The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-05 00:00:00

mind of making a ready and easy calculation of the
matter in which he wants to arrive at a conclusion.
That is efitirely a habit—a habit easily acquired to
a certain extent if boys are only taught in a proper
way to arrive at it—not by fancying in their own
minds that they see before them a slate with figures,
and performing the same process which they would
perform upon a piece of paper, but by building up,
as it were, bit by bit in their own minds the calcu-
lation at which they wish to arrive, and they will
find that the•easiest thing in the world up to a cer-
tain limited extent. (Ilear.) I saw an evidence of
that in the model school in Dublin. The mental
arithmetic class was called up, and the master
asked the boys—urchins some two feet and a half
high, and none more than 12 years old—many ques-
tions, which were answered most readily. At
last he says, " Now, boys, eightpence a-day, what
is that in four years ?" Now, that is exactly the
sort of calculation that agricultural labourers have
to make. In an incredibly Short space of time four
boys held up their hands as a token that they had
made the calculation in their own minds. Three of
them mentioned the same sum. ' The fourth men-
tioned a different sum. The master said to the
foUrth boy, " You are wrong." The boy said ".
am not wrong." " Well," said the master, "if you
"wrong, prove it." The boy said, In four
years there is a leap year, and I have added Bd. for
the leap year." (Laughter.) Well, I say that habit
of mind and that faculty of calculation is a most
useful thing, particularly for those who are engaged
in industrial occupations. (Hear, hear.) They can
calculate what a ditclL ought to cost for a certain
distance. There is no matter of agricultural employ-
ment in which that power of mental calculation may
not be usefully employed. Well, then, education is
an excellent thing, but that is not all that children
ought to be taught. They should also be taught good
conduct. Good conduct, is taught in many ways—at
least, in two ways ; first, by precept, and then,
more powerfully, by example. Now, you can all
give your children good precepts, became the rules
of good conduct in life are plain and simple. The
difference between right and wrong, between good
conduct and bad conduct, is intuitively and instinc-

Lively known to all, and therefore you have the
means of instilling those principles into your chil-
dren ; but you have also the assistance of those
ministers of religion belonging to different creeds,
who are ready and always occupied in assisting
parents to give that good instruction and good ad-
vice to their children. But, whatever good advice
you may give your children, if the parents pursue
a bad and reckless course of conduct, depend
upon it the children will follow the example instead
of following the advice, They will turn out ill,
and probably worse than the parents whose example
they are imitating. There are few principles
of human nature stronger than that of imitation,
and where children see a man and wife quar-
relling, the mother dirty, and the father drunken,
and the house uncomfortable, it is not in human
nature possible that those children should be, the
girls clean and well educated, the sons sober, honest,
and industrious. (Hear, hear.) It is unnecessary to
press these things upon you, because you who have
gained these rewards are men:and women whose con-
duct in the past is a security for your good conduct

in the future, and gives a certainty that your ex-
ample will be as good as your advice, and that your
families will be a comfort and honour to yourselves
and a benefit to the community of which you are
members. (Cheers.) But your example will not be
confined, as your precepts will be, to your own
families. 'Your example will spread throughout the
district to which you belong. You must, therefore,
think—and it is a satisfactOry: and 'consoling rain-

Lion to have in your minds—that while by good
conduct and by well bringing up your children
you are contributing to your own advantage
and contributing to the honour of your families, you
are also spreading an example which will be useful
to the whole district, and through that district to
the whole country, of which you will, therefore, be
worthy members. (Cheers.) Well, friends and
neighbours, I have nothing further to say to you.
Inm saii-are-that most-of vamit.l-have mid is useless
to you who do not require it. But, still, truths,
however deeply they may be engraven in the minds
of men, are sometime usefully repeated, and there-
fore I think we do well on these oocasions to remind
you of those principles of which I have no doubt
you are all conscious, and which cannot be too often
impressed upon the hearts and minds of all classes
of her Majesty's subjects. (Chid cheers.)
On the motion of the Rev. 31r. Empson, a vote
of thanks was given to Lord Palmerston, who
briefly acknowledged the compliment.
A large number of the members of the society
afterwards dined together at the White Horse Inn,
under the presidency of the Hon. R. Dutton, M.P.
There were also present Mrl G. Eyre, Mr. -Wyatt
(the Mayor), Lieut. Allsop, IMr. Alfred Bonham
Carter, Mr. C. L. Lordan, the Rev. W. H. Empson,
the Rev. T. H. Tragett, Capt, Powell, &c.
After the-usual loyal and patriotic toasts had been
given and duly honoured,
Mr. LORDAN proposed " The Health of the Ma-
gistrates of the County," coupling with the toast the
name of Mr. Eyre, as a gentleman who had exerted
himself to promote the interests of the society.
Mr. EYRE acknowledged the toast, and proposed
" The Mayor and corporation of Romsey," to which
the Mayor responded.
The CHAIRMAN then rose to propose a toast which
he said was immediately connected with the La-
bourers' Association—he referred to the noble presi-
dent, Lord Palmerston. (Loud cheers.) It was a
most valuable thing for the association that they
should have the advantage of the presidency of
such a man. (Cheers.) He had listened to Lord
Palmerston on many public occasions, but he did
not think he had ever heard him with greater plea-
sure than that day. (Cheers.) He did not think
he had ever heard more sound advice given upon a
more important subject. Although to some minds
the proceedings of the day might not appear all im-
portant, he did not think they could have been called
together to celebrate an event which had a greater,
or more powerful bearing upon the conduct of the
agricultural community throughout the country, or
that that community could have instilled into
them, through the press of the country at large,
better advice than that which Lord Palmerston
had given them. (Cheers.) The duty of precept
and example had never been more clearly put
before any community. He thought, too, that
Lord Palmerston had touched the question of educa-
tion exactly in the manner in which it ought to be
touched in the present day, for he had pointed out
very truly how much the agricultural labourer might
learn in a short time, instead of following up that
great mistake of over-educating men for the posi-
tion in which they were placed. (Hear, hear.) He
had taught them to turn their attention to those
things which alone were sufficient to open the door
to all information. He entirely endorsed the senti-
ments of the noble lord with regard to teaching,
reading, legible writing, and mental arithmetic.
Another matter had given him great pleasure, and he
was sure had given all present equal pleasure. He
referred to the vigour with which the noble lord had
spoken that day. (Cheers.) Although he had now
passed the unparalleled age of 80—the only Prime
Minister who had ever led the country at that age—
he (Mr. Dutton), having known the noble lord inti-
mately for many years, could say that he had never
seen him look better for the last four or five
years than he did at present. (Loud cheers.) Al-
though at his great age it was impossible to predict
how long the noble lord might be spared he did not
see why he should not be spared some time longer
to conduct the affairs of this great country in a
manner in which, he believed, no other public man
, in the present day could conduct them.
The toast was drunk with three times three, and
one cheer more for Lady Palmerston.
The Rev. W. EPPS proposed the health of the