The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-07 00:00:00

LORD BROUGHAM'S RESOLUTIONS ON
NATIONAL EDUCATION.

The following resolutions were adopted by the House
of Lords on Friday night, on the motion of Lord
Brougham .--
1. That the increase in the means of education for the
people which had begun a few years before the year 1818,
when the first returns were made, and had proceeded
steadily till the year 1833. when the next returns were
made, has been continued since, although less rapidly as re-
gards the number of schools and teachers, but with consi-
derable improvement both in the constitution of the addi-
tional seminaries, and in the quality of the instruction
given : _ _

2. That the returns of 1818 give as the number of day
schools of all kinds 19,230, attended by 674,883 scholars; of
Sunday schools, 5,463, and Sunday school scholars, 425,533;
the returns of 1833, 38,971 day schools, and 1,276,937 scho-
lars, and 16,828 Sunday schools, and 1,548,890 scholars ;
the returns of 1851, 46,042 day schools, and 2,144,378
schol.ars, 23,514 Sunday schools, and 2,407,642 scholars :
3. That the population having increased during these
two periods from 11,642,633 to 14,386,415 and 17,927,609,
the proportion of the day scholars to the population in 1813
was 1-17.25, of Sunday scholars 1-2440 ; in 1833 of day
scholars 1-11.27, of Sunday scholars 1-9.2 S ; in 1351 of day
scholars 1-8.36, of Sunday scholars 1-7'45 ; showing a more
rapid increase, but more especially of Sunday scholars, in
the first period than in the second, while the population
has increased more rapidly during the second period, its
increase being at the rate of 180,000 a year during the first
period, and 197,000 a year during the second :
4. That there is reason to believe that the returns of
1818 are less than the truth, that those of 1833 have con-
siderably greater omissions, and that those of 1851 ap-
proach much nearer the truth, from whence it may reason-
ably be inferred that the increase during the first fifteen
years was greater than the returns show, that the increase
(luring the last eighteen years was less than the returns
show, and that the increase proceeded during the last
period at a rate more diminishing than the returns show :
5. That before the year 1833 the increase was owing to
the active exertions and liberal contributions of the differ-
ent classes of the community, especially of the upper and
middle classes, whether of the Established Church or of
the dissenters, the clergy of both Church and sects bearing
a large share in those pious and useful labours :
6. That in 18.33 the plan was adopted which had been
recommended by the Education Committee of the House
of Commons in 1818, of assisting by grants and money in
the planting of schools, but so as to furnish only the sup-
plies which were required in the first instance, and to dis-
tribute those sums through the two school societies, the
National and the British and Foreign :
7. That the grants of money have since been largely in-
creased, and that in 1839 a committee of the Privy Council
being formed to superintend their distribution, for increas-
ing the number of schools, for the improvement of the in-
struction given, it has further applied them to the employ.
ment of inspectors and the training of teachers.
8. That of the poorer and working classes, assumed to be
four-fifths of the population, the number of children be-
ween the ages of three and fifteen are 3,500,000, and at
the least require day schools for one-half, as the number
which may be expected to attend school, regard being had
to the employment of a certain proportion in such labour
as children can undergo ; and that consequently schools
for one-eighth of the working classes of the poor are the
least that can be considered as required for the education
of those classes :

9. That the means of education provided are still de-
ficient ; because, of the 2,144,378 day scholars now taught
at the schools of all kinds, not more than about 1,550,000
are taught at public day schools, the remaining 500,000,
being taught at private schools, and being, as well as about
50,000 of those taught at endowed public schools, children
of persons in the upper and middling classes, so that little
more than 1,500,000 of the day scholars are the children of
the poor, or of persons in the working classes; and thus
there are only schools for such children in the proportion
of 1 9.6 of the numbers of the classes to which they belong
instead of a' leaving a deficiency of 300,000, which must
increase by 20,003 yearly according to the annual increase
of the population :
10. That this deficiency is considerably greater in the
large towns than in the other parts of the country, inas-
much as it amounts to 130,000 in the aggregate of the
towns which have above 50,000 inhabitants, and is only
170,000 in the rest of the country ; the schools in these
great towns being only for 1-11'08 of the working classes,
and in the rest of the country for 1-9.2 of these classes,
deducting 50,000 taught at endowed schools :
11. That the deficiency in the number of the teachers is
still greater than in the number of scholars, inasmuch as
eight of the largest towns appear to have public day-
schools with 208 scholars on an average, the average of all
England and Wales being 94 to a school ; that there are
assistant and pupil teachers in many of these schools, and
paid masters in others ; but that there is the greatest ad-
vantage in increasing the number of teachers, this being
one of the chief benefits of Sunday schools, while the plan
formerly adopted in the new schools of instructing by
monitors among the scholars themselves, is now properly
allowed to fall into disuse :
12. That the education given at the greater number of
the schools now established for the poorer classes of people
is of a kind by no means sufficient for their instruction,
being for the most part confined to reading, writing, and '
a little arithmetic ; whereas, at no greater expense, and in ,1
the same time, children might easily be instructed in the
elements of the more useful branches of knowledge, and
thereby trained to sober, industrious habits :
13. That the number of infant schools is still exceedingly
deficient, and especially in those great towns where they
are most for improving the morals of the people and pre-
venting the commission of crimes :
14. That while it is expedient to do nothing which may
relax the efforts of private beneficence in forming and sup-
porting schools, or which may discourage the poorer
classes of the people from contributing to the coat of edu-
cating their children, it is incumbent upon Parliament to
aid in providing the actual means of instruction where
these cannot otherwise be obtained for the people.
15. That it is incumbent on Parliament to encourage in
like manner the establishment of infant schools, especially
in larger towns.

