The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-14 00:00:00

LONDON,

LANCASHIRE PUBLIC SCHOOL

ASSOCIATION.

GREAT MEETING AT MANCHESTER.
(FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.)
Last night, in the Free-trade Hall at Manchester, a
large meeting was held of the friends of the above asso-
ciation. The hall was crowded to excess.
In the morning a conference of deputi..a from all parts
had been held at the Mechanics' Institute; A. Henry,
Esq., M.P., in the chair. Mr. Henry, also took the chair
at the meeting in the Free-trade Hell, at half-past seven.
On the platform were the Right Hon. M. T. Gibson,
M.P.; W. J. Fox, Esq., M.P.; T. Williams Esq., M.P.;
G. Wilson, Esq ; T. Bayley, E•q.; T. Sampson, Esq.,
Edinburgh;of Dr. Beard, and other influential gentle-
m(.ll.
The CHAIRMAN opened the proceedings by informing
the ass, m bly hat a conference of the friends of the
PuQic School Association had been held that morning,
ht the Mechanics' Institute, to consider ill(' best means
of promoting this object, which had been attended by
many gentlemen of great talents and influence from all
parts of the kingdom. lie alluded to the importance of
the objects aimed at, and the Riley obstacles which lay
in their way, from the antipathy of the bishops and
clergy, who were opposed to any scheme by which their
supreme authority in these matters would he interfered
with, end also from the religious scruples of various de-
nominations. He concluded by recommending the pre-
cept scheme to the meeting, as that most Neely to be
fficecious.
The Rev. Mr. M KERROW, one of the secretaries
of the asscciatiou, came forward to announce
to the meeting that he had received letters
approving of the present association from Arch-
bishop Whately, Lord Godertch, Mark Phillips,
Esq., M.P., Richard Cobden, Esq., M P., G. A. Roe-
buck, Esq., M.P., Joseph Hume, Esq., M P., Sharman
Crawford, Esq.. M.P., W. Ewart, Esq., M.P., Thomas
Carlyle, Miss Martineau, William and Robert Chambers,
of Edinburgh.
The CHAIRMAN then called on
The Right Hon. MILNER GIBBON, who came foivetrd
amid much cheering, and said that he had been invited
to give to the meeting the opinions which he entertained
upon this question, and he approached the subject with
very great diffidence in the presence of men who had
giten so much attention to the details of the plan, end be
should only come before them upon the present occasion
to give his hearty and public approbation of the main
feateres of the scheme. He thought it was a scheme
which could not be called a voluntary scheme, nor a
State relit me, but it was one which might be called a
national system of education, because it was one which
could be participated in by men of all religious deno-
rninatione, and it was a national, because it was one
over the funds of which those who furnished the funds
would have supreme control. With all deference to
those great men who had been the first to break down
the barriers of ignorance in this country by the esta-
blishment and carrying out of Sunday-schools, he mu t
say that the means of education and the apparatus were
wofully defective for the task. They were told that
the amount of ignorance was greatly decreasing, but they
could cot deny, that if ignorance decreased in the pro-
sent ratio it would take centuries to educate the hole
population of England.—(Hear, hear.) But had crime
diminished ? No; since the commencemc nt of the pre
sent century, the amount of crime had increased five-
fold, though the population had not doubled. Great
efforts Lied been made to repress crime, but, in his
opinion, they had ala-a) s begun at the wrong end.
What expenditure had taken place in improving prisons
—what lengthened disquisitions had they heard of the
beet means of getting rid of their convict population, but
how little had been done towards beginning at the right
end, and to eleiate the moral condition by education. The
voluntary system, he thought, was not fitted for the die-
trict in which he stood, for was there not an express
interference of the Legislature which prohibited any
child frem earning a living in the manufactures of cot-
ton, wool, &c., without first producing a certificate that
they had attended a school during so many days in the
week? Sir J. Graham felt strongly the incumbency
which the Legislature was under, after the passing of
the Factory Act, to provide schools for the factory chil-
dren, and he brought in a Bill for that purpose, which
Sir Robert Inglis opposed on the ground hat the
Church possessed the supreme right of education in
the country, an opinion which was put aside
by a majority of the House. Sir J. Graham did not
yield to the opinion of Sir R Inglis, but he took an in-
termediate course, that of giving a certain power to the
Church and a certain power to the Dissenters, which was
repudiated by the Church and the Dissenters equally.
Mr. Roebuck's plan came next, which was much the
same in principle as that at present under discussion.
Among the supporters of Mr. Roebuck, who numbered
sixty, were men of high taleat and religious feeling, who
felt that the religious part of education ought to be com-
mitted to the different religious ministers. He utterly
repudiated the idea that the present scheme was an ir-
religious scheme. Was it irreligious to teach arithmetic
by itself ? In his opinion an instructed man was
by far a better subject for any minister. With regard
to the question of mixing religious with secular educa-
tion upon all occasions, he did not think that those men
who opposed the scheme because of its unmixed character
were not sincere in their advocacy of mixed instruction.
If they looked at the seminaries where the youth of the
higher classes of society were educated, take the univer.
sities, for instance—and he had had the honour of passing
through one of the universities—he did not remember
that there was any actual necessitated religious educa
tion there, apart from the inclination of each pupil—all
those who were intended for the Church were obliged to
attend " Divinity Lectures," and even those might be
