The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-26 00:00:00

BULEFER LYTTON.

(From the Iferts Guardian.)
On Tuesday evening last, Sir E. B. Lytton, Bart.,
M.P., delivered an address to the members and friends
of the St. Albans Literary and Scientific Institution.
It will be remembered that Sir Edward was prevented
attending the recent soiree of the institute owing to
the pressure of Parliamentary duties ; but he then
promised to attend and deliver an address in Easter
week. That promise Sir Edward has now fulfilled.
On Tuesday evening, a numerous assemblage. were
congregated in the Assembly-room of the Town-hall.
On the platform were the principal gentry of the neigh-
bourhood, and near were the ladies of their families and
visitors, and the body of the hall was crowded with
residents of St. Albans and the locality, comprising a
fair sprinkling of the working classes.
At half-past seven precisely, the Earl of Verulam and
Sir E. B. Lytton entered the Hall. His Lordship took
his seat as president of the meeting, and immediately
after proceeded to introduce Sir Edward to the meeting,
and after some preliminary remarks as to the time ap-
pointed for the address,
His LORDSHIP said it was his plessing duty to intro-
duce Sir E. B. Lytton, whose address they had doubt-
less been looking forward to with feelings of great in-
terest, and the pleasure he then felt was greatly en-
hanced —not because the gentleman who was about to
address them was their political representative, a
member for Hertfordshire, but from the fact that he
belonged to the county as one of the Lyttons, of Kneb-
worth, who he believed were amongst the very oldest
residents in the county. (Hear, hear.) But there
were reasons beyond those of Sir Edward's ancient
family, and old pedigree which made him now feel a
pride in introducing Sir Edward, and he was sure that
gentleman would excuse him for saying that the repu-
tation of his family had become greatly enhanced by
the speeches and writings of its present representative ;
for while the Lyttons of Knebworth were well known
in the county, the literary works eeerSir Edward were
read and admitted in every countrye in the world ; and
he was sure all who knew 511- Edward's writings would
agree with the statement that his magnificent series of
,vorks chewed a regular gradation Of improveinent, and
that his last published works were the best. Let them
take his wonderful book ' My Novel,' and see the
many extraordinary, and yet life-like characters there
introduced ? There was not one present who would not
gladly have Dr. Riccabocco for a friend if they could,
and next to knowing him, he (Lord V.) would be glad
to have his picture at Gerhambury he would not say
more, but merely introduce Sir Edward Lytton, and
would request their best attention to what he had to
say.
Sir E. B. LYTTON then came forward, and was loudly
cheered. When silence had been restored, he said—
My Lord, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--I must begin by
offering an apology to the members of this Institute for
not attending their annual evening reunion in February
last. The fact, is, that at the opening of Parliament,
her Majesty s admiration put forth a crop of such exu-
berant and variegated legislation, upon all matters,
foreign and domestic, Church and State, fixing such
early days to take into discussion the expediency of
momentous changes, that I could not disengage my
mind from the contemplation of subjects so excit-
ing, and apparently so imminent, sufficiently to enjoy
the thought of a holiday, devoted to the tranquil
pleasures of a Literary Institution. It did indeed
happen, as it often does to the buds and blossoms
of a premature spring, that a sudden frost nipped
the prodigal vegetation of the Ministerial announce-
ments, and that by the postponement of measures for
the consideration of which the eagerness of a Govern-
ment had led us to believe not a day was to be lost—l
might with perfect freedom from all political anxieties
and perfect safety to all party interests have come down
to your assembly. Indeed I thought of coming on the
very day fixed for your meeting, but as your programme
of proceedings was then determined, as you had secured
an ample attraction in the eloquence of that excellent
speaker my hon. and learned friend, the member for
Hertford ; and as then a later period for my own appear-
ance amongst you was settled and arranged, I thought,
on the whole, it would be better to do in this case what
the wisdom of our Government had decided to do them-
selves, and subsprihe to the general policy of postpone-
ment. (Laughter.) Ladies and Gentlemen—I feel when
I look around me that all further apology is superfluous
—my excuse that you are called together on a second
occasion is to be found in the numbers and respectability
of the assembly itself—in the occupation of your chair
by a noble neighbour, too justly esteemed and beloved
not to attract a brilliant company wherever he presides—
in the distinguished guests which attend him, and in that
display of female attractions which must entitle me not
to your pardon, but your thanks, for contributing, how-
ever humbly, to any occasion which may please your
eyes and delight your taste by an exhibition of the
fairest flowers of St. Albans. Gentlemen—ln the re-
marks which I shall offer to your attention, it occurs to
me that I shall best serve your object if I abstain from
a set address upon the more declamatory topics which
the occasion might favour, and begin by suggesting
some practical hints as to the means of increasing the
utility of those popular societies, which pass under
the common, but not correct title of Mechanics' In-
stitutes. You have wisely not adopted that title, it has
long ceased to be correct ; for there are few such so-
