The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-27 00:00:00

ES.

MR. COBDEN ON NATIONAL ED Ur

The re-opening of the Barnsley Mecha,nirJs' Institution
was celebrated on Wednesday night by a 'public meeting,
in what is now the lecture-hall of the institution, but
was formerly the theatre. Mr. Cobden, M.P., occupied
the chair, supported by Mr. Wilderspin, the founder of
the Infant School System,
Mr. COBDEN said--I remember when first mechanics'
institutions were launched under the auspices of the ex-
cellent Dr. Birkbeck—a man whose name can never be
held in too high reverence for his great disinterestedness
and great patriotism—and his intelligent colleagues,
Lord Brougham and others—l remember that when
they launched the first mechanics' institutions they
were intended, not as schools in themselves, but as
something to supply the defects of early education in
a class which in former times had not had the oppor-
tunity of receiving education. Now, such being the
case, it appears to me that to carry out the purpose
of the founders, it is not enough to draw together a
certain number of members, and provide them with a
commodious lecture-room, a convenient news-room,
and library. Those things could all have been ob-
tained, though probably in a less convenient way, before
mechanics' institutions were created. But one of the
primary objects of mechanics' institutions was to enable
a young man, on feeling himself deficient in some
particular branch of knowledge, to join a society
where he could have the opportunity of supplying his
deficiency in that respect ; and for this end you must
have classes to teach arithmetic, geography, grammar,
drawing, and chemistry. I should hope you would have
a class for French. Now, there has been an allusion to
one branch of study which particularly interests the
manufacturers of this district, namely, drawing and de-
signing. I think I heard the gentleman who last spoke
say that there was no drawing master in Barnsley ; that
you must have an itinerant master, who must go his
circuit from Sheffield, radiate about, and pay an occa-
sional visit to Barnsley. Why, if I were a Barnsley
manufacturer, that dealt in figured or damask linens, I
should beg and entreat the reporters not to let that fact
world
know forth. (Cheers and laughter.) Don't let the
know that Dunfermline has got all the designers. (Ap-
plause.) Now lam told, for I am very curious in in-
quiring about anything connected with the art of design,
inasmuch as my own business is very much connected
with that art—l have been told, in consequence of in-
quiries I have made since I have been here, that the
patterns of those damask linens manufactured in this
place, which we all so much admire, are made by the
weavers themselves—(hear, hear, hear)—that the pat-
terns are designed by the labourer who weaves the cloth
—and that he, so far from having had any instruction
in the art of design, ha§ been living in a town where
there is no drawing-master. (Laughter.) Well now, I
take it as a proof that you have natural talent for draw-
ing amongst you. But I say to the capitalists here,
that you are not doing justice to the men who show that
talent if you are only going to give them the ninth or
tenth part of a drawing-master, (Cheers and laughter.)
You must let it go forth from this moment—l hope our
friend here to the left (Mr. Harvey), who is interested
in this matter, will rise before the close of these proceed-
ing, and declare that another month shall not elapse
before steps are taken to ensure the services of a draw-
ing-master in Barnsley, and that all these ingenious
young weavers who are now able to put together a
damask pattern shall be able to learn something of the
art of design from a practised teacher before we meet
here again. (Cheers.) Well, I say, then, one of your
classes must be for drawing, and in this respect you will
be aided by Government in a way which is perfectly legi-
timate. I mean that you will be supplied with the best
possible models of sculpture and drawing. I am an
advocate so far for centralisation that I will at all times
sanction and applaud a Government which draws to one
centre the best designs and the best models, and mult

ply them in the cheapest way, and diffuse them through
the country. (Cheers.) It involves no restraint over
you—it involves no power to tax you, or deprive
you of your powers of self-government, but it enables
you to avail yourself of the superior light and intelli-

Bence of people in the metropolis, who have devoted
themselves to the study of the arts, and provide your-

selves in Barnsley with all the best models and forms of
art which are to be found in London, Paris, or Rome.

Then with regard to other branches—the arithmetic
class, for instance—how many young men are there who
may be sitting at their loom with the best head upon
their shoulders, phrenologically speaking, that any human
being can possess, and yet from some circumstances ut-
terly beyond his control has had no opportunity of cul-
tivating that excellent head when a child. Yet that
young man feels within him what the majority feel in his
situation of life, if he only had the necessary education to
qualify him to rise in society. The first thing he requires,
if he do anything in the way of business, must be to know
something of arithmetic. Here you offer no means by
which the young man can learn the rule of three or the
multiplication table. I need not say another word, I
am sure, as to the absolute necessity of adopting such
a course. It is not necessary to have a stipendiary
master. You may adopt the monitorial system with
regard to the classes. And I hope you have got enough
of enterprising spirit among you to begin the institution
in the classes, and not to stop with arithmetic and draw-

ing. You should have a French class—(hear, bear)—
for now the French language is being made the general
mode of communication all over the civilised world.

