The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-26 00:00:00

LONDON DIOCESAN BOARD OF

EDUCATION.
The annual meeting of the Council was held on
Tuesday, at 79, Pall-mall. Among those present
were the Right Rev, the Lord Bishop of London
(President), the Dean of Chichester, the Rev. Sir H.
Dukinfield, Rev. A. M. Campbell, Rev. Henry
Hughes, the Right Hon. W. Gladstone, Mr. Cotton,
Mr. Pownall, &c. •
Prayers having been read,
The Right Rev. PRESIDENT said : In the few re-
marks which I shall address to you, before commenc-
ing the business of the day, I shall not anticipate the
report which will shortly be read to you, and which
will state to you distinctly the position which has
been occupied by the London Diocesan Board dur-
ing the last year, and the degree of success which
has attended it. We find ourselves at what may
be termed an educational crisis in this country, and
it depends on an institution like this, acting in con-
nexion with and in subordination to that great insti-
tution the National School Society for the education
of the poor, whether the result of that crisis shall be
for the good of the church, and therefore for the best
interests of the country, or whether we shall take a
back ward step in the course we have pursued, and be
less successful than we have been in our endeavours
to procure an inseparable connexion between reli-
gious and secular instruction. I should rather
say a fusion than a connexion ; for I hold that the
only education which can e called Christian
is that which is secular and religious ; that is
to say, that what is called secular instruction
shall be so communicated to children in a class as to
impress them with a conviction that the whole is
connected with their duty to God, as well as their
duty in that station of life to which it' has pleased
God to call them.—(Applause.) A great event has
taken place during the last year in the publication
and adoption of the minutes of the Committee of the
Council of Education. What the ultimate result
will be we cannot foresee, but still I think we may
predict that if the Church is true to itself, and puts
forth its energies in a degree commensurate to the
exigencies of the case, the result cannot be other-
wise than beneficial to the Church, and through
it to the interests of Christianity and the welfare
of the community at large.—(Applause.) It is
obvious to those who have considered the case,
that in order to realise this result greatly in-
creased exertions must be made by the Church, in
order to render its present system so beneficial as to
deserve and secure the co-operation of the Govern-
ment. Indeed, I think this is ona of the best features
of the Government plan, and characteristic of the
Christian prudence which marks it, that it makes a
certain degree of proficiency in every school—or, at
least, a diligent endeavour after that proficiency—
necessary to the securing any portion of assistance
from the public resources—(Applause). Now, I
know no stronger stimulus than this is calculated to
give. I looked with some degree of satisfaction upon
the fact, that one of the most important features of
the Government scheme is one that had before
marked the proceedings of the London Diocesan
Board. I will not say we started the idea
of pupil teachers, but I may state the
fact that we had established them before the
minutes of the Council were promulgated.
It gives me great pleasure to see it adopted in the
Government plan, of; which I consider it an impor-
tant and valuable portion. We have every reason,
as far as our experience goes, to be satisfied with it.
As to the particular wants of this diocese, I have
spoken of them so often that I need scarcely allude
to them. In the course of the last year the com-
mittee have put forth an appeal for the purpose of
erecting new schools in the City, and the improve-
ment of those that exist. The latter proposal is impor-
tant as being in connexion with the provision of the
minutes of council which requires that a certain
degree of proficiency shall have been obtained before
Government aid is given. The appeal we have made
to the public has not been responded to yet so well
as we hope it will be when the case is better under-
stood. The question is not now whether a fund shall
be formed by the friends of the church—it is not the
question only shall a school be built—but on the for-
mation of a fund depends the possibility of our
having a just measure of Government aid. So that
when a person withholds his contribution, he prevents
us from receiving a greater degree of assistance from
the Government resources.—(Hear, hear.) That
ought to be an additional incentive to the friends of
the church. I cannot help alluding to another of the
measures which have been taken by the London
Diocesan Beard.—not exactly taken, but now pro-
posed. After all the endeavours which. have been
made to bring within the pale of Christian
education the almost countless numbers of
children who have been so long left destitute of it,
after all the exertions of the National Society,
there are thousands entirely out of the reach of
Christian instruction, many of the children of pro-
dfligate and godless parents, who not only do not care
to provide for their children the advantages of a
Christian education, but who retard it, knowing that
it would deprive them of their lawless and unnatural
gains. This has not been kept sufficiently in view.
