The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-13 00:00:00

the difficulty by allowing both systems, one tin
the conduct of the church, where every clergyman
has his conscience satisfied, and the other in con-
formity with our own rules, under which instruction
is given without distinction of sect or i arty. Then
again there were sects that thought ;1 at their reli-
gious opinions should be taught by the schools, and
that too was admitted, and thus the great object
was accomplished that the children of the poor
should be religiously instructed and religiously
brought up without any violation of conscience.
That that was affected you may see from what
has just taken place. You have seen the
committees of all the different societies co-
operating and meeting together without jealousy
in opposition to the revised code. A further result
brought about by the system of inspection is thatthe
schools have afforded spectacles of cleanliness and
regularity which in many villages were unknown to
the homes of the poor, and which has tended to the
religious and moral improvement of the country at
large, an object which as religious and political men
we aro bound to look at, for while spreading the
Christian religion, we have also been maintaining
order and obedience to the laws and internal safety
of the state. (Cheers.) lam sorry to say I recollect
the time when in the manufacturing districts the
workmen were in a state of discontent, and had the
notion that if each man took up his blanket and
marched to London, they would obtain an alteration
of their laws that would alleviate their distress.
Again, when the agricultural population were in a
state of discontent, they thought that by burning
reaping machines and setting fire to the ricks of the
farmers, they would obtain a remedy for their suf-
ferings. These were all proofs of lamentable ignor-
ance, and of a state of mind gone by and never to be
seen again in this country. In my opinion the pro-
motion of education by the State and by great vo-
luntary societies has tended greatly to the change.
If we are asked for the measurement of it, I willtell
you that many very excellent persons have been for
a long time trying to obtain by a return of agricul-
tural statistics the number of bushels of barley grown
in the country, and the number of cheeses manufac-
tured, but as yet no man nor ministry has been suc-
cessful enough to frame a measure to obtain that
object. If then it be so difficult to obtain material
facts of that kind, how are we to give the exact
number of pounds weight of moral sentiment and the
number of hundredweights and tons of religious in-
struction which have been the result of our im-
proved education. Still there comes the disagree-
able reflection that notwithstanding the State was
at considerable expense, that while there were
many excellent schools, and while all their ma-
chinery was well adapted to the end in view, a great
portion of the country did not receive any share
of the benefits, and it seemed to many of those
who took an interest in education, Sir John
Pakington amongst the number, than whom no
man has taken a greater interest or shown a more
enlightened zeal in the cause, desirable to appoint
a commission to ascertain tho general state of edu-
cation and to produce measures for its improvement.
I entirely concurred in that view, and thought
great benefit would be derived from such a proceed-
ing. I have seen it stated that Mr. Walpole has
said that he approved of the efforts of the assistant
commissioners, but did not approve of the report of
the commission. My opinion is quite the opposite;
I approve of the report, although I do not agree
with everything in it, and think the commissioners
have summed up the result of their inquiry with
great fairness. But when we come to the assistant
commissioners and compare their statements with
the accounts of the schoolmasters of the examina-
tions or non-examinations, I cannot but be of opi-
nion that there was not that fair, thorough, and
searching inquiry made which ought to be expected
from such men. Their summary is not a fair one,
the merits of the schools have been overlooked and
their faults exaggerated, and that after a superfi-
cial, and, in some instances, no examination at all.
(Cheers.) A line that has been interpolated in
Shakespeare might be applied to them—" The man
who fired the temple outlives the pions fool who
raised it." Well, Lord Lansdowne, Sir John Kay
Shuttleworth, and myself were the pious fools who
raised the temple, and they thought they would
outlive us. Here I must stop ; I do' not intend to
say a word about the merits or demerits of the re-
vised code, but it is a serious question for the future
fortune of the country how we are to give greater
extension to popular education, and to improve
that which already exists. I will not mention the
number of schools which do not participate in the
grant, but there is a large number of them in that
condition. The difficulties in the way of it are of
two kinds. It is obvious that if you were to sup-
port them by local rates, without making some
further provision for their government, you
would in every parish raise up an unfortunate
conflict between those who are the adherents of
the church, and those who wish education to be
less restricted; and that would at once destroy all
its good effects. Another mode which the commis-
sioners advised, but the practicability of which the
Privy Council doubted, that there should be two
kinds of support given,one according to the;general
efficiency of the schools, the other to depend upon
the examination of examiners named by the coun-
ties, the assistants to be paid by the county rate.
The objection is that where you have local rates you
must have local control. My own opinion is that
as rating does not extend to all kinds of property,
it is not the proper support for a national system
of education, and you must look to the national
funds as an assistance to local efforts and voluntary
subscription, and it remains the greatest task that
Government can perform to extend the benefits of
education to the people of this country. Let it be
recollected we cannot here establish a system of
education as in Prussia, where the Government lays
down the rule and limits the extent, for this is a
free country, and Education must partake of the
civil and religious character of thenation. (Cheers.)
The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.