attended by proxy, perhaps at the expense of a small
gratuity. As for the form of attending chapel, for form
it was, ho remembered that if any one misbehaved him-
self, ho was sentenced to attend more than the usual
number of times as a punishment. Now, with all due
deference, he did not call that religious education. For
his part be did not think the Bible was needed in secular
education—he objected entirely to the Bible being made
into a task•baok—he thought that that part of education
should be left entirely to the ministers of each denomi-
nation. In conclusion he called upon the people of Man
Chester to support this movement, which was one of all
others most calculated to meet the requirements of the
present age; and he called upon them to be the
first in this as in all the other great questions of the day. 4
Mr. Fox, M.P., then came forward, amid much
cheering, and said he could not find himself again upon
that. platform, before one of the magnificent Manchester
gatherings, without giving rise to reminiscences which
it would not be pertinent further to allude to, but which
they would forgive him for mentioning. Ile had met
them before to claim food for famishing bodies, he met
them now to claim food for starving minds; then it was
to endeavour to avert crime and to alleviate misery, now
it was for averting crime, not arising merely from phy-
sical suffering, but from a demoralised nature. He hoped
that the same energy which distinguished Manchester
then might be put forward now—Lit was an object which
had as great a claim upon them. The plan was one
which at once recommended itself to his mind and secured
his approbation—he liked it because it was a plan, and
not a chaos—a plan which, being intended for their own
county, ought to be extended over the length and
breadth of the nation, because it kept in view all the
means and appliances of education. He approved it
because it was comprehensive, intended alike for rich
and poor, and for all ranks and all sects. It aimed at
making neither slaves to political power nor bigots to
religious opinions, but men capable of using their
natural powers to the good of their common
country. He approved of the plan, because it was at
once local and national. It was a practical plan, wrought
out as to its costs, and that too to a result which could
not fail to recommend it; and he thought that the
example set by one county would be followed by other
counties until legislation, however sluggish, should be
compelled to listen to tt e voice crying for education and
obey it. The condition of society seemed but one great
cry for light; " Give us light" is the prayer of men), a
wretched man who sought his home at a gin-shop, while
his wife and family were famishing at home—all seemed
to cry " Give us light"—an tcho of that voice which
while ch.:o3 yet was said " Let there be light, and there
was light."—(Great applause.) In the want of educe •
tion there were two great divisions—that of a want of
quantity and quality. As to quantity, there were
750,000 children between five years and twelve years of
ago who attended no school whatever, not:evenaa Sunday-
school. On the Continent there was a greater ameliora-
tion on this point. In the United States the average of
education was much higher. The British people were
a sympathising people, and if this mass o' ignorance had
been presented in any other form, what a sympathy
would be expressed towards it. But he felt more
strongly as to the quality of edeostion. They had been
too apt to make children parrots instead of reasoning
creatures. Education must be raised before it could be
the blessing to the country which they were desirous it
should be. One of the great points was to raise the
character of the educator; there were no prizes in his
race except the consciousness of virtue. This was no
opinion of his own, but the testimony of the British and
Foreign School Association, which spoke very strongly
on this point. Dr. .Vaughan also pointed this out; lie
said that it was not to be expected that they should find
martyrs ready to sacrifice themselves to the educa-
tion of the lower chases. Why should a great
nation like this suffer such a crying evil? A school-
master must be like a poet—born Isuch. The qualities
were Heavees given, and they fought to make much of
such men when they could find them. It was not the
leareed men who always made the best teachers, far from
it. In all other professions tests were required from
the professors; why not have tests from the school-
masters? They ought to be sure of the right men, and
then make much of them when they got them. They
should place him in the first rank of society—equal
with the clergyman, and far above the rewards
which are demanded from them by false glory.—(Ap•
plauee.) Let it not be forgot that education was not
merely a thing of childhood. It was only then that we
began a thing which must be carried on throughout lite.
But how did they act in this respect ? They were much
inclined to shut up their libraries and museums. All
Mr. Ewart's endeavourshad as yet been unable to ob-
sin the opening of the library of the British Museum to
the young men of London in the evening, when alone
they could avail themselves of it.—(hear, hear.) In-
struction, as now administered in many of the schools of
England, was not sufficient to bar the advance of crime.
The increase of crime showed on the returns, was in the
class between the "well taught" and the "utterly un-
taught"—via., the imperfectly educated. At a late temper-
ance meeting in the metropolis, some important statements
were made, which showed that a vast amount of juvenile
criminals were Sunday scholars. It was not a statement
which he made with a view to depreciate Sunday-schools,
but to show that the sacred part of instruction could not
grow to its full power without the exercise of the facul -
ties which a secular instruction could give ; and to
show that religion in an ignorant man was but the
sun in a fog, deprived of half its glory.—(llear, hear.)
The excellent labours of voluatary teachers in Sunday-