If we neglect the poor, educated they will be, but it
will be the education of vice, and dishonesty, and
ruin. Measures must now be taken to rescue thou-
sands of children who are a prey to vice. I say this
with reference to a scheme which is generally known
by name as the plan for Ragged Schools. I wish
that name had not been given to them, but they are
known by it. I must do justice to those who have
taken in hand this work of Christian charity.—
(Applause.) Though I could have wished that
they had been kept more strictly in connexion
with the church, I must not withhold the meed of
praise from those who have endeavoured to rescue
these unhappy children from their depths of misery.—
(Applause.) We, I hope, shall not be backward in
following their example and these who have pre-
ceded us. This forms a feature in the plan which
the London Diocesan Board are now sending forth
to the public ; and if we look to the possible results,
it is not the least important, and is the most difficult
to deal with. I hope you will have sufficient confi-
dence in us to believe that we shall not be guilty
of any compromise of principle.—(Applause.) It
is hardly necessary for me to touch on the sub-
ject any further. -I
have on more than one occasion
expressed my gratitude to Government for having
dealt with this difficult question with a great deal of
prudence and benevolence. The Church has come
forward to accept the assistance so offered to it,
and it remains with the members of the Church in
different dioceses to use increased exertions in order
to derive from this measure the full amount of
benefit which it is calculated to give if properly
carried out.—(Loud applause.) In the diocese of
London I think we may expect such assistance from
the friends of the Church as shall enable us to carry
out the important plan which has recently been held
out to them.--(Loud and general applause.)
Mr. BURGESS, the honorary secretary,
not fortunate enough to get then read
the report, a long MS. document, of which we were a
copy. It suggested
that, as it would be found difficult to retain children
unless something was done to relieve their parents, it
would be proper that twelve children should be se-
lected, and paid as head-monitors at 5/. per annum.
The board being anxious to raise the condition of the
most destitute children, proposed to erect schools,
towards which the Bishop of London subscribed SOO/.
A public meeting was held on the subject on the 22d
of April. Hitherto (said the report) the board has
not circulated the plan, but they now announce that
her Majesty the Queen Dowager and the Duchess of
Kent have approved of it, and given donations.
1,0001. is the sum now in hand, The following are
the heads of the plan :
" 1. To promote and aid in the building of schools
in those parts of the metropolis which are included in
the diocese of London, and, wherever it is practicable,
to add rooms for the residences of the teachers.
"2. To aid in maintaining and improving schools
which already exist in necessitous districts, until they
are in a condition to avail themselves of the Govern-
ment assistance.
"To assist in opening and fitting up
for national and parochial schools, as well as to con-
tribute towards maintaining evening day schools
( or
for destitute and neglected children hired rooms
(commonly called
ragged schools), with a view to preparing scholars for
the more regular and permanent institutions.
" All donations and annual subscriptions
or
r for
subscriber
awn i
yl I
o bn ee
considered as placed at the disposal of the board for
should general
particularlypu rposes,
express unless aan y donor
preference
or more of the above objects.
" Donations of 301. and upwards
may be paid by
instalments within three years.
" With a work of such magnitude in view, in
which the present and eternal welfare of many thou-
sands of poor children in this metropolis may be in-
volved,
the committee of the board will not allow
themselves to doubt but that in a short time they will
receive that support which will enable them to carry
forward these designs ; and that the friends of na-
tional education will come forward with a liberality
proportioned to the importance and necessity of the
work now before them, as evinced by the urgent
lapplications for aid which have already been received
from some of the most needy parishes in the metro-
polis."
The annual revenue, it appeared, had been epi.