You would then not only be teaching that which might
be useful to your youth, but you would bring that which
is ornamental as well as useful within the reach of all

adult manufacturing and labouring men in the kingdop.
I think you ought also, if possible, to try to establish a
school in connection with this institute. (Hear, hear.)

,
This is one of the most useful adjuncts in connection
with the Huddersfield institute. You should endeavour
to connect a school to your institute—it would be a
feeder to your institute, for by means of that you would
increase your members. If the advice of my friend
Wilderspin had been followed twenty-five years ago,
when first I made his acquaintance, and infant schools
had been established in every village, you would not

have to canvas for customers for icinr mechanics' in,

stitute—they would have grown up naturally to your
hand. And this leads me for the moment to leave the
immediate question before us, and to ask what were
these institutions established for ? Not as a system of
education, but to supplement the want of education.
And we want that education still that we wanted
when these institutions were founded. Now I know
that this is a vexed question—it has been made a party
question. But, gentlemen, I have never regarded it as
a party question. I do not care whether instruction
comes voluntarily or from an organised State education.
I want education. (Cheers.) But I cannot accept sta-
tistics to prove the numbers that attend schools. I
cannot accept that as evidence that the people are edu-
cated ; for I cannot conceal what is evidence to my

senses that they are not educated, and that they are not
being educated. Well, now, I was talking only yester-
day to a magistrate of Manchester, and he told me that
he was attending at the swearing in of the militia in
one of the largest manufacturing towns in the kingdom,
and that not one-half of the men could read, and not
one-third could sign their names or ages. Now, without
wishing to offer any fanatical opinion with regard to the
peace question, I must say, with all sincerity, it would
have been far better to have sent those young men to
school rather than to the drill-sergeant. (Hear, hear.)
Nay, more than that, I think the safety of our country
would be more promoted by teaching them to " face
about," "right, left." I came the other day with 'a
gentleman from Preston, and I was talking over with
him the subject of education, as it was very natural I
should be, as I was coming here to ;this meeting.
He said to me, "I. attended a coroners inquest one
day last week, and out of thirteen jurymen, five signed
their names, and eight made their marks." I cannot shut
my eyes to what is going on around, and from these and
similar facts, I say we are not an educated people ; but I
say it is our duty, our safety depends upon it as a na-
tion, to see that the people are educated, and I know
of no place more fitting to discuss this subject than such
a meeting as this, for I take it for granted that you all
feel an interest in education, and the deficiency ofjuve-
nile education, by your being met here to promote adult
education. I have no hesitation in repeating what I
have said over and over again, that in point of school
learning most English people are less instructed than any
Protestant people in the world. I say that deliberately.
I remember quite well, at the time of the Hungarian
immigration to this country, just after the revolution,
that a very distinguished minister and religious teacher,
an Hungarian, was talking to me on the subject of edu-
cation in England. I told him that a large portion of
our people could neither read nor write. He could not
believe it, and he said to me, " Well, if that is true, how
do you•raaintain your constitutional institutions and
your political liberties ? It is evident that your institu-
tions are far ahead of the people, and that your self-
government is a mere habit with you." Well, to a large
extent, it is a habit, and we cling to it and preserve
that habit. But we want it put upon a safer foundation
than it is at present ; we want it as the result of an
enlightened appreciation—something that the people
will be proud of as an intellectual thing, and not as a
mere habit. I say there is no security for any kind of
freedom, unless it is based upon a wider in telligence thanwoef
have in this country at the present moment. The want
i t
an increased intelligence meets us at every turn. 'We see
in ahlyl oduo rosuorc
ino t,i2 hayyp
say,l
"It is
are continually generating diseaosevertYy
aeloapff lea,i man
often comes from
our poverty." But then our P
nTyaokfet,hfoeroiin, stance, sanita_rayereesf,ovlineit
fort Hear hear.) Besides that,
sequence of our ignorance. ignorance and our vices ;
eat massi of the people are
is it not notorious that tebesagnritary
laws are ? They do
not well aware what
.th our vices are often the con-
cavengers in the streets and
the result of no s
poisons are
They do not know that from these things
no sewerage-
nd other diseases. If it were impressed
not know that ventilation is necessary for life—that
proceed cholera
upon
le would take care to inhabit better houses,
causes, people them thata these consequences followed these
which able to do if they were more care-
ful of their means. I say that the habits of the people
are associated in every way with the amount of intelli-