16. That it is expedient to confer upon the town coun-
cils of incorporated cities and boroughs the power of levy-
ing a rate for the establishment and support of schools
under the authority of and in co-operation with the Edu-
cation Committee of the Privy Council, care being taken
as heretofore that the aid afforded shall only be given in
cases of necessity, and so as to help and encourage, not dis-
place, individual exertion :
17. That the permission to begin and to continue the
levying of the rate shall in every case depend upon the
schools founded or aided by such rate being open to the
children of all parents, upon religious instruction being
given, and the scriptures being read iu them, but not used
as a school book, and upon allowing no compulsion either
as to the attendance at religions instruction or at divine
service in the case of children whose parents object thereto,
and produce certificates of their attending other places of
worship :
18. That the indifference which has been found of the pa-
rents in many places to obtain education for their children,
and a reluctance to forego the advantages of their labour
by withdrawing them from school, is mainly owing to the
ignorance of their parents, and this can best be removed
by the encouragement of a taste for reading, by the estab-
lishment of mechanics institutions, apprentices libraries,
and reading rooms, and by the abolition of all taxes upon
knowledge :
19. That in towns there have been established upwards
of 1,200 of such institutions and reading-rooms, with above
100,000 members, but that by far thk,greater number of
these members
parroep
opretrisoonn soinnl
only the h
be
eiliopapge
irnagn dt
om
ti tel 1 alto,
01 arks siensg,
a
clayseserys ;snibuatllit has been found in some parts of the country,
particularly in Cumberland, that when the whole manage-
ment of the affairs of the institutions is left in the hands
of the working men themselves, a very great proportion of
the attending members belong to that cass, and both by
frequenting the rooms and taking out the books to read,
show their desire of profiting by the institution :
20. That in every quarter, but more especially where
there are no reading-rooms in the country districts, the
great obstacle to diffusing useful knowledge among the
people has been the newspaper stamp, which prevents
papers containing local and other intelligence from being
added to such works of instruction and entertainment as
might at a low price be circulated among the working
classes, and. especially among the country people, along
with that intelligence :
21. That the funds given by charitable and public
spirited individuals and bodies corporate for promoting
education, are of a very large amount, probably when the
y is improved and the abuses in its management are
correctedpropert not less than half a million a year ; and that it is
expedient to give to the board formed under the Charitable
Trusts Act of 1853 such additional powers as may better
enable them, with the assent of trustee and special visitors
(if any), to apply portions of the funds now lying useless
to the etlucation and improvement of the people.

QUARTERLY RETURN OF THE MARRIAGES,
BIRTHS, AND DEATHS REGISTERED IN THE
DIVISIONS. COUNTIES, AND DISTRICTS OF
ENGLAND.

in 12,039
( From the Registrar-General's Return)
This return comprises the births and deaths registered
by 2,191 registrars in all the districts of England during
the spring quarter ending June 30, 1854 ; and the mar-
riagesstered places of worship unconnected with the Estab-
lished Church, and 625
superintendent registrars offices
churches or chapels, about 3,504 regi-
stered
in the quarter that ended March 31, 1854.
All the returns present a favourable view of the state
of the country.
The marriages in the first quarter of
the year exceed the average proportion. In the quarter
June
ending 30, the number of births that have been
registered greatly exceeds the numbers returned in any
previous quarter ; and the mortality has been below the
average. Cholera has not prevailed to any extent, but
mortality of the town districts has slightly exceeded the
average, and the diminution in the mortality is to be
found chiefly in the country districts.

MARRIAGES.
63,144 marriages were celebrated in the quarter end-
ing March 31, and in proportion to the population, this
number exceeds the average of the ten corresponding
quarters, but it is less by 1,870 than the marriages in
the winter of 1853. The pressure of the high price of
provisions has had some effect in depressing the marri-
ages. On comparing the numbers in the corresponding
quarters of 1 853 and 1854, the decrease is found to be
greatest in London, in Devonshire, in Shropshire, in
Lancashire,. in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and in
Westmoreland. In Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Dur-
ham, and Northumberland, where the iron and coal dis-
tricts abound, the marriages exhibit no sensible decrease.
- - BIRTHS.

172,420 births were reistered in the quarter ending
June 30, or 13,702 births in excess of the births in the
spring quarter of 1853. On an average the births were
at the annual rate of 3.45 percent. on the population in
the 10 spring quarters, 1844-53. In the spring quarter
of 1854 the rate was 372 per cent. The increase is
observable in every division of the country.

INCREASE OF POPULATION.
The number of children born last quarter was 172,420,
and in the same period 102,666 men, women, and chil-
dren died ; therefore the registers discover a clear gain
to the population of 69,754. But the increase or de-
' crease of a people is not dependent entirely on the facts
recorded in its registers ; immigration and emigration
materially modify the result. The number of emigrants
who left English ports where emigration officers are sta-
tioned? as furnished by the commissioners, was 99,545.
They are not distinguished in this return as regards the
parts of the United -.Kingdom from which they came ;