate the religious character of the provincial
clergy in the estimation of their flocks, for they will no
longer be seen stirring up strife among their neighbours ;
filling them with political prejudices ; and inducing them,
by dint of threats, and flatteries, and sophistries, to give
votes in direct violation of their conscience. Let the
Ballot be once granted, and the Tory Clergy—whose name
is Legion—will have no longer any temptation to disgrace
their sacred calling by unseemly interferences of this na-
ture. Again, therefore, we say with Mr. O'CONNELL,
discuss the Ballot—petition for it—agitate for it—and do
not relax in your exertions, until it be wrung from the
Legislature.

Mr. WALLACE last night again brought forward the
subject of the Post Office in the House of Commons.
The Hon. Member for Greenock is entitled to the thanks
of the public for the indefatigable perseverance with which
he labours to reform the abuses in the Post office, and to
put that establishment on the footing on which it ought to
be in a country depending as this does, in so great a mea-
sure for its prosperity, on the rapidity, the punctuality,
and the security of the intercourse between its various