The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-09 00:00:00

liminary to the comprehensive abolition of the
taxes upon knowledge.
It must pot be forgotten, however, that other
men besides Mr. GinsoN, are, in reference to the
subject here specified, as his abettors and auxilia-
ries, peculiarly deserving of most thankful remem-
brance. It were ungracious, for example, in this re-
gard to lose for one moment a recollection of the
efficient exertions made in the good cause, session
after session, by Mr. EWART, as it would be alto-
gether monstrous to overlook the noble efforts ad-
ventured upon in a similar direction, and with a
kindred object, by men toiling strenuously and
assiduously onwards to the goal of indirect
national education, outside the walls of the
legislative palace at Westminster. Meaning,
of course, by these sufficiently explicit al-
lusions to the admirable endeavours made in
London by CHARLES KNIGHT and in Edin-
burgh by the Brothers CHAMBERS, to place within
reach of the poorer classes of the population the
inestimable boon of a cheap but wholesome litera-
ture, nay, more, much more even than that of
a classic, and elevating, and eminently instructive
literature. It was a curious and beautiful indi-
cation of the progress which was being made to-
wards the more effectual development of this sys-
tem of indirect national education—the appearance
of some of the most popular writers of the age, both
male and female, as the founders and editorial
conductors of really cheap, because at the same
time they are really first-class, periodicals. Re-
ference, it must be obvious, is here made to the
issue some few years back of the initial numbers
of Household Words, emblazoned on every page
with the name of CHARLES DICKENS, and of that
sister serial the Journal, which carries in its very
title the name of ELIZA COOK as the guarantee of its
pervading excellence. Besides these, there are
other prominent labourers in the same glorious
field of intellectual improvement of the popula-
tion. As must be obvious enough to every one at
all familiar with the enterprise displayed of late,
year after year, in regard to elementary works,
by JOHN CASSELL, and a reference to standard
works of a miscellaneous character, published
with such munificence and profusion by the re-
markable firm presided over by GEORGE ROUT-
LEDGE. It should, moreover, be mentioned as a
circumstance commanding, upon this topic, the
attention of the journalist, and extorted from
the most phlegmatic the tokens of applause,
and even of unaffected admiration, that the most
eminent publishing houses in this country—the
house, for example, of the LONGMANS and the
house of MURRAY—have set an example worthy
of general imitation, by the issue, one by one, in
a cheap form, of a succession of masterly publica,-
tions. Remembering all these things pre-
serving them, indeed, vividly in our recollection,
we cannot but consider it to have been singu-
larly judicious on the part of the promoters
of the festive scene of last evening, at the Whit-
tington Club, to accord that mark of the popular
gratitude and admiration cherished towards the
chief of all the enemies of the taxes upon know-
ledge within the walls of the Imperial Parliament.