cieties even in manufacturine towns, in which mechanics
form more than a small portion of the subscribing mem-
bers ; and I doubt if there be a single one in which they
form more than half. When these Institutions were
first established—somewhere about thirty years ago
unquestionably the leading idea was to communicate the
facilities of scientific education to the working classes in
great towns. How comes it that mechanics failed to
grasp the advantage thus held out to them ? How comes
it that the advantage has been seized at once and turned
to account by tradesmen, clerks, and persons, in short,
of a wealthier description, than the mechanic ? The rea-
son is clear. In order to comprehend the advantage of
these institutions, in order to profit by lectures and
libraries, a certain degree of preliminary education was
necessary. The mechanic had not received that educa-
tion, and the shopkeeper had. It was the desig❑ of these
societies to give an almost collegiate quality of know-
ledge to the adult population. But the adult mechanic
who had received little or no instruction as a child, was
not likely to find much interest in the higher degree of
learning thus suddenly offered to him ; while the young
clerk and tradesman, who had already been to school
and felt with regret the sudden cessation of all other
facilities to general knowledge the moment he betook
himself to the desk or counter, instantly recognised the
occasions for self-improvement, which libraries and lec-
ture rooms would afford him ; and thus in fact the
Mechanics' Institute has become what may rather be
called the Tradesman's Athenaeum. (Hear.) Now, we
can find no fault with the fact that one class have the
intelligence to profit by what was intended to dispel the
ignorance of another. It is highly to the credit of
tradesmen that they- should have felt how great an
element of good there is in these societies ; and I
regard them as holding an intellectual property in
trust for the working class against the time when that
class shall have come of age to enter into its own share
of the inheritance. (Hear, hear.) But still, if we meet
here for something better than vague compliments to
each other, we are compelled to consider the important
fact that whatever the benefit other classes may derive
from popular literary and scientific institutes that benefit
has been very sparingly shared by the class for which
they were specially intended ; and the conclusion to be
drawn from the fact is this —some national scheme for
infant education must reach the great mass of the work-
ing class, before a Mechanics' Institute can becomeean in-
stitution for mechanics. Meanwhile, let us accept these
societies for what they are worth, and for what they
really are, and see how far they can be improved to the
utmost. The constituent features of a first-rate popular
intellectual institute are these—a school for children ;
class rooms for adults and grown up persons ; a
library, and a course of lectures—and if all these are well
managed, the whole presents a most useful and a most
noble agency of civilisation. tut it is probably only in
the very large and wealthy towns that we can at present
expect that sufficient funds will be raised to carry
out to full development all these various objects.
Even in such towns there is a complaint that the
funds do not suffice for the purpose. Now there are
only three modes to fill your exchequer. Filet, the
subscriptions of the members themselves ; second, do-
nations from wealthier persons ; third, aid from the
state. With regard to the first, if the working man is
ever to have his full share of the instruction offered,
you must continue to make the subscription as low as
possible ; and I doubt if these will suffice to do more
than keep the institutes alive, certainly not to effect all
their higher objects, Contributions from the wealthy
can't be relied on to any permanent extent. It becomes
then a question whether in any great and comprehensive
scheme for national edUcation, the State should not give
some aid towards extracting from these institutions being
already established, some of the best means ior diffusing
popular instruction. (Loud cheers.) You approve that
notion,—Then I think it would be well if the officers of
the various popular institutes throughout the country
would communicate with each other ; arrange as to what
form, to what degree, and for what special objects the
State might be induced to contribute, and then peti-
tion Parliament to that effect in well considered memo-
rials. In the present temper of the house of Commons,
such petitions would, in my opinion, be successful. (Loud
cheers.) We all know how prevalent a desire it is with
all parties in this country to place popular education
upon some systematic basis worthy the wealth and the
grandeur of that race winch carries to the remotest re-
gion its noble language and its immortal name : and yet
leaves at this moment millions of its. own native popu-
lation unable to read a single page of one of its own authors.
(Hear, hear.) But in any scheme for such education
that may hereafter be established, a statesman fit to
grapple with the subject should be rejoiced to see
already commenced, already developed, such means
and machinery for popular instruction as these insti-
tutes afford. Meanwhile, let us continue our own task
and strive all we can to improve the facilities and ad-
vance the objects of associations, that may hereafter
become the actual centres of general intelligence. Here
at once it strikes me that there is one mode by which
you would greatly advance all the objects of these insti-
tutes, and that is by a general union of all such societies
. as lie at a convenient distance within one county or die•